The Problem with Sunshine
I was just reading the (mostly favorable) reviews of the Sunshine Walkingstick Series over on GoodReads, and it occurred to me that some of the frustrations I had while writing Sunny were the same frustrations readers had with her.
Let me back up a bit and add some background on the series and why I wrote it.
During the first year or so after I began writing fiction, characters would pop into my head on a regular basis. Some were quite insistent and demanded stories of their own (Levi from Say Yes, for example), but others were slower to come forward.
Sunshine was one of the latter. I knew instantly that she should be written with her Appalachian twang intact, and while some readers have criticized that decision, it was what I had to do to be true to Sunny.
I had a twin purpose there, though. Southerners, and especially rural Southerners, have increasingly come under fire for everything from their accents to their manners to their cultures. As a born and bred Southerner, I take exception to this kind of ridicule. If it were directed at any other group of people (Yankees, for example, or inner city folks), the Perpetually Outraged Crowd would be up in arms lambasting the speaker as a hatist of some sort.
Alas, because it’s the South, no one outside of Southerners gives a crap.
So Sunny’s voice stayed true to her character, and I have weathered the criticism without flinching too much.
That doesn’t mean Sunny’s Southern Appalachian dialect was easy to write. Far from it. Now, bear in mind that I am a native Southern Appalachian. I grew up in the area in which the series is set, and while a great many of the people I know speak in that dialect, I was never allowed to speak it myself. My mother insisted we use “proper English,” so when it came time to write Sunny, I had to spend real time doing actual research.
It actually shamed me to have to research my native dialect, but that’s another story. All I can say is, be thankful I didn’t use some of the really local words and phrases. I did try to keep the average reader in mind, I promise. Otherwise, all those noting that the books were occasionally difficult to read would’ve really had something to complain about!
Sunny herself is a problematic character outside of her dialect and the subtle humor (a local trait) many readers fail to “get.” She has deep-seated trust issues rooted in her father’s abandonment and his subsequent death, the latter at her mother’s hand. Those trust issues were cemented by the rejection she faced from her father’s family (see The Deep Wood), by the loss of her only real friend in high school (Riley), and by her pregnancy and yet another rejection/abandonment by her child’s father.
That doesn’t even get into all the bullying and such she faced in school. She was always an outsider there. The only places she’s ever found peace were with Henry and Riley, and within Fame’s family.
Sunny is a very stubborn character, and so those trust issues aren’t going to be easy to resolve. She just isn’t going to let go of them any time soon. Just as many have learned in real life, Sunny has had it pounded into her that people can’t be trusted. They’re going to leave. They’re going to lash out. They’re going to hurt you.
Her reaction is to push Riley away again and again, and to remain as independent as possible. Can you really blame her?
All of that makes her a very exhausting character to write. I had originally planned on creating an open-ended series with at least a five-book story arc, but writing Sunny was so difficult and time-consuming, I had to stop after the third book. It’s unlikely the series will continue beyond the occasional short story, even though I already have the titles and rudimentary plots for the fourth and fifth books, and a cover for the fourth one.
I hate to disappoint readers this way. Sunny is truly a lovely character, and the story world grows deeper as the series continues. And gets weirder, if you can imagine that. While some readers criticized the “light” treatment of the paranormal in the first book, that was entirely planned; readers were supposed to be gradually drawn into what is, in the end, a very bizarre story world.
I hope this helps readers of the Sunshine Walkingstick Series understand why Sunny is the way she is and why there will probably be no further novels in the series. The three novels that have been published are complete in and of themselves, but they should definitely be read in order.
25 thoughts on “The Problem with Sunshine”
I am really sad to hear there will be no more Sunshine Walkingstick. I really enjoyed those books because they are so different that all the other paranormal reads.
Good luck with your writing career.
“Unlikely” and “probably” don’t mean never on the novel front. I’m just burned out on her right now and don’t see writing any long pieces in the foreseeable future.
Bear in mind that shorter pieces aren’t nearly as taxing to write, so there’s a strong possibility of more Sunny short stories. I may, for example, do another dark Christmas collection. I’ve also considered branching out within the story world and writing short stories featuring Old Mother.
I can understand her character being challenging and I’m not the one writing the books so there’s no point in trying to belittle your exhaustion. However, I have really enjoyed the books and it would be sad if they did not continue. Reading between the lines, it feels as though it’s the exhausting nature of the process that is the problem. Clearly you are up to the challenge itself. Perhaps it might help if you looked on the books as a series of marathons, something that you can run on occasion and with preparation but not something you’d want to do on a regular, on-going basis? I’d hate not to read the books now that you’ve mentioned them. The question, I guess, is whether or not they’re a challenge that you may (when you’re ready) choose to rise to.
That’s pretty much how I wrote the first book, in fits and starts around other books. It took a year to complete the first draft that way, which I was perfectly fine with. Some of my best books have been “marathon” books. (I like that term!) I think my biggest mistake was in focusing solely on writing Books 2 and 3 rather than writing them the way I did the first book. If I do any other novels, and there’s a very, very slim possibility that I will if only because I already have the cover for the next book, then they’ll be marathon books written around other stories.
Please don’t let the lack of more books hold you back from reading the three that have already been published. It’s a solid series. Sunny’s a great character and it’s an interesting story world.
Thanks for commenting!
I just listened to your audio books again and, just as I remembered, found them engrossing. It’s impossible to know how much you identify with Sunshine’s life but, assuming you understand her world as an observer rather than a past and direct participant of that lifestyle, I can understand the complexity of replicating her world and her point of view. I was struck by your characters’ dignity, decency, integrity and loyalty to friend and family despite the fact that they feel themselves characterised as both poor and ‘trash’. We have similar classes in the UK but I don’t know that they regard themselves as ‘trash’ in the way Sunshine does. It’s quite a social indictment, no doubt exacerbated by recent political events but the layers of interaction between the best and the worst of the ‘muckity mucks’ with Sunshine and her family are subtly detailed.
I notice that you’ve left significant questions open: Henry’s voice, ‘the bitch’ as well as ‘Missy’, not to mention Sunshine’s real nature. The trouble with short stories is their brevity and their inability to provide detail. Sunshine voice is well mannered, paced, methodical, polite and needs time in which to express her thoughts clearly.
The fact that you’ve left such cliff hangers in place suggest there’s the plans for one more novel at least and, while I understand the problems involved in recreating her world with authenticity, I’d hate not to learn the answers.
One more marathon – soon as you’re ready?
PS. I’m saying this as a male observer but her constant reference to ‘itty bitty breasts’ seems odd, a little bit like a male protagonist constantly referring to his ‘pitiful pecker’! I suppose, there is a degree of leeway that has to be allowed in representing any character in the first person. I could not, for instance, imagine Sunshine (despite her honesty and directness) baring her sexual nature to anyone, let alone outsiders in the way that does so there’s slightly more of the ‘confessional’ than ‘biography’ to the book. Works though.
The recent political events have nothing to do with the “trash” descriptive. It’s a long-running class division in this area, sort of a wrong side of the tracks thing. We have several ways of describing it: getting out of one’s raising, getting too big for his britches, etc., but the most popular and well-known are probably “white trash” and “trailer park trash,” depending on the situation.
In my mind, Sunny isn’t really “trash,” as trash is a lifestyle/state of mind, and Sunny is, as you pointed out, an honorable person in her own way.
She does have her issues, insecurity being one. I’m not sure she’ll ever overcome that.
As for the other voices and the (somewhat deliberate) information gaps on some characters, Missy’s past comes out in the fourth book, Witch Hollow, if it’s ever written. Somewhere during the fourth and fifth novels, Henry is dealt with. Beyond that, I’d rather not say, in the hopes of reducing the amount of spoilers floating around out there. 🙂
Sorry, I also forgot to mention that fact that Sunshine also regards herself as an outsider of mixed and murderous parentage, neither white, Cherokee, completely human or completely non-human navigating a world of mixed and hypocritical moral and sexual standards.
I like the fact that her deceptively simple voice
and lack of self indulgent pity masks layer after layer of deep complexity. It’s no wonder David finds her fascinating – a seemingly slight ripple on the surface of a deep and potentially dark lake perhaps? Speaking of which, I’m really glad you played down the love triangle angle and the fact that Sunshine mistakes his bisexuality for homosexuality illustrates her innocence despite the awful events of her life. The fact that he hasn’t taken advantage of her innocence is also telling. I like the idea of strong and honourable women sharing their lives with strong and honourable men – apart from the odd bastard of course. It’s interesting that your most profoundly intelligent, vindictive, potent and amoral characters are women? Even the Sheriff (Cemetery Hill) is more a force of nature than an out and out villain. Finding out how his wife and Riley deal with his behaviour would be interesting?
These are some of my favourite books and some of my favourite characters. Having said that, I can see your dilemma, you really didn’t make life easy for yourself did you? I can only sympathise but at the same time urge you to write more whilst acknowledging that, making something that’s really complex and worthwhile look really easy must be painstaking and exhausting!
PS: Sorry if this sounds a bit gushy and over formal. I don’t write to authors as a rule, in fact, your my first in sixty years so apologies if at all sounds a bit gauche!
I think you caught me here: Many of my most villainous characters *are* women. Not all, but a lot. I’m not sure it’s deliberate, or not necessarily so, but it is, in part, a reaction to the victim mentality some facets of society seem determined to foist off on all women.
As if we (and yes, I’m a woman) were incapable of independent action and thought, and are merely victims of circumstance.
Hogwash! Women are, just like men, both good and bad, and some can be really bad. The only way that society can deal with that reality is by portraying women accurately (or as accurately as possible) in fiction, whatever form that fiction takes.
For my part, I prefer characters of some depth and substance. Sunny is a mass of contradictions. She feels deeply connected to her family, yet views herself as an outsider, and her need to belong (a need we all share) drives her as much as anything, even though she’s scarcely aware of it. And so on! I could sit and discuss her all day long. Suffice it to say that she’s a nuanced character, perhaps too nuanced for the genre into which the stories fall.
It’s interesting that you mention David. In the original plot for the as-yet-unwritten fourth book, Riley and Sunny have some difficulties, and Sunny naturally turns to David in her need for friendship. There’s an interesting turn of events there, but that’s the original plot. Based on feedback from readers, I may shift the plot and none of that will happen. Doing so may or may not be true to Sunny’s character, so we’ll see what happens.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me for any reason. Authors love hearing from readers, I promise, especially readers who are willing to discuss the characters and stories in depth.
I agree that Sunshine’s highly nuanced but I’d disagree that she’s ‘perhaps too nuanced for the genre into which the stories fall.’ In fact , I’m not quite sure what you mean by that?
As a man who lost his constant soulmate and partner a year ago, I find books written by women both comforting and stimulating. As a grandfather, I also feel that the urban fantasy genre provides role models that celebrate as well as illustrate women’s intelligence, strength, complexity and capacity to engage with the world as agents for growth and change in their own right. In particular, I like the notion that equality’ doesn’t require that women become carbon copies of men but find the strength to walk through the world in their own mind, hearts and bodies without denying or feeling limited by their sex, gender, identity and strength. I also like the fact that male role models are written capable of seeing women as physically, intellectually and emotionally desirable both in a physical and non-physical sense.
Sunshine’s nuances characterise the complexities of life as well as the capacity to come to terms with guilt, vulnerability, insecurity, doubt and many of the stereotyped roles women are plagued with. It’s true that the genre contains characters and plot-lines far less complex that your own but it also contains extremely well realised characters (like Sunshine) who push the boundaries. I suppose, as an author making a living from your writing, there is a tension between creating work that brings in money and take pride in – presumably a novel that people avoid reading (however well written it is) defeats the purpose. I don’t know whether you see this as part of the dilemma or not?
The nuanced comment was in regards to the cookie cutter, rather shallow characters being churned out in Urban/Contemporary Fantasy (UF) right now. They’re all built on a standard trope: badass woman, magical ability, snark. Mostly the snark, and that’s pretty much all there is to the character: a string of smarty pants dialogue. Fun to read. Not very nuanced.
I’m working on creating a post detailing how I started reading UF which I hope will include a ton of great recommendations for readers.
I loved this comment you made:
That’s exactly my goal when writing female characters. As a woman, I’m well aware of the way women are portrayed in fiction (or not), and the way women really are. (Which I think we previously discussed, in re: female villains.) Characters should be as complex as real people, and I find that, especially in self-published fiction (but not always), the rush to produce often leads to oversimplifications, characters that are copies of other characters or tropes rather than standing fully on their own.
It is a problem when you write a really great character like Sunny and people don’t bother to read her story because they’re put off by the dialect in which the story is written. I’m an artist, yes, but I’m also a commercial artist; if my stories don’t sell, I don’t eat. I kinda like eating! 🙂
Keep going with Sunshine
Thanks for the encouragement!
Please keep going with the Sunshine Walkingstick series. I have read and re-read them all, hoping for a fourth installment. I love her twang, her stubbornness, and I love all the family. There is so much more to her story, please don’t end it now.
Aw! Thanks for the kind words.
There is a lot more to the story. I don’t know if you’ve read all the comments to this thread yet, but somewhere in there I think I mention that the fourth book was supposed to deal with Missy’s background. That’s a walloping dose of back story right there, as Missy isn’t all that she appears to be.
I know this may not be what you want to hear, but at the very least, I do hope to publish at least one more short story written from Sunny’s perspective. I don’t know what that will be yet (seriously, no clue), but if you have ideas, feel free to let me know.
Per ideas: I meant, if you have a character you’d like to know more about, or if there’s part of Sunny’s back story you’d like to have a story of. I have lots of ideas! I just want to know what parts of Sunny’s life (as described in the books) you’d like turned into a story or blog post.
Sorry about that. I’m usually a little more clear!
I thought this was a very original series, but it is intense. I would like to read more, but do what you have to do. You are talented! It will work out.
I lol’d. My editor says I’m too intense. Didn’t realize that spilled over into my books, but I guess it makes sense.
Thanks for stopping by, and for your encouragement. 🙂
I absolutely loved this series! Sunshine Walkingstick is a wonderful character and I do enjoy her story. I keep checking to see if there are any new books about her , I will be so sad if I never get to read about Sunshine again. You have a real gift for making her come alive in your writing. No matter what, thank you for introducing me to her.
You’re very welcome! 🙂
And thank you for the kind comments. She’s an interesting character and I enjoyed delving into her world. I can’t promise any more books, but please sign up for my Celia Roman newsletter (sign up form at http://www.celiaroman.com) so that you can receive a notification if I ever do publish another one.
Thanks for stopping by! I’m glad you enjoyed the series.
Aw, I just discovered Sunny and I hope that maybe if you just enjoy a break, she will pester you to write about her some more. I love that area that you write about. I go up there from Forsyth county to hunt and wish. It can be really, REALLY spooky sometimes.
She does keep pestering me, but that’s her nature. 🙂
It can be spooky. Many of the events in Sunny’s world are drawn from local folktales and such.
Thanks for reading! I’ll keep you posted on what’s going on in her world.
I have listened to Books 1 and 2 and just loved them. Your heart for her and the complexity puts your books into the realm of magical realism-not that there is anything wrong with urban fantasy/paranormal whatever. You are a wonderful writer and the stories are so sweet and tough. Thank you. I hope you find what you need to write more about Sunshine.
Isn’t Rebecca a great narrator? I love what she’s done with Sunny.
Thank you for the lovely compliments. It means a lot to me that you enjoyed the books and reached out to me.
I’m so glad that you’ve written another Sunshine book and I’m really looking forward to reading it, particularly if, as you’ve suggested, it outlines Missy’s past. I’ve always been intrigued by the sensations Sunny receives when close to her as well as the reasons for her arriving on Famous’ doorstep. I’m also curious about Sunny’s sensitivity? What does that tell us about her?
Now, I’m not going to spoil the surprise! 🙂
I just finished doing my first round of edits on the manuscript and was somewhat surprised by everything contained in the story. Sunny does a lot of growing in this one, in a lot of different ways, and some surprising back story pops up. I had forgotten about a couple of tidbits (to be fair, I started writing this one last May), but I think readers will be pleased. It feels like a strong story to me and is emotionally powerful, especially near the end.
I’m hoping to have it out to readers by the end of this month (March), but my editor has to go over it first. We’ll see!
Thanks for your support and encouragement!
Comments are closed.