A wanna-be juvenile delinquent. That’s how my dad described me in his interview last week. As you probably guessed, I’m Michael Schaffer. Michael Paul Schaffer. I think my middle name is the only thing I have in common with my dad, except maybe his eyes. I’m not a wanna-be anything, and especially not a juvenile delinquent. Does anyone (except my dad) even use that term anymore?
Just to set the record straight, I admit I blew it last year. Taylor says I hurt myself as much as I did Dad, but I’m not so sure about that. It wasn’t really my intention to hurt anyone—I was just acting out. But now that I have, it’s kind of hard to find my way back. I’m still ticked, and every time Dad lectures me about my attitude, it makes it worse. The word hypocrite comes to mind, and I don’t mean me.
Mom is chill. She always has my back, even when she doesn’t agree with me. She’s kind of quiet, so no one sees her sense of humor or how unhappy she is deep down. But she doesn’t complain. Taylor’s kind of cool, too, for a sister. She and Dad are pretty tight—I think she got his goody-goody gene, and I got Mom’s sense of humor.
It’s totally unfair, though, that Dad gets judged by what I do. When I screw up, it’s his fault. When I excel, he gets credit. I think that’s why God gets such a bad rap from people who don’t follow Him. I mean if “Christians” are a bunch of judgmental hypocrites, doesn’t that make God look like a judgmental hypocrite? Just a thought.
But Dad’s right about one thing—it’s been pretty tense around the house lately. He’s stressed about his job, Mom’s stressed about Dad coming down hard on me, and I’m angry more than I’m not. Taylor’s the only one who seems normal. She’s stoked about starting college next year, and she wants to live on campus. I get it. But if they let her move out, then I’ll have double the focus on me, which probably won’t end well unless some kind of miracle occurs.
I spend most of my spare time taking pictures. When people don’t know I’m around, I get the best shots—the true persona, not the one meant for the world. Usually, that shot isn’t nearly as attractive as the posed-for-the-world shot. But it’s real. It’s evidence that life on earth isn’t even close to heaven—if there is such a thing. Sometimes, I’m not so sure.
Illusions is now available for pre-order. The ebook is only .99 until the paperback becomes available on April 28th. If you pre-order the ebook, you will also receive the novelette Gilded Cage, a prequel to Illusions, as a pre-order gift. If you prefer to have the paperback copy, Gilded Cage will be included with it. Once you pre-order the ebook, be sure to fill out the necessary form to receive your pre-order gift.
Comments 1
It’s fun getting insight into the characters ahead of time, I imagine it will really help me dive right into reading the book! Can’t wait!