Solitary: A Novel (43 page)

I fold up the letter and feel like she's right there, talking to me.

Maybe she is.

I look at the Bible and don't know whether to toss it in the woods or open it up and start reading. I decide to do neither.

I stay there, sitting on the floor next to my bed where a stuffed and happy Midnight is curled up. I stay there for some time, thinking of the letter, thinking what it means.

Wondering what tomorrow will bring.

... a little more ...

When a delightful concert comes to an end, the orchestra might offer an encore. When a fine meal comes to an end, it's always nice to savor a bit of dessert. When a great story comes to an end, we think you may want to linger. And so, we offer ...

AfterWords-just a little something more after you have finished a David C. Cook novel. We invite you to stay awhile in the story. Thanks for reading!

Turn the page for ...

• Three Recommended Playlists

• Behind the Book: Some Kind of Wonderful

• A Snapshot

THREE RECOMMENDED PLAYLISTS

SOLITARY PLAYLIST $rI: FOR THE WALKMAN

1. "Oscillate Wildly" by The Smiths

2. "Leave in Silence" by Depeche Mode

3. "Watch Me Bleed" by Tears For Fears

4. "Someone Somewhere in Summertime" by Simple Minds

5. "Invisible Sun" by The Police

6. "Oomingmak" by Cocteau Twins

7. "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want" by The Smiths

8. "Thieves Like Us (Instrumental version)" by New Order

9. "Just One Kiss" by The Cure

10. "Souvenir" by Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark

11. "But Not Tonight" by Depeche Mode

12. "Musette and Drums" by Cocteau Twins

13. "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" by The Smiths

SOLITARY PLAYLIST *'2: FOR THE IPOD

1. "Black Mirror" by Arcade Fire

2. "Losing Touch" by The Killers

3. "Houses" by Great Northern

4. "Come Alive" by Foo Fighters

5. "Ghosts" by Ladytron

6. "Until the Night Is Over" by M83

7. "Hearts on Fire" by Cut Copy

8. "Theft, and Wandering Around Lost" by Cocteau Twins

9. "Highway of Endless Dreams" by M83

10. "If You Were Here" by Cary Brothers

11. "Wait for Me" by Moby

12. "Beautiful" by Ruth Ann

13. "Strangers In The Wind" by Cut Copy

14. "2-1" by Imogen Heap

15. "Alice" by Cocteau Twins

SOLITARY PLAYLIST #3: FOR THE MOVIE

1. "Be a Good Boy" by Thomas Newman (from the Little Children soundtrack)

2. "Twin Peaks Theme" by Angelo Badalamenti

3. "Eli and Oscar" by Johan Sodergvist (from the Let the Right One In soundtrack)

4. "Any Other Name" by Thomas Newman (from the American Beauty soundtrack)

5. "Oscar In Love" by Johan Sodergvist (from the Let The Right One In soundtrack)

6. "Cool at Heart" by Tangerine Dream (from the Melrose album)

7. "Bruise" byThomas Newman (from the Flesh andBone soundtrack)

8. "Town of Austere" by Alexander Malter (from the Fireflies In the Garden soundtrack)

9. "The First Goodbye" by David Helpling and Jon Jenkins (from the Treasure album)

10. "Night Life in Twin Peaks" by Angelo Badalamenti (from the Twin Peaks soundtrack)

11. "Be with You" by James Newton Howard (from The Happening soundtrack)

12. "Leaving Hope" by Nine Inch Nails (from Still album)

13. "The Letter That Never Came" by Thomas Newman (from Lemony Snickets A Series of Unfortunate Events soundtrack)

BEHIND THE BOOK: SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL

One of the reasons I'm a novelist is because of John Hughes. The director of eighties classics like Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Sixteen Candles inspired my love of both film and storytelling. It wasn't just that he captured moments of the era I grew up in; it was that he captured the soul of a teenager.

Three movies stand out to me: The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, and Some Kind of Wonderful.

As someone who attended four different high schools, I felt like I had four completely different high school experiences. I had different personas for each of the schools I went to. At times I was a jock, a rebel, an outcast, or part of the popular clique. All along I saw myself in John Hughes's films. The agony of being a teen, the thrill of falling in love, the angst of saying good-bye, and the utter hilarity of being a teenager.

The music and mood of these films helped define my teenage years. My life could have been a John Hughes film. I wanted to be Blane from Pretty in Pink, but really I was Duckie. I spent my fair share of time in detention, yet I wasn't as cool nor did I have one-liners like John Bender. I was always falling in love and making cassette tapes based on that love. I was that kid with the giant posters of musical groups plastered all over his bedroom walls.

John Hughes died on August 6, 2009, when I was still writing Solitary. I had already pitched this series as part Pretty in Pink and part scary movie. I wanted to detail some of my high school experiences with these books.

I believe the first eighteen years of a person's life define the remaining ones. I was such a naive kid when I was in high school, but that's the beauty of that time. I didn't know the big, bad world, and in ways, I was fortunate for it.

When I look back at those John Hughes films, there's a certainly amount of naivete about them. But there's also a lot of heart. That's what teen movies lack today: that passionate, beating heart.

This series is a nod to those years, and to one of the men who helped shape them.

This ninth grader didn't do anything noteworthy except for one thing: writing and finishing his first novel. Titled The Adventurer, it was written in pencil on notebook pages. While he never tried to get it published, the author realized that if he could do this once, he could do it again.

For more information on Travis Thrasher, visit www.Travisfhrasher.com.