Exclusive: Dance Of Shadows Diary Entry

“Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you’re close enough to kiss, close enough to feel your partner’s heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .
Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister’s shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . .
Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Josh, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed . . .”

 [October 8, 2012]

Dear Diary,

Weather isn’t that much different in New York than it is in Massachusetts (my family doesn’t live that far away, after all), but the change in the weather means so much more here! I woke this morning cold for the first time since I got here, and there was condensation on the outside of our window. “Brrr,” Maddy said, “who turned off the heat?” I was thankful to pull on my leg warmers before heading off to my day.

 It’s not just that the days are crisper and snappier, but there’s a kind of . . . clarity in the air. The last haze of summer is gone. When I walk out to Broadway and look each way, I imagine I can see all the way down to City Hall (which is very far down indeed) and far up to where Harlem and Columbia must be. And the chill seems to have invigorated everyone—people seem more purposeful and energetic. Gone are the lazy days of summer! Welcome to the swift chill days of fall!

 And you know what this means? Casting will soon take place for the company production. I don’t care if I have to claw my way over Anna Franko and Chloe Martin, I’m going to get myself a spot in the cast—if not a featured role, then at least something in the corps.

That’s why I’m here, after all.

xo,

Margaret

Happy Reading!