"A Haunting"

Hi Y’all!

I just want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. The outpouring of love and support for The Academy Saga has meant the world to me! The mantra from my readers seems to be “When is Book II coming out?” But I’ll get to that later.

First, I wanted to attempt to answer one of my most asked questions: How did you come up with the story? I usually either awkwardly laugh or am completely rendered speechless (pretty embarrassing for someone who makes a living stringing sentences together) when I get asked this. It’s just so hard to answer. One of the reasons is because it almost seems like magic, or kismet, and maybe not even an over-reach to call it my “purpose” or “calling.” Whatever you want to label it, I’m actually just compelled to write it. Literally. Sometimes it feels like I won't be able to breathe normally until the whole story is done. But at least Book I is out, and Book II is . . . coming soon.

For many years, no matter where I was—whether on my sister’s boat for the weekend, out at a party with friends, or cutting laminated pictures with the other PTA moms—I would always get an overpowering feeling that I should be doing something else. And it didn’t take me long to figure out what it was, that “something else” I should be doing. After all, I’m drawn to bookstores like a toddler is to rainbow-sprinkled cupcakes. I’ve been a book-a-week addict since I was old enough to read. And I did major in English in college, just so I could read, Read, READ! But I always brushed my author aspirations aside as a pie-in-the-sky notion, like when you’re a kid and you want to grow up and be a ______ star. (Fill in the blank with: movie, sport, rock, and you can now add social media to the list.) But that niggling voice inside me just kept getting louder and louder, refusing to be ignored. It got so bad I became depressed, thinking there was something wrong with me, or worse—that I was ungrateful for the wonderful life God blessed me with. Here I was a (semi;-) happily married busy mom of two beautiful, rambunctious boys (Boy-mom shout-out!),and I was fairly miserable. Because I wasn’t doing what I was meant to do.

Timing really is everything, and the pieces just came together at once. We were finally financially stable enough that I could pursue my dream, the premise for the book just popped into my brain while I was polishing off my kids’ breakfasts one morning, and my youngest son was going to begin preschool in the fall. So that very first day of school, instead of marching off with the other moms to Starbucks to cry into our skinny mocha lattes, I marched instead to the beat that had been thrumming inside me for years—home to my home-brew and brand new computer. And my new friends: Kate, Pete, and Ranger, and their fascinating story, just begging to be told.

After a little brainstorming and some plot-outlining, I finally unplugged the tap and let the story pour out of my head. It was like a duck that had been held captive in the desert and suddenly stumbled into an oasis. It was instinctual; the story just gushed out of me.

And that’s the truth. But not the whole truth. The characters themselves had a lot to do with how the story manifested. In the beginning, I had in mind what was going to happen, and then they they would jump in and do something totally different than what I had in mind. It was super-hard to stick to my script. And they were so insistent, that I finally just tossed the outline, and my meticulous notes, and let them take over. After all, it’s their story. Sometimes I feel like I’m simply the portal through which their story comes. In fact, they have completely taken over a long time ago. I almost call it a haunting. In the middle of the night they will often come for me, tugging on my sleeve, nudging me out of my hard-earned sleep, demanding that I write a scene. It’s very annoying. And it makes me crabby when I don’t get enough sleep, but I must say that I’m never bored or lonely. Just distracted. A lot.

When friends comment about where I’ve been the last five years, I often say I’ve been at The Academy, because that’s where I’ve been. It’s a lot like living in a dual life half the time. Their lives are so rich and real it’s often hard for me to decide which world I’m in at any given moment. So If you come knocking at my door to drag me out into the “real world,” it might take me a while to answer, or even to speak coherently. I may blink-blink my eyes at you like I’ve just woken up from a nap, but the truth is: I’ve just simply been in a parallel universe, with my other friends, at The Academy.

And now for Book II news:

Book II has been done for four years. It has been gushed over by my most loyal fans, aka my bestie-beta readers. I can’t wait to share it with you next! Book II might be my favorite book out of the series. Book I is a set up. Book II will catch the series on fire. I plan on spending Thanksgiving re-reading and polishing it up. So grateful I get to spend my break revisiting Kate, Pete, and Ranger at The Academy. I’ve missed them so so much these past six months while promoting Book I. I never could have made Amazon Best-Seller without you guys. I’m truly beyond grateful.

Thanks again for all the love and support! Every wonderful review, post, and email has made all the sleepless nights and hard work worthwhile. Hope you’re surrounded by the love of friends and family this Thanksgiving holiday.

Blessings,

CJ Daly :-)