Lucifer's Los Angeles Penthouse

Let's face it. Things have been hard in the paranormal real estate world lately. There was the fabulous house in Witches of East End, which I loved. Then there was the awesome werewolf lodge in Bitten. After that, there was...

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Until now.

Now, after a long and painful drought, we have...Lucifer.

The show is funny and witty. The concept is Castle, but with Satan as Richard Castle. Yes, I know it's supposedly based on the Vertigo comic book series, but, let's be honest, it bears little resemblance to those books.

As in the comic books, Lucifer leaves Hell to become a nightclub owner, but, unlike the comics, he also decides to solve crimes with a sexy sidekick. The show is a lot of fun, but the best part is the sets.

So, without further ado, I leave you with Satan's very own L.A. penthouse.

The apartment decor is very interesting. The most eye-catching feature is the antique stone walls with Sumerian engravings. It's the first thing you see when you walk in. They are framed by a piano and a huge bar.

Here's a closer look at the walls. There's a flowery mural that references (I guess? Because Lucifer doesn't strike me as the flowery type?) Eden. There's also a bowl of apples on the piano. I guess they are souvenirs from Lucifer's glory days.

The choice of decor is interesting. There is no medieval-style representations. There is no Hieronymus Bosch. This Lucifer is more of a pre-Christian Middle Eastern deity. It's interesting. As a folk and myth nerd, I wish they would walk us through the decor choices.

Here's the bar, which is huge and has color-coordinated bottle labels. I wonder if Maze was in charge of matching the labels?

Overall, I like the set concept very much. It presents Lucifer as, primarily, a sybarite interested in worldly pleasures like alcohol, sex, and music.

Then a rival angel arrives. I don't remember this guy's name so I'll refer to him as The Guy Who Used to Be in Buffy or TGWUtBiB.

When TGWUtBiB arrives the camera turns to the view from Lucifer's apartment. I like this shot, because it's not about pleasure any more. It's about power.

The view, btw, is fantastic.

Lucifer crosses the apartment to sit down in front of his visitor. This would usually be a position of relative weakness or vulnerability, but...

It also places him in front of his library. The books are next to one of the Sumerian murals. Suddenly, Lucifer doesn't look so weak anymore. He is flanked by symbols of his power and knowledge.

Very clever.

Here's another shot, focusing on the view. Very cool.

I'm not entirely sold on the concept behind the series. Lucifer becomes a criminal detective...why? Because he likes punishing the wicked? Wouldn't he be better off in Hell, then? I mean, that's pretty much the concept behind the place, isn't it?

But the show is smart and the writing is good. So I'll keep watching. What about you?

If you liked this post, you'll love the one I did on Chloe's beach cottage. You can also check out my collection of paranormal real estate posts, including the house from Witches of East End (one of my favorite sets EVER) and the werewolf lodge from Bitten.

And, if you like villainous characters, you should check out my book, Snowbound with Ghost. The hero, Sebastian, is a Hollywood actor who specializes in movie villains. He comes back home after a movie shoot and finds himself stranded with his alluring ex-girlfriend, the girl who betrayed him. What comes next isn't Satan-level mayhem, but it comes close.

All images belong to Fox Entertainment (except for the Snowbound With Ghost cover, which belongs to me).

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The story behind the Winchester Mystery House. This is one of my favorite ghost stories. They are going to allow sleepovers now. Would you do one? I honestly wouldn't. I'm too chicken.

Ilona Andrews on how to branch out without compromising your author brand. This is a very timely post for me, as I am finishing up my Banshee Creek series and wondering what to do next. Small town sci fi with aliens and FBI agents? Sexy ghost hunters? Hmmm.

Recycled cover art in YA.  I love how artists can make the same stock photo look so different. I'm researching the heck out of this because I'm making my own covers and the dearth of appropriate stock is starting to get to me. Some of the images I'm using are pretty common and I'm going to have to come up with ways to freshen them up.

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Smart Bitch Sara on why you should be watching Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. She had me at sumptuous costumes. I'm definitely putting this on my Netflix queue.

Lindsay Buroker on e-book marketing strategies that still work.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch on "churning out," romance, and genre publishing.

Catherine Ryan Howard on rejection and happy endings.

An Austin TX cottage haunted by... frat boys?

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How not to write and sell a paranormal romance novel. Very funny post.

Seven free stock photo libraries.

Joanna Beauchamps is on trend. Apparently, there really is a macramé revival.

Tessa Dare spent the night in a haunted castle.

A "Slightly Haunted" Victorian FSBO

Hooked on Houses found a FSBO listing for a "slightly haunted" Victorian. Here's a picture of the house.

Cute, isn't it?

The listing states:

"Built in 1901, this Victorian home in the Hollywood section of Dunmore features 1850 sf of living space with an additional 1350 sf of partially finished space. Original hardwood floors throughout entire home. 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms. Off-street parking. Freshly painted. New moulding throughout entire first floor. Slightly haunted. Nothing serious, though. e.g. The sounds of phantom footsteps. A strange knocking sound followed by a very quiet (hardly noticeable, even) scream at 3:13am, maybe once a week. Twice a week, tops. And the occasional ghastly visage lurking behind you in the bathroom mirror. Even still, this occurs very rarely and only in the second floor bathroom."

Fabulous. This is exactly what a Dogwood Falls Realty listing would look like. My favorite part is "hardly noticeable, even." I can totally picture my main character saying that. But, really, what's a little phantom screaming if you get original hardwood floors and stained glass windows? I mean look at this foyer.

And maybe this is the bathroom where a "ghastly visage" lurks behind you when you look in the mirror? I respect a homeowner who decorates around the paranormal phenomena. I love the purple walls and the matching paint job on the clawed foot bathtub.

The house is located in Dunmore, PA and it's a steal at $144K. Nearby Scranton has quite the paranormal history, including the de riguer ghost tours. It has no less than FIVE paranormal investigations groups, as well as a Harry Houdini Museum with its own Psychic Theatre, which carries out group seances.

I'm saving this for when someone tells me that my "small town contemporary" is a little too fantastic. Guess what? Life is a little too fantastic. You just have to look in the right places.

Link Fiesta

A house shaped like an acorn? The decor is very eccentric and very British (it even has an AGA stove). I love it!

Emily Henderson decorates a sunroom. Skinny sunrooms can be very tricky. We had one in our last house and we couldn't figure out what to do with it. Emily turns this one into a breakfast area/children's playroom. It's so pretty and creative.

A vision board by designer Samantha Gluck. I really have to make one of these. This one looks great!

How to build a haunted house attraction. Interesting article. I didn't realize this was an industry.