Blurb
In 1889, most of the city of Seattle burnt to the ground. The residents rebounded by using the ruin remnants to create the foundation for the new and improved city.
In 1965, Bill Spediel struck a deal with the new metropolis to turn a profit on the tragedy from almost a century earlier. Thus, The Underground was born, immediately spawning talk of ghosts.
In recent years, the myths morphed into stories of actual people living among the trash and filth that had built up beneath the city. These mythical people had become mockingly referred to as groundlings by the locals.
As the city is now held in the grips of a serial killer, Oz Seidon can't seem to focus on anything other than the groundlings. Having never put much stock into them before, a recent rash of sightings has piqued his curiosity. Oz intends to disprove the legend, using the research as an excuse to focus on something other than death, that is, until he stumbles upon one and learns how close to this story he really is.
In 1965, Bill Spediel struck a deal with the new metropolis to turn a profit on the tragedy from almost a century earlier. Thus, The Underground was born, immediately spawning talk of ghosts.
In recent years, the myths morphed into stories of actual people living among the trash and filth that had built up beneath the city. These mythical people had become mockingly referred to as groundlings by the locals.
As the city is now held in the grips of a serial killer, Oz Seidon can't seem to focus on anything other than the groundlings. Having never put much stock into them before, a recent rash of sightings has piqued his curiosity. Oz intends to disprove the legend, using the research as an excuse to focus on something other than death, that is, until he stumbles upon one and learns how close to this story he really is.
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Bio
I am a lover of all things artistic. I grew up surrounded by the performing arts both as a spectator and performer. That love of creation and design is the fuel for my writing now. Being able to create and entertain is a dream come true.
The imagination is a powerful thing, able to take you places you never dreamed. I write realistic fantasy. The idea of the possible having impossible explanations fascinates me. That idea is the driving force behind the Charlotte Grace series and The Underground.If you are interested in receiving updates when I release new books, please visit me on Facebook at http://facebook.com/pm.briede
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1. Introduce yourself to readers in 100 words or less.
I’m PM Briede, a writer of romance you can find in almost any situation. I currently have four books out, the Charlotte Grace trilogy, Smoldering Embers, Wild Fire, and Ashes. My fourth book, and first standalone novel, The Underground. My stories are never exactly what they seem and filled with twists and turns that have profound impact on my characters.2. How long have you been a published author?
About a year now. I released Smoldering Embers on my own in September 2013 and then was picked up by my publisher in October 2013. We pulled my version, made some changes, and they re-released it in December 2013.
3. Do you write in one particular genre, or explore a variety of stories?
The Charlotte Grace series is paranormal romance, which is what I thought I would write exclusively when I started. My next series, The Empathy Delacroix series, which will be released next year, has a more criminal element to the storyline with a touch of the paranormal. The Underground is not paranormal at all. And my current work is steeped in demons. So I'm a little all over the map, but in general my writing focuses on relationships and how situations and circumstances change people and therefore their interactions.
4. Where do you get the ideas for your stories?
All over the place. Charlotte Grace and Empathy Delacroix were both from dreams. The Underground was from the underground tour in Seattle. My current WIP is from wandering the cemeteries in New Orleans after my grandmother's funeral. I just take a look at the world and wonder what could be different about it.
5. What is your writing process
I write linearly and organically. Short of some very specific ideas, I let the story tell itself.
6. How much/often do you write?
I used to write for a few hours everyday after work. Now that I have books released and am doing events, I try to get 10-15 hours in a week. All in the evenings or on the weekends.
7. Do you have readers or betas who critique your work before you submit for publication? Why do or why don’t you think this is important?
I had a friend read Charlotte Grace before I published it and of course she thought it was amazing. So I published and found someone to read review, and they politely panned it. It hurt at the time but it was good. I needed that unbiased feedback. I reworked a few things then got picked up by my publisher. They have been amazing with great insight into my strengths and helped develop and improve my weaknesses as a writer. I have four fans who agreed to beta The Underground, and that was fantastic as well because it gave me a little confidence boost. For me, it's important on two sides. I do want the constructive criticism. My publisher has it in spades and presents his ideas in a helpful way. I don't take them all but I do take some. Then my readers can me insight and confirm whether my characters connect, not only with each other, but also with the reader. That's what is important to me and I need to know that I'm doing it right.
8. Please tell us how you developed the concept for The Underground.My husband and I went to Seattle for our anniversary last year and took the underground tour. I LOVED it! The structures were amazing and beautiful and haunting. My mind went into a whirl. What if people lived down here? Could people live down here? If so, how would that look and why would they be here? I toyed with a more dystopian story arc. I toyed with aliens and monsters. And then I settled on lies. How lies can hold not only a person but a people back. That's the thematic arc to The Underground. How do you get out from under not only the lies you are told by others but also the ones you tell yourself.
