Art & Literature Collide: The Days Lost
Writing can be a lonely sport. It’s rare that I get the chance to talk to others about it in depth, or compare publishing experiences. For the longest time, I only knew other readers, not other writers. When I first met my friend Shannon McCrimmon, she was working on her first novel, just like I was, and I quickly discovered how helpful and inspiring it can be to have a fellow writer to relate to and discuss ideas with.
Since publishing her first novel, The Summer I Learned to Dive, Shannon McCrimmon has published 2 more, The Year I Almost Drowned, and most recently, The Days Lost. She has self-published all 3 on Amazon.com, and I was lucky enough to be a beta reader for The Days Lost. It was an honor to get a sneak peek at her new book before its release, and I enjoyed the fact that I could read along and think about what I might adjust, since it wasn’t set in stone just yet. I really had to dig deep for comments or suggestions - The Days Lost was a great story, even as a work-in-progress! It’s a YA must-read, and it’s completely different from her first two books so be sure to check it out.
The Days Lost by Shannon McCrimmon
Even more awesomeness about The Days Lost: Shannon McCrimmon has a love for the arts, especially local. She came up with the idea of having an art show where Greenville artists could contribute work inspired by her new novel. The Art & Literature Collide show opened this past weekend at Art & Light Gallery in conjunction with the book signing, and my husband and I each made a piece for the show. I typically stick to making leather and wood jewelry or needle felted fiber art, but I was inspired to make something completely out of my comfort zone for the show. I sculpted a life size copperhead snake out of clay and cut out hundreds of tiny leather scales for its skin, then mounted the whole thing on an antique wormy chestnut plaque. What part of the book inspired this 3D piece? You’ll have to read the story to find out!
Shannon made a story, I made a snake.
Work by Tim Speaker, Sheila Lutringer, Teresa Roche, and Annie Koelle
Work by Chris Jones, Teresa Roche, Josh Mandell, and Sarah Mandell
Work by Kent Ambler, Paul Flint, and Annie Koelle