Losing Lila Blog Tour: Feature On Locations

I am pleased to bring you the 10th tour stop on the UK & Australian blog tour for the sequel, Losing Lila by Sarah Alderson! Read on for a guest post from Sarah on locations!

Without further ado, the amazing Sarah Alderson!

Warning: there may be a spoiler or two if you haven’t yet read Hunting Lila yet. Beware!
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Feature on locations...

I like to base all my books around locations I’ve been to or lived in. The opening of Hunting Lila was set in South London where I grew up (Lila was at the school I used to go to) and all the scenes later in the book in California were places I’d roadtripped to.

Losing Lila starts in Mexico – where Alex and Lila are on the run from the Unit. The book begins in Mexico City with a mad chase scene across the rooftops and into the cathedral. It’s a great location for a Bourne style chase because it’s such an intense city – it’s vast and crowded and hot and the Zocalo, which is the big square in the centre is filled with tourists making it the perfect place for a frantic, action-packed escape.

Losing Lila starts in Mexico

When I visited the city, I was a student and we stayed in a sketchy hotel in the centre which served in my imagination as the place Alex and Lila are hiding out in. We took the bus from there to Tulum, which is on the Caribbean Yucatan coast. And that’s where I sent Alex and Lila next.

Talum, located on the Caribbean Yucatan coast

Tulum is probably one of the most beautiful places in the world. I’ve been there twice, once in 2000 and again in 2009. It’s this incredible stretch of white sand with palm trees fringing it, and crystal clear aquamarine ocean. When we were there they were filming an Ambre Solaire advert right in front of our hotel. That’s the kind of backdrop we’re talking about. I used the hotel we stayed in as the place that Alex and Lila stay. It was this collection of four cottages right on the beach, thatched with hammocks strung across the balconies. Insanely romantic and just what was needed after the stress and excitement of Mexico City.

Where Lila and Alex stay and also go skinny dipping *waggles eyebrows*

This is where they stay and it’s also the place where Lila and Alex go skinny-dipping. Ahum.
After Mexico the action moves once again to Oceanside in California, where Camp Pendleton Marine Base is located. Oceanside is a really pretty town on the coast just north of San Diego.

Oceanside in California

The pier there is lovely – it’s this wooden jetty that stretches so far out to sea and I knew when I walked along it that it would make a great spot for a scene between Alex and Lila.


A marina you migh spot in Losing Lila...

There’s also a marina right next door which came in handy too…but I’m not going to give anything else away!

I hope you enjoy the book!
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
A massive thanks to Simon and Schuster for including me in the Losing Lila blog tour, and to Sarah for taking the time to write this awesome post! Make sure you check out all the other wonderful tour stops, featuring interviews, extracts, giveaways, guest posts and much more!