Paint My Body
Red
Release Date: 11/02/15
Entangled Teen
Summary from Goodreads:
They think I'll be number seven. Unlucky number seven.
Dead teenager number seven. With the rash of suicides at my school, I've
been shipped off to my dad's Wyoming ranch for “my own safety.” My mom worries
I'll be next—another depressed teenager whose blood will end up on the train
tracks. But she doesn't know my secrets...or what I did.
Everything has changed at the ranch since I was there last. The staff is
gone, and there aren’t any visitors. The place is struggling, and ALS is
destroying my dad. The one bright spot in this mess is his new—and only—ranch
hand, Jake. He’s gorgeous, cheerful, healthy and sane. Shadows don't haunt his
eyes and eat away at him in the night.
But the ranch and Jake can't save me from the darkness inside, or the
knowledge of what I've done. This time, it's up to me to save myself...
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Blood as Family in Paint
My Body Red
Paint My Body Red is about a lot of things. It’s about death and
terror. It’s about grief and bravery. It’s about love…but really, in the end,
it’s about family. And what makes a family.
Blood is a big theme in the
book. It’s in the Crazy Horse quote in the beginning; it’s on the cover, and it’s
mentioned in every chapter (I’m not 100% sure on this. I actually haven’t gone
through and checked, but I’d venture to guess.) But what just dawned on me,
seriously, just now, is the deeper meaning of blood in this book. The family meaning.
I was asked to cast the
perfect actors and actresses for a potential Paint My Body Red film (from this post to Hollywood’s ears!), and I
commented that Anna was the heart and rock of the 8 Hands Ranch, even though
she’s not blood related to anyone there. See, Jake lost his dad early on in
life, and has since seen Gus Mason, Paige’s ailing father and patriarch of 8
Hands Ranch, as a father figure. Gus, in turn, took little Jake under his
protective wing years before. Jake’s mother fell to alcoholism and isn’t in the
picture much, so Jake had to grow up way before his time. He’s physically
young, but an old soul. He’s seen a lot.
Anna is also a mother figure
of sorts to Jake. She cooks, cleans, and tends to the ranch. At first, Paige
has no idea who she is. She asks over and over, “Who IS Anna?,” but no one
tells her. Anna, it turns out, has a much greater stake in 8 Hands Ranch than
Paige initially realizes. She’s part owner of the ranch and Gus’ long term
partner. They don’t mention anything about a wedding or engagement. It’s just
understand Anna and Gus are together. They are a team. It’s unspoken much like
Jake and Paige’s relationship almost as soon as Paige arrives tattered and
way-to-thin and depressed from her struggles in California.
The only people on the ranch
who are truly “blood” relatives are Paige and Gus. Father and Daughter, but
long estranged from each other. As challenges bring each of the members of 8
Hands Ranch together, they rebuild a family. From broken pieces of scattered
glass, they make a life. They might not all be true blood, but they are family.
About the Author
Heidi Kling writes fantasy novels set in a contemporary world and
contemporary novels about girls in fantastic situations. The bestselling
Spellspinners series (Coliloquy/Vook), is 9-book series leading with Witch's
Brew. The Gleaning, Devil's Frost and Beautiful Monster are
out now with more adventures to follow. Her debut contemporary, Sea (Penguin),
was an IndieNext Pick, Northern California Book of the Year nominee, Gateway
Reader’s Award choice and Scholastic Readers Pick. Her forthcoming contemporary
novel, Paint My Body Red, launches with Entangled Teen Fall,
2015.
Told in dual narratives, several more installments are
planned in this "Romeo and Juliet with magic" series readers compare
to stories by LJ Smith, Cassandra Clare and Melissa de la Cruz.
After earning her MFA in Writing for Children from the New School, she
returned to her native California. She lives with her husband, two children and
the cutest accidental puppy mix ever, Sailor Lily, just over the coastal
mountains from the sea.
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