My name is Venus Black because my dad was Joseph Black, and because on March 4, 1966, my mother, Inez, just so happened to be watching a TV special about the Space Race when her water broke. She named me after the planet Venus.
It was no mistake, my birth. No chance happenstance. It had to be me. This is not something you can trace backward. It’s not something you can prove through science. It’s just something you know. Something only you can know. It comes to you in moments as simple as finding an eyelash on the tip of your finger.
The trajectory of my life was always leading me here. I know this when I see the particular green of Piper’s eyes. Or when I hear Leo play the color yellow on his cello. I give up trying to know why, and I arrive where I am all over again.
My naked eyes look out at the universe, and what I see is exactly as it appears. Out in the infinite black, a family of stars. Us blinking back at us. The picture in the sky doesn’t lie—we are all clearly related.
And God exists. He spies us with his wise eyes. He whispers too softly for human ears to hear. He spins the world like a top, stares into the turning. And sometimes, he rocks.
—Writing sample for Anna Weir
The story of Venus and her family is set in Everett, Washington, in large part because that is where I spent most of my growing-up years—including in a public housing project a few streets over from the Denney Juvenile Justice Center. Back then, we simply called it juvie. Both Denney and Echo Glen are real juvenile justice facilities, but changes in their facilities and policies during the past forty years made corroborating details for Venus’s experience a challenge. When I was unable to dig up the facts, I let my imagination serve the story.
A key event from my childhood mirrors Venus’s, but mostly our stories diverge wildly. Venus is her own character, and she came alive at that surprising juncture in fiction where a writer’s efforts end and some kind of magic takes over. More than once, while tracking her story, I thought, Where did these people come from?
With regard to the law, in 1977, Washington State passed the landmark Juvenile Justice Act. Among other reforms, the new legislation established standardized sentencing (while leaving judges some leeway), to bring juvenile courts more in line with the practices of adult court. In 1982, amid rising public concern about missing and runaway children, new laws changed police procedures. For example, in the case of a missing child under twelve, police no longer needed to wait for seventy-two hours before acting on a report. Two years later, in 1984, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was established. Soon after, dairies across the nation began plastering photos of missing kids on milk cartons in campaigns that became the AMBER Alert Program of their day.
To the best of my ability, Venus’s story reflects both the legal realities and cultural assumptions of the era. An exception would be how police responded to Leo’s reappearance, and how that might have played out in 1986. For my telling of that event, and in the absence of certainty, I took some creative liberties while trying to keep the story as realistic as possible.
When I asked Leo how it all came out, he said I got the colors right.
For Noah, as we all knew and loved him
I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to so many who helped this novel become a reality.
First, to my husband, Dave, who listened when I got lost, read the manuscript through many times, and regularly offered spot-on advice, I am deeply grateful.
To my sister, Katherine, always my first reader, your honest feedback and perceptive suggestions made a huge difference. When I became ill during a critical time in the revisions process, you stepped in to save me. There are no words.
To my son Noah, who loved an old draft of this story and strongly encouraged me to revisit it and give it another shot—I hope I did you proud. And to my other adult children—Nathan, Neil, Taylor, and Jana—your constant support and avid interest (and impatience to read the novel) meant the world to me.
Where would I be without my fabulous agent, Jane von Mehren, at Aevitas Creative? You immediately believed in this story and made sure it found the perfect home. Thank you. Big thanks also to my brilliant editor at Random House, Kara Cesare, who cared about every line and thought deeply about each character’s journey. You’re truly amazing. Thanks also to assistant editor Emma Caruso for your great suggestions and continued encouragement.
I also want to thank my mom for always supporting my work, and especially for being brave about some aspects of this story even though they may have evoked painful memories. You’re an example to me of how grace and forgiveness can heal the worst wounds. I love you, Mom!
Finally, to all my family and friends who stood by me when I suffered a tragic loss right in the middle of writing this novel—your love and empathy carried me all the way. Your support and tears and heartfelt notes have meant the world, and often brought me comfort when I most needed it. You are living proof that love takes us home.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
HEATHER LLOYD, who has spent many years working as an editor and writing coach, lives with her husband in New York City. My Name Is Venus Black is her first novel.
Heather-Lloyd.com
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My Name Is Venus Black Page 31