This chapter switches over to Merri’s POV for the first time in the book and she was an absolute bitch to nail down for the first scene. It wasn’t until the second one that I figured out why. If you read the prequel Michael story, SURFACING, you’ll know there’s a lot more to Merri than meets the eye. She’s a bit of a chameleon—she’s good at hiding herself. It wasn’t until the last part of this chapter, when I really got a hold of her character, that I realized the reason she was so hard to write before was that she wasn’t being herself. So if that first bit is a little awkward...it’s all Merri’s fault!
I also tend to get a little ramble-y when I take on a new POV, as I’m trying out the voice, looking around through her eyes, etc. I ended up doing a lot of cutting with this chapter.
Anyway, I still pretty much like this installment. I like Merri, I like Thad, I like the dynamic between her and Michael, and I like the “real” Merri that comes out later. That final bit felt necessary for me on two levels: one is that it hints at a plot and character arc for her, and two, because it’s been a while since she shot that guy, and it seemed important to me to remind readers that she isn’t what she seems. Obviously, I can’t have her shooting people every other chapter, but I’ll try to play the multiple sides of her for contrast sake as much as possible.
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"She wrapped evil around her like a large, evil Mexican serape."
Author Commentary
This chapter switches over to Merri’s POV for the first time in the book and she was an absolute bitch to nail down for the first scene. It wasn’t until the second one that I figured out why. If you read the prequel Michael story, SURFACING, you’ll know there’s a lot more to Merri than meets the eye. She’s a bit of a chameleon—she’s good at hiding herself. It wasn’t until the last part of this chapter, when I really got a hold of her character, that I realized the reason she was so hard to write before was that she wasn’t being herself. So if that first bit is a little awkward...it’s all Merri’s fault!
I also tend to get a little ramble-y when I take on a new POV, as I’m trying out the voice, looking around through her eyes, etc. I ended up doing a lot of cutting with this chapter.
Anyway, I still pretty much like this installment. I like Merri, I like Thad, I like the dynamic between her and Michael, and I like the “real” Merri that comes out later. That final bit felt necessary for me on two levels: one is that it hints at a plot and character arc for her, and two, because it’s been a while since she shot that guy, and it seemed important to me to remind readers that she isn’t what she seems. Obviously, I can’t have her shooting people every other chapter, but I’ll try to play the multiple sides of her for contrast sake as much as possible.
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"She wrapped evil around her like a large, evil Mexican serape."