G is for Graveyard
I had a number of fun responses to what G should be for: Gore, Gases, Guts, Gross, Ghoulish, Ghastly, Gangrene. But the one that resonated more than the others was Graveyard.
Who doesn’t like graveyards?
In Breathers, Andy and the other members of Undead Anonymous spend a lot of time in graveyards – visiting loved ones, paying respects to the recently buried, and digging on the vibe. After all, they have more in common with the dead than with the living. And graveyards are the only place where zombies can gather without having to worry about being carted off by Animal Control.
The graveyards, or cemeteries, in Breathers do exist and I hung out in several of them in order to add some realistic details to the scenes. Particularly the Soquel Cemetery, where Andy’s wife is buried. (She died in the car accident and didn’t reanimate). Even the cypress tree that resembles Tom with his missing arm is there.
A number of the tombstones mentioned in the book also exist, including the one for Santa Claus. However, the marker with the marble cat curled up beneath the solitary name Lilith is an homage to one of my cats – a black Alpha female named after the character on Cheers who was killed and eaten by another animal in July of 1995.
My cat, not Bebe Neuwirth.
(Next entry: H is for Helen)
