1) I’m not usually one of those writers who focus on “place in fiction,” but I love how the author uses the great details to make me FEEL as though I were on the prairie alongside Mandy. (The hailstorm…the tornadoes…)
2) I love that the book begins with the protagonist going to great extremes in service of her passion. Mandy is dedicated to her photography; this trait gives us something to hold on to as we learn about her and what she wants in life.
3) I don’t know if the author intended this, but I felt a lot of tension when the “gun” was introduced. It turns out that the gun fires rubber bullets, but I still felt that she evoked “Chekhov’s Gun.” That’s the writing principle that says, “If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don’t put it there.” Whenever a gun or other kind of weapon is introduced into the story, I tense up a little!
Check out the author’s web site and read her book!
