CHAPTER NOTES - CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 22 NOTES

The beginning of this chapter is a blow to Yelena.  Just when she’s feeling stronger, making friends and trusting others—bam!  She not only finds out Rand’s leaking information to Star, but he tried to kill her! No wonder she gets sick to her stomach!

However, Valek’s there to put things into perspective.  I’ve had many readers email me and say this exchange between the two of them rang true:
“When you warned me you would test me from time to time, I thought you meant spiking my food. But it seems there’s is more than one way to poison a person’s heart, and it doesn’t even require a meal.” [Yelena says]
“Everyone makes choices in life. Some bad, some good. It’s called living, and if you want to bow out, then go right ahead. But don’t do it halfway. Don’t linger in whiner’s limbo.” 

This chapter also has Janco teaching Yelena to pick a lock.  I did my research and found out exactly how to pick a pin-tumbler lock (one that opens with a key).  The amount of information on the Internet about this is quite scary and I was tempted to buy a set of lock picks and practice…at home! That rash of break-ins in my neighborhood where nothing was stolen was not me…honest!

I enjoyed writing the scene with her and Janco.  He’s worrying about her getting into trouble and in a few pages the readers see more of his personality.  He’s generous and buys her a set of lock picks and a switchblade with mysterious silver symbols on the hilt.  The reader also learns that General Brazell is back and that his soldiers are out for her blood.  More problems for Yelena.

The end exchange when Yelena asks Janco about the symbols was fun to write.  She asks about them and he says, “I’m sure you’ll figure it out…eventually.”  And Yelena responds with, “Come here, so I can punch you.”  Her comment is from my college friend Nisha.  When anyone got a good barb in on her, she’d say, “Come here, so I can hit you.”  I changed it a bit.

Speaking of changing things, I don’t usually wish to change anything in a book I wrote (once it’s published), but I’d like to tweak the second to last line of dialogue of this chapter.  Janco says, “I’d love to oblige you, my dear.”  That rankles!  Now that I know him better, Janco would never say, “my dear”  no he’d say, “sweetheart” or “puppy dog” just to get another little jab in or to get a reaction from Yelena.  Of course she’d be too smart to give him the satisfaction.

Question 22 – In the Glass Series, what did Devlen give to Opal as a wedding present?

Don't answer this question in the comments!! This is another chance to win! There will be 31 questions for each chapter note published. Collect the answers to ALL the questions (or your best guess) and then enter to win a T-shirt at the end of the month (I'll post the Rafflecopter on the 31st).