Originally posted on Para Your Normal (May 2, 2016) When I was first approached with the topic “paranormal San Francisco”, I had to take a few days to think. I realized there were a couple ways I could approach it. The first way would have been to talk about the actual paranormal community in SanContinue reading “Subversive San Francisco”
Category Archives: Shades Below
Fresh Monsters
Originally posted on Mythical Books (March 23, 2015) “EVERYTHING HAS BEEN THOUGHT OF BEFORE… THE PROBLEM IS TO THINK OF IT AGAIN.” – JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE I was asked an interesting question the other day. I was out with a couple friends and another woman I had just met. Upon finding out I writeContinue reading “Fresh Monsters”
October, 2017
There’s something about October… Summer is officially over in the Bay Area. The nights are cold, the mornings are crisp. The sun sits differently in the sky. The holidays are fast approaching, and with them, the end of the year. While I enjoy the excuse to let my witchy flag fly, by the time OctoberContinue reading “October, 2017”
Shades Below Grimoire: Banishing Spells
First published on ParaYourNormal (November 2,2015) **NOTE: Although based on existing spells, the spells in the Shades Below series were created for entertainment only. They are not intended for use in performing actual magic.** In a city like San Francisco, there’s no shortage of things that go bump in the night. In my urban fantasyContinue reading “Shades Below Grimoire: Banishing Spells”
A Sense Of Place: The Columbarium
Originally posted on Urban Fantasy Investigations (October 30, 2015) The stern neoclassical building looked distinctly out of place in the pastel-hued residential neighborhood. It sat in all its somber glory at the end of a small cul-de-sac, surrounded by neatly-trimmed hedges and small, geometric patches of grass. Purple-leaved trees shaded a small parking area justContinue reading “A Sense Of Place: The Columbarium”
Featured Character: Darius deCompostela
Is it weird for authors to fall in love with their own characters? I hope not, because I’ve always been a little bit in love with Darius de Compostela. Ever since he swaggered onto the scene in A World Apart and declared he doesn’t get involved with “hokey bullshit”, he’s had a special place inContinue reading “Featured Character: Darius deCompostela”
September, 2017: It’s Witching Season
September in California means one thing… …Hot, hot HOT. The air gets dry. The hills turn from gold to nearly white. The spectre of wildfire is always right around the corner. Just when everyone in the state is ready to cry “uncle”, the heat breaks, and the Bay Area tumbles into true fall. For me,Continue reading “September, 2017: It’s Witching Season”
Science and Shades Below: The Quantum Elevator
Welcome back! Today, I’m continuing my mini-series on the role of science in my Shades Below urban fantasy series. It’s been a lot of fun envisioning a universe where science and magic exist side-by-side. I’m super excited to pull back the curtain, and give you a peek at some of the things that have goneContinue reading “Science and Shades Below: The Quantum Elevator”
August, 2017
The last month of summer… Where I live, August is the last real month of summer. School starts up at the end of it, so the first few weeks are a whirlwind of backpack shopping, trips to the beach and The Boardwalk, and last-minute weekend getaways. My own last-minute getaway took the form of aContinue reading “August, 2017”
Science and Shades Below: The Crossroads of Science & Magic
At first blush, science and magic don’t seem to have an awful lot in common. One is based on observation, one on feeling. One relies on proof, the other on intuition. One deals with things that are tangible, the other with the intangible. I wish I could say I’ve always loved science, but that isn’tContinue reading “Science and Shades Below: The Crossroads of Science & Magic”
L.J.K. OLIVA 