My Yarn with Rebecca Odium

No sooner did they recover from being spooked by D.R. Racey's tales of werewolves, then having  Charles O'Keefe telling tales of Vampires living in Newfoundland, really done the by's in.

So, for once, I truly have the shed of solicitation to myself to prepare for Rebecca's visit. 

In true jackass fashion, Jack tripped over, fell on and broke my only two pieces of furniture, my precious milk crates, leaving me stranded.

However,  Jack's wife Isobel, rescued me by bringing me two spare dining set chairs for Rebecca and I to sit on.

Rebecca's knock was so quiet that I barely knew that she was already there until I heard the Leonard's poodle, Storytime, bark like the little four legged demon he was.

I opened the door quickly, as I not want that dog that gave all dogs a bad name, by barking and growling like he was some vicious german shepherd, to frighten Rebecca more than he had.

However, when I opened the shed door, I watched in awe as Storytime was quiet and snuggling in Rebecca's arms, licking her face with glee.

She must be some kind of dog whisper, amazing.

I invited her in, offering her a beverage when she sat down, but when she motioned to a large bottle of water in her purse, I sat down and began to chat.

"Thank you for coming Rebecca, first, let me compliment you on your way with animals, Storytime has taken a real shine with you. He normally does not cozy up to strangers, you must have a gift."

Rebecca did not respond to this statement, instead, I noticed a little flicker of something extra special glimmer in her eyes, as she winked at me, and continued to pat Storytime, who was fast asleep.

"Rebecca, since we have this place to ourselves, I am going to ask you a question that I normally do not get to ask my other writer friends. When did you first become interested in writing and why?"

" I became interested in writing before I knew how to write my name thanks to my grandma who told me stories starting when I was young. Of course I was always the boss of these stories----telling her exactly what to say and what to have happen. I also am a firm believer that God gave me the gift of writing and the desire to make a difference through the lives of my characters."

I suddenly felt a sentimental memory of my own grandmother sitting me on her lap, as she told me stories of her childhood. I felt tears cloud my vision for a moment, thinking about the kind gentle woman who was my life guide until her passing 15 years prior. I blinked the back the tears and returned  my attention to Rebecca.

"I know that you have not published your book as of this conversation, but may I ask the name of it?"

"The title is Shadows Gave Way to Light "

"I love the title! What is Shadows Gave Way to Light about?"

"I don't want to give away the plot so I will give you the blurb:

From the moment she could speak Raven has soaked up information like a sponge, able to read chapter books by age four and complete complicated math problems by age eight. Due to her fast intake of knowledge, she has never been understood by kids her age and therefore has but one friend.

When she is selected to participate in a competition between Zoar and what everyone calls The Other World she is elated at the chance to finally break free from her caring yet overprotective family.

Yet when Zoar’s ruler is killed unexpectedly, secrets start to emerge, beginning with a shoebox of letters addressed to her parents from a man residing in The Other World. Along with her sisters Ava and Kate and a team of new friends, Raven sets out to uncover the dark secrets hidden in the shadows of Zoar and to bring about a truth that will save two lands."

"Wow Rebecca that  sounds intriguing and very beautiful.  Is there a particular part of the story that you really enjoyed writing?"

" I loved writing Raven's journey throughout the entire thing.   It was so neat to watch her grow and realize things about herself as the story progressed. "

"May I ask do you have any favourite characters in your novel?"

"My favorite character is definitely Raven, the main character. She's based a little on myself. Our struggles may be different but we both have overcome obstacles. I am visually impaired from being born sixteen weeks early. I have not nor will I ever let my vision stop me from achieving my goals and living my life the way I see fit. "

"I have to praise you for your iron will and determination and not letting your visual impairment from keeping you from achieving your goals. So many other people that I know let the littlest thing stop them and use it as thin excuse for not doing what they want to do."

Rebecca seems so enamoured with Storytime, that I take that moment to think about what other question I wanted to ask her. I chose one of my favourites.

 " Rebecca, If Shadows Gave Way to Light were to be optioned for a movie, who do you see playing your main characters?"

" I've thought a lot about this as I have written the book and for Raven I would want Lea Michelle from the TV show Glee to play Raven. I think she'd do an amazing job. As for Kate and Ava I haven't decided yet. "

Lea Michelle is such a wonderful actress, and the way that you describe Raven, she would be perfect, Rebecca!  I was wondering, as a person who writes on the side, during my down time, my writing process starts with forming the story in my head before I put pen to paper, what is your writing process like?"

" My writing process is unique. I start out with plot and more times than not I have characters from my favorite tv show or movie at the moment acting out the story in my head, sort of like test driving the plot, then eventually original characters start to take the place of the tv characters and I write a brief outline to hit major plot points before I start on the first draft."

 "Writing is a lot of work Rebecca from the moment when you have an idea to the final product. This process often taking months or even years, with what seems very little reward. Why do you write?"

"I write because I believe it is the gift God gave me. I believe that God has a plan for me and writing is just one part of that amazing plan. I get joy and peace out of it. It's my passion, my dream and I couldn't imagine not writing."

" I asked you why you like to write, now I want to ask you, is there anything about writing you don't like?"

"The marketing side. I forget to blog, and I don't tweet much--though I suppose that will change once my book is on amazon. I don't want to get so into twitter and facebook that I don't do what I'm here for--to write."

"When you write, what is it that you hope your readers take away from your story?"

" It's different with every story I write. With Shadows Gave Way to Light I want people to take away the fact that no matter how small you are or if you have a disability or any struggle that you have overcome, you can make a difference, you can have a voice and let it be heard. You can stand up for what's right and influence change." 

"Do you have any other stories you are currently writing or are planing to write?"

" I have a sequel in the works that continues Raven's story. I felt her story wasn't done yet. I also have three or four more novels in various stages."

"Thanks a million for answering all my questions, Rebecca, it has been a real pleasure. Do you have a release date for your book?"

"Not an exact date but as of right now I am planning to release in June."

"You must be frozen solid by now, Rebecca, the fire has gone out, so I am going to let you go so you can toddle on home and warm up, but before you go is there anything else you want to add?"

" I'm excited and terrified to have my book out there. I've waited so long for this and I can't believe it's actually happening. I hope people like the story and that it helps make a difference. "

I walk her to her car, and laugh as Storytime wakes up and jumps in her front seat, but when his owner,  Mary, runs over and scoops him up, apologizing to Rebecca for the intrusion, the dog whines and barks  after Rebecca as Mary drags him away.

Makes you wonder what kind of "special" powers Rebecca must hold inside for a dog to want to go with her instead of his woman who was had him for ten years!

I ponder that little mystery as I wave good bye to Rebecca, head back into the house to have some lunch while I wait for my next writer friend to arrive.