As I work on the Bones of Faerie sequel (working title, Faerie Winter), I’m remembering what it’s like to have the voice of protagonist Liza in my head, with all her post-apocalyptic sensibilities.
Like tonight. I’m cooking dinner, and she admonishes me not to throw away scraps that could be used. As I carve up a butternut squash, I can see how carefully she would peel away as little skin as possible–and how then she’d consider eating the skin anyway, especially if she was in the middle of a hard winter. Which she is.
I hesitate over the squash seeds–so few of them, is it really worth the time to roast them? Liza informs me I have no idea how easy I have it, if I can choose to throw away perfectly good food just to save a little time.
I tell myself there’s little nutritional value in the small seeds anyway. They’re more shell than meat, and what calories they have would mostly come from the oil I’d drizzle over them anyway. I throw them away. Then, realizing it will be a while before dinner is ready and that I am, in fact, getting hungry, I grab a couple crackers as I leave the kitchen, almost forgetting to turn the lights out as I do.
No idea how easy, Liza reminds me again. Her voice is still faint, though.
As I keep writing, it’ll get louder.