Shadow of a Girl
Page 21
She has YouTube up and frozen on a video of West. My belly does that delicious roll that only he can make it do. I take in a very deep breath as I stare at his picture. It’s Anne that reaches over me and presses play.
“Watching you in a rainy Central Park. Wondering what lay beneath your haunted eyes. Holding your hand. Falling asleep with you in my arms. Kissing you for the first time. For these reasons and so many more: I love you, Eve. Always. This is dedicated to you, my one and only muse. Wherever you are, Eve, know I’m always thinking of you.” He starts playing the song he and I wrote together, and it’s like I’ve never heard it before.
As I listen to the familiar words and notes, I become entranced, drawn in by his voice, our lyrics, and the emptiness in me I realize only he can fill.
Anne sighs. “I think I’m in love with him.”
I ignore her as I take in every expression, every tone, every syllable of his voice. I drink in his too gorgeous face and am overwhelmed with the urge to touch him, to kiss him, to love him.
Gradually the song comes to an end, and Anne reaches over me to scroll down to the comment section.
Best Bus Stop song yet.
Heard this live and it’s amazing!
West’s muse. Sigh….
Whatever happened to Eve?
She needs to come out of hiding and put West out of his misery.
I hope that Gideon man rots in hell.
On and on I read hundreds and hundreds of positive comments. Until my eyes fall on the very last one:
Thanks everyone for all the great comments. Eve is not just my muse, she’s my everything. As promised, 100% of revenue generated from this song is put into a fund to assist abused children. ~xo, West
I sniff back the tears I feel coming. Assisting abused children. It’s exactly what he told me he was going to do.
Without asking if I want it, Anne hands me my phone. I wipe my eyes as she takes the iPad and walks off, and with a finger I hadn’t expected to be so steady, I dial West’s number.
He answers before the first ring even completes. “Eve?”
“West,” I breathe.
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Author’s Note
I’ve heard authors talk about the “book of their heart” and I used to think that was such a hokey thing to say until I wrote Shadow of a Girl. Normally I write very quickly, but this book took me years to complete. I wrote scenes, I deleted scenes, and I went round-and-round until it all finally came together.
I wrote this under my real name, Shannon Greenland, versus my pen, S. E. Green, because of the personal connection I feel to this story. Fear is an interesting thing. It makes weak people strong, strong people weak, frail people into just a shell of themselves, and numerous other scenarios. It’s how you finally emerge from the fear and take action that decides so much about your life.
In Shadow of a Girl, I really wanted to explore the life of a girl who finally decides to take action, who slowly begins to heal, and who realizes it is okay to say goodbye to the past and not let it dictate the person you become.
Know that if you are struggling in your life, it is okay to speak up and reach out. Know that there are people available to help. Friends, organizations, teachers, extended family. Don’t let fear dictate you anymore. If you need help, ask for it.
Acknowledgments
Every author has a “book of the heart” and this one is definitely it for me. I’m typically a very fast writer, but this book has been in the making for years. It has gone various directions and taken many forms along the way because I just couldn’t seem to get it quite right. I wanted it to be absolutely perfect, and now it is :)
There are a lot of people who are involved with writing a book. The author, of course, but so many others, too. I’m going to attempt to thank them all, but I know I’ll probably forget someone. If I do, know that I didn’t mean to!
First, to my agents Jenny Bent and Gemma Cooper for offering input along the way and never seemed to tire at looking at yet another version. And when I wrote them an email, “This is the book of my heart, you must sell it!” They listened, and they sold it. Thank you Jenny and Gemma!
Next, to my father, Bill Greenland, who continues to be my biggest cheerleader of all. I love you, my daddio!
Finally (and certainly not least), to my new family at Entangled: Liz Pelletier, Jenn Mishler, Stacy Abrams, Christine Chhun, Heather Riccio, and Melissa Montovani. I look so forward to great things to come!
About the Author
Shannon Greenland is the award winning author of the teen spy series, The Specialists, and the YA romance, The Summer My Life Began. She also writes thrillers under S. E. Green.
Shannon grew up in Tennessee where she dreaded all things reading and writing. She didn’t even read her first book for enjoyment until she was twenty-five. After that she was hooked!
When she’s not writing, she works as an adjunct math professor and lives on the coast in Florida with her very grouchy dog. Find her online everywhere @segreenauthor.
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