Episode 6: Craving More is Free to Read on Kindle Vella Now
In this episode, Paige and Taylor crash Family Night at Paige’s house. They are going to be bunking in Paige’s room during their stay and we see a few faces that we’ve met before:
- Iggy: Paige’s step-father
- Desmond/Des: Paige’s step-brother
- Ruby: Paige’s Mom
- Gingersnap: Paige’s cat
I wrote in a few nods to the first book here (The Disappearance of Susannah Dane). The first book actually opens with Paige’s mom and her doing yoga together. In Episode 6: Craving More, we can see that Ruby has been successful in making a bunch of lifestyle changes. She’s lost weight, she’s a vegetarian, and she’s joking about wearing Paige’s clothes. She’s accomplishing her goals and even though it has taken her years, she seems really happy. This is actually a huge part of Ruby’s character development because she fell into a depression after her husband (Paige’s dad) passed away and it took her quite a few years to start feeling like herself again. Now, she’s feeling less insecure about Iggy and his ex-wife’s relationship and she’s in a stable place in her career and in her life. We’re all rooting for Ruby over here. (Also – there’s a picture of the roast chicken below because that’s what she made for Paige, knowing that she loves roast chicken. I’m not just being rude here!)
Desmond has had some character growth of his own (not to mention plain old growth!) and he’s excited to see Paige again. She’s been kind of ghosting her family over the last year, while she’s been living in Portland and trying to hide her relationship with David from them. So, maybe Des is looking forward to having his big sister around, even if he’s a little apprehensive about it too.
Snuggles with Gingersnap
Of course, I had to give Paige a scene with Gingersnap, the cat.
Here’s a flashback to chapter 1 of The Disappearance of Susannah Dane, when we first meet Gingersnap:
“I sat down on the wicker rocker on my front porch, with my backpack sitting in my lap. My cat, Gingersnap, jumped into my lap and rubbed his forehead on my palm.
‘Alright, I’m petting you. But don’t get hair on my shirt. Hey! No kneading.’ I scratched him all over until he was satisfied and meowed for me to let him back in the house.
‘Zeze’s not here yet?’ Mom called out the door.
‘No, what time is it?’ I looked down at my phone and realized she still hadn’t texted me back. Ic ould still catch the bus if I ran for it. Riding the bus on your first day of senior year? Lame.“
The Disappearance of Susannah Dane, page 12.
There’s something that is kind of fun about revisiting all these characters that I’ve seen before. Right now, I’m actually working on the audiobook for The Disappearance of Susannah Dane, so I’ve been able to listen to these early chapters. It has helped to send me right back to Ecola Bay and capture the same vibe that I was going for in the first book. It’s kind of nostalgic. There are also little details that might have been one-off comments that I have been able to reuse in this book. Little things, like how Owen hates when people pop their bubblegum because the sound is triggering to him. I’ve also been able to stay consistent.
Side note, but I sometimes wish I had a full-sized map of the fictional town of Ecola Bay so that I could mark out exactly where everything is. I do, of course, have one that I sketched myself on the back of a used sheet of paper. But it would be cool to have a nice map to help both me and the readers navigate the landscape.
Revisiting Ainsworth Manor
At the end of the episode, Paige is being talked into sneaking onto the Ainsworth Manor property. Taylor, her roommate, is recording podcast episodes about the unsolved murder that took place at Ainsworth Manor back in the seventies.
Let’s revisit the first time that Paige goes to Ainsworth Manor in the books:
“My throat tasted like copper as I peddled my creaky bike. It had started to rust from the lack of use and each sharp turn to the left or right nearly stopped the chain altogether. I pushed through, with sweat collecting on my brow. I needed to keep going before my mom returned from work and noticed that I had completely disregarded her orders.
I was headed to our secret place: Ainsworth Manor. An old house, not quite a mansion, that had been abandoned long ago… Zeze and I discovered it in eighth grade, the first year we were allowed to leave the safety of our subdivision… I slowed down as I reached the rickety iron gate that edged the Ainsworth Manor property. It was a corner lot and the yard was completely overgrown. Some said it was haunted. It was our little secret…
As I stood on the front walk-up, peering into the dark, dusty windows of the home, it felt imposing. It wasn’t the same without Zeze. Was I older now and the fun of a mysterious (and probably haunted) house had lost its luster? I jiggled the knob until it popped open and went inside.
“Zeze? Are you here?” My voice echoed off the barren walls.”
The Disappearance of Susannah Dane, page 33.
Emails from a Reporter??
I’m not going to say too much about this one, but I have a feeling that deleting the email might not have been the best decision.
Episode 7: Everything Good, releases this Friday the 21st.
Follow The Boy We All Forgot on your Kindle app to get reminders as soon as the newest episodes come out!
0 Comments