Drenched in Light (45 page)

 

 

 

 

 

A. Most often my stories start with a character in a particular situation. Usually, I meet the main character at a point of crisis, when something unexpected and unplanned has occurred, turning the character’s life upside down. The remainder of the story is a process of watching the character grow and change, finding a new sense of order in life, a new purpose. I meet my characters as you would meet any new person. At first, I know them only on the surface, but as the story develops, I spend a great deal of time pondering their needs and desires, their secret yearnings and where those deep desires of the soul will ultimately lead them. Following a character through a story is always a growth process. They grow, and I grow right along with them.

 

 

A.
Drenched In Light
is a combination of fact and fiction. I was never a dancer when I was young—in fact, I flunked out of ballet school before the first recital. This was a great disappointment to me because I desperately wanted the recital costume, so I could play “princesses” with my neighborhood friends. But, like Julia’s sister, Bethany, I didn’t have the dedication necessary to pursue ballet. I was, however, a fairly serious gymnast in my adolescent years, so I understand Julia’s desire to compete, to be the best, and her struggle with body image.

During my first year in college, I had a dormitory friend who was a bright, beautiful girl, but was always melancholy and conflicted about college life. While the rest of us were excited about moving into this new phase, she was very attached to the past and detached from any future plans—almost as if she were walking around in someone else’s body. Her parents called often, yet she avoided the calls as often as possible. The relationship was obviously very strained. During parent weekend, it became clear that they were concerned about their daughter’s ongoing struggle with an eating disorder, and a bout of depression related to her having to give up a long-held dream of professional ballet, due to health problems. She left college when the semester ended, and I always wondered if she was ever able to overcome her sense of loss and move into a new life.

 

 

A. Yes. To me, the characters have become very real by the time the book is finished. I find myself thinking of them as friends or relatives who live in another town. I picture them going about their daily lives, changing over time. Often, readers write to me asking what happened to a particular character after the end of the story. Soon enough, I find myself wondering the same thing, and that process of wondering generates another story.

Q. What was the most satisfying part of writing
Drenched In Light
?

 

A. As much as I loved seeing Julia find a new sense of purpose in her life, the most satisfying part of writing this story was seeing Dell find her voice. When I wrote the first book in the series,
Tending Roses
, Dell was the character most often asked about in reader letters. The books in the Tending Roses series have since followed her progression from neglected child, through foster care, and now finally into a new family. Throughout her life, she has always been reluctant to speak up, to stand and be counted. In standing up for Julia, she finally begins to take ownership of her own life, and to find her place in the world.

 

 

A. I don’t know at the beginning exactly how the story will end, which isn’t to say that writing is a completely blind journey. Writing each book is a bit like crossing the mountains with a pocket map. On the map, I can see major landmarks, a path from one landmark to the next, and an eventual ending point on the other side of the mountains. Like all climbers, I begin the journey with excitement, enthusiasm, and my lungs full of air. At about six thousand feet, the air gets thin, I’m tired of climbing, and I’m wondering if the map will take me where I need to go. By then, I’ve encountered a dozen unexpected roadblocks and at least as many wonderful surprises. The story experience is becoming real, and full, and tactile. The characters are taking over, and I want their journeys to end someplace wonderful. I know that if I can just reach the crest of the mountain, I’ll be able to see the finish point, and the journey down the other side will be incredibly satisfying. Finally, the characters and I sprint down the other side of the mountain, and celebrate the end of the journey together.

Of course, in reality, this celebration is just me at my computer, surrounded by imaginary people, so all that cheering probably looks ridiculous. Luckily, I’m usually alone when it happens—except for the characters, of course, and they completely understand.

1. Eating disorders are a growing epidemic among women of all ages, particularly young women and teenaged girls. In your opinion, what factors in existence today have contributed to this growing trend?

2. Julia says that one comment from a ballet instructor sparked her descent into an eating disorder. Was this the only contributing factor to her obsession with food? What else might have contributed?

3. Before her collapse, do you think Julia thought of herself as having a serious problem? Do women often live in denial of weight and other health problems until they’re faced with serious consequences? Why?

4. Now that Julia and Bethany are adults, out of college and moving into lives of their own, they are both struggling to define grown-up relationships with their mother. Do many mothers of young adults have trouble releasing the motherhood role and allowing their children to move into the world? Do many young people have difficulty forming new adult identities and taking on the accompanying responsibilities? To what degree is a parent still a parent, no matter how old the children are?

5. Even though Julia loves her sister, she finds herself jealous of Bethany’s new life with Jason. Are our relationships with other people, particularly our siblings, always clouded by envy? How can we overcome this?

6. Often our lives are changed by one chance incident. How does Julia’s first meeting with Dell begin to change both of their lives?

7. Julia, while realizing that there are far more problems in the school than she can conquer alone, becomes determined to help Dell. Why? Was there a special teacher in your life who made a difference?

8. Granmae makes a show of putting “angels” on the shoulders of people she meets. Do you believe in guardian angels?

9. Julia finally concludes: “We choose the things that fill us.” What things do you choose? How have your choices changed over your lifetime?

10. The Costell family has never discussed the identity of Julia’s father. To what degree do families keep painful things beneath the surface in order to protect one another? Is this for the best? Why or why not?

11. Do you think Julia will ever dance again? Should she? Why or why not?