#TRAVEL--GET TO KNOW PRAGUE WITH INTERNATIONAL THRILLER AUTHOR KATHRYN ORZECH

Prague city map

Author Kathryn Orzech writes mystery, suspense, and thrillers set in New England “and other exotic locations” where everyday women face chilling situations, flirt with romance, and brush with the supernatural. An avid film fan, news nerd and traveler, Kathy’s other interests include history and geopolitics, archaeology and psychology, earth science, and parapsychology, leaving few subjects off her literary table. Her real-life website, DreamWatch.com, true paranormal experiences of everyday people, has been online since the late 1990s and was the inspiration for Premonition of Terror when she wondered, What if…?  Learn more about her and her books at her website.

“Exotic Location” Prague, Czech Republic

After character development and plot, setting is next important to me. My world travels (30-plus countries) offer readers a glimpse of another place and culture. Most of Premonition of Terror, a psychic thriller with a global terrorism threat, is set in the northeast USA, with key scenes set in Prague.

A hoard of international souvenirs is stored in my basement, stacked in plastic bins labeled by country. When drafting Premonition, I was torn between an overseas setting in Budapest or Prague. I reviewed my stash of brochures, receipts and mementos including the street maps I used while there. Prague emerged the clear winner.

Prague overview

At first glance, districts on a city map can be confusing with the Old Town, New Town, Lesser Town, and more. I needed the big picture so my first stop was the elevated location of Prague Castle for a confusion-clearing overview. Prague’s most striking feature is the Vltava River that runs through the city, thus easing navigation to at least determine which side you were on.

Said to be one of Europe’s most haunted cities, I found Prague to be fascinating, vibrant, and affordable, an easy walking city with deep-rooted culture. From historical castles, palaces and cathedrals to underground cave restaurants with delicious food and “outstanding” beer (so I was told); from concerts and galleries to river cruises and ghost walking tours, it’s no surprise that Prague attracts visitors from around the world.

Protagonist as innocent tourist

I have no qualms about writing what I don’t know as long as my point of view remains that of a stranger, a visitor, a tourist. In Premonition of Terror, protagonist Kate Kasabian explores popular attractions including Old Town Square with the 600-year-old Astronomical Clock, the Charles Bridge, Powder Tower, Peace Wall, and Prague Castle.

Old Town Square. The Old Town looked to me like a fairy village with Romanesque and Gothic architecture in a labyrinth of cobblestone lanes, and there was always something interesting happening at the square. I especially enjoyed evenings with new friends at favorite sidewalk cafés to people-watch and listen to conversations at nearby tables in a medley of languages, background I used in the book.

The Charles Bridge (aka: Karluv most). An icon bridge and one of many river crossings. Completed in 1390 (30 mostly Baroque statues were added later), it connects Old Town with Lesser Town. More than 500 yards across, by 9:00 AM it is a gauntlet of hawkers, tourists, and an occasional pickpocket. I relished the incessant activity.

Lesser Town (aka: Mala Strana). A lovely area in which to walk, home to Prague Castle and foreign embassies. As my steps crushed fallen leaves against worn sidewalks, I felt I was back home in the Northeast.

John Lennon’s Peace Wall. Let me explain. Sometimes called Prague’s answer to the Berlin Wall, this graffiti-covered wall is often credited for having inspired the Velvet Revolution, a non-violent youth rebellion against Communism. The Peace Wall began with an image of Lennon, a remembrance following his murder. Lyrics from his songs and messages of peace, love and freedom soon followed. Located near the French Embassy, an impulse to find the Peace Wall draws protagonist Kate to Mala Strana where not all is as peaceful as it appears.

Writing this post stirred memories of the sights and sounds of Prague, so thank you all for that.

Premonition of Terror

DreamWatch.com, true paranormal experiences, began as a hobby. It was supposed to be fun—until premonitions from around the world predict the same catastrophic attack.

The last time reluctant psychic Kate Kasabian revealed a prediction, people close to her were hurt. But with thousands of lives at risk, she has no choice but to badger her FBI brother to investigate. He refuses to help. When she sets off to prove her suspicions, he thinks he’s heard the last of her supernatural silliness—until the legendary Matt Chase from Counterterrorism alerts agents to a credible threat eerily similar to Kate’s warnings.

Tracking clues from Prague to New England, Kate trusts dreams and premonitions while Chase relies on technology and global intelligence, but can their unlikely alliance stop the U.S. plot?

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#TRAVEL TO #PARIS WITH #PARANORMAL #ROMANCE AUTHOR MICHELE DRIER

Former award-winning journalist and author Michele Drier writes the Amy Hobbes Newspaper Mysteries and the paranormal romance series SNAP: The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles. Learn more about Michele and her books at her website.

Maps are a passion.

Want to get from Bath to Stonehenge by way of Limply Stoke? I have a map for that.

Looking for the best route between Beaune and Auxerre? I have a map for that.

I love to travel, to find different lands, different people, different foods, different cultures and outlooks. There’s a sense of adventure, of reinventing oneself, of adopting a different persona.

This may be why I set the Kandesky Vampire Chronicles primarily in and around Kiev. The protagonists live there, but they travel throughout Europe. And, like me, their favorite city is Paris.

They own a flat in the 7^th Arrondissement, a leafy enclave overlooking the Eiffel Tower, the Champs de Mars and the Ecole Militaire. They visit Paris for shopping, for business and always for Fashion Weeks.

A few years ago, before my mother died, she got a passport but hadn’t gone anywhere. I told her it was illegal to have a passport but not use it and asked where she’d like to go. I expected her to say England, but she said Paris and so we went for a week, not long enough.

After we spent hours at the Louvre, we sat beside one of the ponds in the Tuileries Gardens, watched French kids sail toy boats and she said, “I’m in love.” She loved the sights, the families, the art, the food, the sounds. She said that all her life she’d heard French emergency sirens in movies and on TV and now she was hearing the definitive “OOOH-ah, OOOH-ah.”

That was probably my seventh or eighth visit to Paris and I, too, had fallen in love with the city over the years. Now, as I write, I have maps of many European cities and countries near. After all, the Kandeskys are an uber-rich, uber-sophisticated vampire family who rose in Hungary five hundred years ago. They spend time in many European cities, and I need to see where they go, what they do, so I read the maps. The most tattered is a map of Paris from Galleries Lafayette picked up years ago. I close my eyes and see the street, the apartment, the courtyard, the trees that the Kandeskys see, though their view is by night.

 In the latest Kandesky book, SNAP: I, Vampire, a visit to a Fashion Week show results in a kidnapping and chase through the French countryside. And I traced the kidnappers’ route on one of my maps.

Soon, I’m going back to Paris, back to the 7^th Arrondissment, back to the food, the people, the OOH-ah sirens, and to revisit the places where my mother fell in love.

SNAP: I, Vampire

Book 9 of The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles

Maxie Gwenoch, LA-based media star, VP for International Planning for the multi-national gossip conglomerate, SNAP, has finally agreed to marry Jean-Louis Kandesky, a 500-year-old Hungarian vampire and leader of the family that owns SNAP.

Is marriage a big change? Not as big as the fact that Maxie is now a vampire, as well. When munitions from the Kandesky Enterprises weapons plant in Slovakia turn up at the bombing of a Royal's house in England, Jean-Louis and his "brother," Nik, are hot on the trail of shadowy terrorist groups dealing in international weapons sales. Are the Kandesky arms being sold to terrorists groups? Should Maxie use her newfound vampire strengths to ferret out the scum?

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#TRAVEL ABROAD WITH GUEST AUTHOR KAY HARWELL FERNANDEZ

A longtime journalist, Kay Harwell Fernandez is a freelance travel writer who has visited 56 countries--and counting. She has been published in international, national and regional magazines, newspapers and webzines. She has written two travel-related e-books and contributed to five National Geographic books. She's also working on a cozy mystery and historical suspense. Learn more about Kay here.

Saint Augustine says it all, "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." I'm a firm believer that travel broadens your horizons.

I realize how fortunate I am to have been traveling overseas for three decades--both as a consumer and as a travel writer. When I turned 50, I backpacked alone in seven countries. Did that experience broaden my horizons? Absolutely. 

Although my backpacking days are long gone, I still yearn to travel, especially to Europe. As I have gotten older, I have had to adjust to traveling differently. Alas, the physical limitations can't be ignored. I prefer to call it my "new normal."

I wanted to share some of my travel tips and suggestions, while encouraging women of a certain age to travel abroad. That's why my e-book came about.

Sometimes travel books tend to be dry--informative, but dry. My aim was to add a bit of lightheartedness and humor, starting with the title It Ain't Heavy, It's My Luggage: Tips for Older Women Traveling Abroad.

Using a conversational style, the book is geared toward, but not limited to, women in their 60s, 70s and beyond, traveling overseas either solo or with female friends or relatives. I have traveled with my older sisters, friends and by myself. Each trip was distinctive and special. No, this isn't meant to discount our spouses or significant others. In this particular case, however, the focus is on women and cheering them on.

Chapters include Heartbreak Hotel--Glitches and quirks with your accommodations; Big Girls Don't Cry--Expect the unexpected; The Cane Mutiny--Adjusting to your limitations; Over the Lips and Under the Gums, Look Out Stomach Here It Comes--How to keep potential tummy problems at bay; and Dancing in the Street--Finding your inner child.

Inching toward her mid-70s, a colleague recently went scuba diving on a solo trek to Indonesia. A 63-year-old friend is about to go on an African safari. My sister's close friend in her mid-60s has post-polio syndrome and must use a mobility scooter. Earlier this year, she took her granddaughter to Italy. Admiration runs deep for these three women and the hundreds of others who jump out of their armchair traveler status. To borrow from Dr. Seuss, oh, the places you'll go!

Invariably, folks ask me what my "favorite" destination is. Paris. Always Paris. And now a work-in-progress is a historical suspense set in Paris.

It Ain't Heavy, It's My Luggage: Tips for Older Women Traveling Abroad

In a conversational style with tinges of humor, It Ain't Heavy, It's My Luggage: Tips for Older Women Traveling Abroad, delivers practical pointers and encouragement on how women in their 60s, 70s and beyond--whether going solo or with female friends or relatives--can travel overseas smoothly and safely while broadening their horizons. Nix the "I can't," because regret comes from not going at all.

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#TRAVEL TO REAL-LIFE GAME OF THRONES LOCATIONS

Castle Ward, Northern Ireland
photo by Ardfern

Jason Biondo is an amateur bodybuilder and a travel junkie who loves to share insightful tips to his fellow health enthusiasts and travelers. He is also a User Interface Developer Consultant and the Founder of Trekeffect. 

9 Breathtaking Real-Life Game of Thrones Locations

Game of Thrones is a phenomenon in the television industry and as far as its ratings are concerned, there are no signs of it slowing down. If you’re wondering where on earth to find the majestic places where the show is filmed, here are the answers.

Castle Ward, Northern Ireland – Winterfell’s Courtyard

The Castle Ward was featured as Winterfell’s courtyard and was used for the scene where King Robert arrived at Winterfell in which they were met by the house of Stark during the first episode. This historic farmyard is a unique 18^th century mansion that is famous for its dazzling mix of architectural polishes. It is located on a rolling hillside overlooking the waters of Strangford Lough, Downpatrick. Because of the fame brought about by the television series, the place is now visited daily by many tourists. Game of Thrones tours are widely offered.

City of Dubrovnik, Croatia – King’s Landing

Dubrovnik is the main filming location for the scenes in South of Westeros or primarily the King’s Landing during the second season of the show. As most GOT fans know, this city showcases red-tiled roofs with orange terracotta tiles, large historic stone walls and scenic narrow streets as well as the wild seas. Known as the Pearl of the Adriatic, Dubrovnik is truly one of the most historic and fabulous places along the Adriatic Sea.

Lovrijenac Fortress, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Lovrijenac Fortress, Croatia – The Red Keep

Another well-known place is the Red Keep – a place where kings and queens of Westeros rule the Seven Kingdoms. In real-life, this GOT place was filmed in the Fort Lovrjenac, which is also within the city of Dubrovnik. Also known as the Fort of St. Lawrence, it is located outside high walls that are over 50 meters thick to prevent its destruction by enemies. Visitors can climb the 175 stone steps to the impressive beacon to catch a glimpse of the city’s skyline.

Minceta Tower, Croatia – The House of the Undying

Built in 1913 as the highest quadrilateral fort, it is the highest part of Dubrovnik’s walls and gives a magnificent overview of the city. Minceta is often referred to as the most remarkable fort of the city and regarded as the symbol of the place. The scene where Daenerys Targaryen walks around the exterior and has to face unexpected visions in the House of Undying in order to gain knowledge about her future was shot here.

Done Castle, Scotland
photo by Steve Collis

Doune Castle, Scotland – Winterfell

This was the filming location of the show’s pilot episode where the interior served as the festivity area when the royal party arrived. The background of the castle was also used for many scenes in the Winterfell. The castle was rebuilt during the 14^th century and served as a hunting lodge for Scottish royalty in the earlier years as well as a house for a widowed queen.

Azure Window, Malta – Wedding Scene

Located on Gozo Island, this natural limestone arch in the sea cliff was seen during Daenerys and Khal Drogo’s wedding. Even before the scene was shown on TV, it had been known as one of the most visited tourist destinations in Malta. Unfortunately, recent reports have suggested that it will collapse in the next few years because the sea is slowly eroding the arch. There are danger signs posted all over the arch.  However, people ignore them to walk across and head to the top for a stunning picture of this well-known place.

Fort Saint Angelo, Malta – The Red Keep Dungeon

Located at the hearth of Grand Harbour (which was used as a military habitation), this prehistoric structure was used by British soldiers and was severely damaged during World War II. The tunnels were used for the scene where Arya was chasing a cat as an assignment from Syrio Forel wherein she overheard a discussion about the possibility of a war.

Dina City Gate, Malta
photo by GFDL 

Mdina City Gate, Malta – King’s Landing

This was originally the main setting of Game of Thrones, particularly on the first season, but because of logistics issue, it was later replaced by Dubrovnik. It is the old capital of Malta and one of the island’s oldest, strategically located walled cities.  Mdina’s inland setting, red-stoned buildings, and tall gates were the perfect shooting location for the show.

Dark Hedges in Ballymoney, Northern Ireland – Kingsroad

The stunning view of beech trees that were perfectly aligned at the side of the streets is the location for the scene when Arya Stark escaped King’s Landing disguised as a young boy. It is considered the longest highway in the Seven Kingdoms, running from King’s Landing to the wall where Arya Stark rides for Castle Black. In real life, the Dark Hedges was created to impress visitors as they approached the entrance to Georgian Mansion. After a couple of centuries, the trees still retain their magnificence and have become one of the most photographed natural sights in Northern Ireland. 

TRAVEL WITH SERENA -- GUEST TRAVEL WRITER DR. KELLE Z RILEY

Our intrepid guest travel blogger, Kelle Z Riley, is back again today with more tales from her early travels to Paris. Do you think she’ll get any sightseeing in this time? Read on to find out. -- AP

Kelle's kitties didn't want her to leave.

PARIS, PART 2

Hello fellow travelers!  I’m back after a month off to take care of some nagging health issues.  No doubt it was from a bug I caught while traveling.  So save yourselves the trouble of antibiotics and cough remedies and spend your travel time vicariously with me. . .  Last time we spoke (in Feb.) I told you of my first trip to Paris—where I saw some of the local industry rather than lots of tourist sites.

The second time I visited Paris—in winter—I stayed in a charming hotel in the heart of the city.  By charming, I mean small.  The room was as wide as a king sized bed and just a little longer!  My twin-sized bed lay so close to the window that I could reach out from under the covers and open or close the window to adjust the room temperature.  Since the room was boiling hot, it was delightful to be able to crack open the window and feel cool winter air swirl over the top of my down comforter.  Even the noise of the crowded streets four floors below seemed soothing.

Two feet from the foot of my bed and up one step was the bathroom.  If you dropped something in the shower, you had to get out and stand on the bath mat to retrieve it.  No kidding.  No bending to shave your legs allowed in this shower!  But there was plenty of warm water, so I had no worries.  The real beauty of the bathroom was a floor to ceiling window which could be opened just wide  enough to let me squeeze out onto a balcony.  The streets of Paris are narrow, winding, and intersect other streets at unusual angles.  Form my perch I could see a panorama of shops, pedestrians and vehicles of all kinds (from taxis to bicycles).  Every city has a special energy and I felt it keenly on that tiny balcony.

During this trip, I had some free time.  Two hours of it, to be exact.  In my 2 free hours, I went shopping (to purchase a souvenir suitcase to replace the one broken on the earlier legs of my journey).  Of course I also bought a beret and a scarf and some warm, fuzzy gloves.  The challenge (and a source of adventure) lay in the fact that I had no idea what the currency exchange rate was.  I was using Euros, but during that time the Euro and the U.S. dollar were not even close to the same in terms of spending power.  It is always scary to go to an ATM half a world from home and withdraw cash—you never know till you get home how much you’ve dented your bank account.  Ditto for credit card purchases.  But when you desperately NEED a suitcase on wheels—c’est la vie!

While my tourist activities were still severely limited (saw l’Arc de Triomphe from yet another cab window), I nevertheless learned some important aspects of French culture.  That is to say, I learned about the luxury of croissants, pain au chocolate (a flakey croissant-like bread with a bar of rich chocolate in the middle), and café au lait.  Warning: once you’ve had a croissant in Paris, you’ll never be satisfied with one anywhere else in the world!

The rest of the trip was dedicated to work and cab rides back to the airport where my sparkling new suitcase was properly broken in and began earning it’s travel legs.  We (my bag and I) went on to Germany, Amsterdam and finally home to the U.S., but that is a story for another blog.

I left Paris wishing I’d had more time and longing to return to the city.  As always, I hoped that the next trip would bring a chance to see the wonderful tourist sites that have inspired travelers for decades.  Cross your fingers. . .

I’ll see you next month!

Kelle