23, Danny, and me.

(Image: Chapter Twenty-Three, Bennie sitting in front of her computer, her head on the desk.)

I did not plan this. At all.

I'm posting Chapter Twenty-Three, on the 23rd. A week after making what probably shouldn't have been as mind blowing a revelation as it was.

January 23rd is not a very great day in my mind. On this day in 2002, Wall Street Journalist and all-around great guy Danny Pearl was abducted by Islamic terrorists, and he was later murdered. I won't go into the long, complicated details, but suffice to say he and his family, and the way they handled his loss, has had a lifelong impact on me, and the woman I grew up to be. He and they are my heroes, and I actually dedicated Shadowchild to them.

I always knew Perce was at least slightly inspired by Danny. They're the same age, they're both Jewish (though that never comes up in the books), they're funny. Obviously Perce is his own man and has his own history and personality, and appearance, and many other aspects of his character are inspired by other people in my life, including my Dad. But when I made the connection between the fall of Dwendol and 9/11, and Perce's subsequent disappearance, I realized there was a lot more going on in my subconscious when I created this story.

It's weird when you realize your entire trilogy is a coping mechanism your mind created to process the very sudden, dark turn your world took in a short period of time. You talk about writers works being inspired by their past experiences, traumas, and the like, but to do it yourself without even realizing it?

My friends thought it was cool. I just a little creepy.

What else am I not telling myself?