It is somehow apt that I’ve come up for air right when the kids are going back to school. Probably even ironic given the fact that I have no children unless you count 2 very furry and smelly dogs. Yeah, not quite, right?
So where have I been and why have I been so quiet? And while I’m at it, what’s going on with Protector, Book 2?
Those are the questions that I have been dealing with as of late. Yes, I have been missing for some time and yes, it’s been eerily quiet so what gives? Well, while I’m sitting here listening to Amanda Palmer belting out about love and Southern Comfort and wondering if it’s wrong to fall in love with Bill Nye for being totally awesome, I have made a list of things that I’ve learned over my summer vacation –
Shawnee’s List of Summer Vacation trivia:
- Dirty vodka martinis are the stuff of legends
- Ghost stories are all fun and games until they happen to you
- It’s good to have a five year plan
- There’s always time to see a gig . . .The more the better
- 115 degrees is only something you should experience in an oven
- Family may come and go, but friends are forever
- You can never have enough Dr Who paraphernalia
- The gym is for people who like to inflict pain
On a more serious note, I have been closeted away at home in the la fuma chair (and a desk!) working diligently on Protector, Book 2 of The Shining Ones series. I’m slightly off my schedule, well, okay, pretty far off schedule and I wish I had a good excuse, but frankly, I don’t. It’s funny, really. While I felt pretty gutsy writing the first book, Protector is turning out to be a soul-searching-trying-not-to-scream book of epic proportions. I have loved and hated this book a hundred times more than I ever did with Watcher. It’s been crazy. I have watched (no pun intended) as Poesy and Adam’s relationship has deepened, have seen more people die in pretty horrific ways and have found myself meeting new characters that I didn’t even think would make it into Protector. I have found a new love and have rekindled old ones while also being extremely neurotic about characters growing up and getting a clue . . . And this is while being only half way through. If I didn’t need therapy before writing this book then I will definitely need it after.
So what can I tell you about Protector without spoiling it? Hmmm. Protector will lose some of its predecessor’s YA qualities. It had to happen sooner or later. I don’t really feel comfortable being in my 40s without there being some more adult content in there for us older types. Blame it on my re-reading of Ann Rice’s Cinderella erotica, but it’s time that the Paddy’s crew embraced their age. I’m also excited for you to meet some of the new inhabitants of Tybee, but don’t get too attached . . . I’m just saying. And I’m thrilled for you to see how things progress between Poesy and Adam and Birdie. I’m love them all, but there can only be one.
So, nice to see you again. Hope you had a good holiday, too.
xo
shawnee
PS – For more about my summer holidays, you can find me on facebook here or here