Faith McKay writes stories about
characters with real world struggles in otherworldly settings. She is the
author of PROPHECY GIRL, a story where characters struggle with the idea of
having a destiny. In comparison, she feels really lucky that her destiny was to
struggle with comma placement and be that awkward lady who points out puns at
parties.
Other things to know about Faith…
She wears two different colored shoes. She is a survivor of child abuse. She
has lived with chronic illness for over a decade. A lot of people don't like
her because she laughs too much. It's also the reason a lot of other people do
like her, so go figure. She listens to more music than people are probably
supposed to. She's a nomad. The word sounds really cool, so a lot of people say
it, but she actually lives in an RV with her husband and their pet bunny
rabbit, Dorian Gray.
Prophecy Girl:
Ever since Samantha Winthrop's mother moved them to Lacuna Valley, supposedly in search of better weather, the list of strange questions she has no answers for has been growing out of control.Does her little sister, Violet, have the ability to make things happen just by "praying" for them? Are Sam's dreams really predicting the future? Is she destined to marry the boy she just met, and what is the mysterious orb that he's guarding? Why does she get the impression that there are dangerous creatures watching from the woods?While Sam should be focusing on answering those questions, there is one other that makes them seem almost irrelevant: Is her mother planning on killing her and Violet?
The Character Who
Isn't in Prophecy Girl
Leigh Peterson is a human friend that Sam meets at her high
school in my novel, Prophecy Girl. She's pretty much the opposite of Sam, which
makes her a great person to help Sam question her own life. She wears camouflage,
loves purple, has a lot of attitude, and gets right into everybody's
business—not that you'd know, because all of her big scenes were cut throughout
the novel.
This decision is one of those that just sucked to make as a
writer. It felt like killing a person. She had some great lines, she was really
funny, she was insightful, and I just have this big soft spot for her.
Sometimes I think of writing as my own personal playground.
People talk a lot about writers as control freaks who enjoy playing God. A lot
of that is probably true, at least while writing, but once revision time
comes around the flow of the story becomes the all powerful ruler that I, as a
writer, am trying to appease. I look at every element and question "Does
this add to the overall flow of the story I'm telling here?", and if the
answer is no, it has to go, no matter how much I love it. Sometimes it can be a
little heartbreaking.
The truth is, there were already a lot of characters in
Prophecy Girl, and Leigh wasn't essential to the plot at this point in the
story. I only introduced her when I did because she plays an important part in
later books. I've cut and saved all of her scenes for potential use in the
Lacuna Valley future, but I still look at Prophecy Girl and think, "That's
where Leigh used to..."
I feel her presence like a ghost. My character ghost.
I have to keep reminding myself she's not really
gone, because readers will get to know her soon enough in book two, where she
plays a much bigger role. Until that time, here's one of Leigh's moments that
was cut from Prophecy Girl, Lacuna Valley Book One.
"I
know a lot of people think I'm cold or that I think love is overrated because
I'm always butting into other peoples relationships. Love is not overrated.
Love is everything. I just think you have to figure out how to be you, and
everyone around here is always just giving away bits of themselves so they have
somebody to touch their naughty places."
Sam laughed. "You're full of all kinds of
wisdom, aren't you?"
"That's
me, wise woman, shelling out the free advice."
Find Faith McKay
Find Prophecy Girl
Great post. I haven't heard of this before. Thank you for sharing.
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