Venues in Escaping Indigo by Eli Lang (@eli__lang)

In Escaping Indigo, most of the story takes place while the band is on tour.  Originally, I was very vague about where the band was at any time, but one of my editors recommended I actually come up with a bit of a schedule for cities.  It was a really good idea, and it meant, in my mind at least, that I should consider where in each city the band would be playing.

I had an awesome time looking up concert venues and staring at overhead views, so I could make everything as authentic as possible.  I don’t mention any actual venue names in the book, but in my mind, I have an actual, real life venue for every city.  And for a handful of cities, I was able to write about places I’d actually been, where I’d seen bands play.

The Marquee Theater, in Tempe, AZ:  I live in AZ, and I’m at the Marquee… probably once a month.  It’s my favorite place on the planet.  It’s a medium sized venue, and it’s… honestly, it’s pretty much like many, many other venues across the country.  General admission, sloped floor, standing room only unless you pay extra for balcony seats.  But I’ve seen so many excellent shows there.  For that reason, it holds a special place for me, and I loved imagining Escaping Indigo playing there, so I added it in to the tour, even though I didn’t end up getting to write a scene there.

The Rialto Theater in Tucson, AZ:  Lots of time, a band plays in Tempe, and then plays in Tucson the next night, and I make the four hour round trip drive to see them.  I wanted to set the Tucson show in the book at Club Congress, which is a teeny tiny venue across the street from the Rialto (and is also the place where John Dillinger was captured) but it was too small, and I didn’t end up putting a Tucson seen in anyway.  I did, however, write about the excellent Vietnamese restaurant, which is a real place and serves the most amazing bobas ever.

The Black Sheep in Colorado Springs, CO:  What an odd, awesome venue.  It’s shaped like a cigar box, so if you’re standing at the back, you probably can’t see anything.  The band has to cross the stage to get to the dressing room.  And the stage itself is the size of a postage stamp.  But for some reason, it’s just a great place to see a show.  Intimate, close, and comfortable.  I saw Apocalyptica there once, and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever been to.

The House of Blues in New Orleans, LA:  I only ever saw one concert in New Orleans—Cage the Elephant.  The venue is very cool.  It has an awesome New Orleans vibe—the building is old, or looks old, it’s super colorful inside, and it’s comfortable.  Plus, the vibe of the city is incredible.  There’s a certain party atmosphere at night, of course, but I love wandering the French Quarter during the day even more.  I figured Escaping Indigo would like playing there.

The Paradise in Boston, MA:  I actually didn’t end up sending Escaping Indigo to The Paradise—I wanted to, a lot, because this is probably the very best place to see a show.  It’s such an excellent venue—everyone’s cool, it’s set up so you can see the stage from everywhere, and it’s just super comfortable and fun.  I saw the White Rabbits and Gull there and it was fantastic.  But I had a scene immediately following the show in Boston, where I needed to have the band walk to a park.  There aren’t any convenient parks near The Paradise.  But there is a victory garden near the House of Blues in Boston, so that’s where Escaping Indigo plays.

The Soma in San Diego, CA:  Another odd venue—this is in a strip mall, tucked away in a corner of San Diego, and it’s underground.  I love the venue because it holds great memories (I saw alt-J play there) and I love that part of town—it’s pretty laid back, everyone’s friendly, and there’s an amazing restaurant down the street that does fresh squeezed orange juice for breakfast, and has the best chocolate pie.

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About Escaping Indigo

Micah thought he’d always be in a band. All he ever wanted was to play drums and make great music, but when his best friend and bandmate passes away, Micah is left adrift. The thing that’s always lifted him up is now a reminder of everything he’s lost.

In an attempt to put his life back together, Micah takes a job as roadie for his favorite band, Escaping Indigo. He’s always admired the lead singer, Bellamy. On stage, Bellamy is confident, glittery, and radiant. But as the two grow closer, Micah realizes that in person, Bellamy is quiet, introspective, and a little uncertain. And that’s the person Micah is falling for.

Micah is determined to know all of Bellamy, both the rock star side and the side hidden from the audience, the side that creates music that touches Micah’s heart. Bellamy has secrets of his own, though, things he doesn’t want to share with anyone. And trying to uncover Bellamy’s truths might be the thing that ends up pushing him away.

Now available from Riptide Publishing. http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/escaping-indigo

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About Eli Lang

Eli Lang is a writer and drummer. She has played in rock bands, worked on horse farms, and has had jobs in libraries, where she spent most of her time reading every book she could get her hands on. She can fold a nearly perfect paper crane and knows how to tune a snare drum. She still buys stuffed animals because she feels bad if they’re left alone in the store, believes cinnamon buns should always be eaten warm, can tell you more than you ever wanted to know about the tardigrade, and has a book collection that’s reaching frightening proportions. She lives in Arizona with far too many pets.

Connect with Eli:

Website: www.leftoversushi.com

Blog: www.leftoversushi.com/blog/

Facebook: facebook.com/EliLangAuthor

Twitter: @eli__lang

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/eli_lang

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Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Escaping Indigo, one lucky winner will receive a $10 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on July 22, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!