Deadsville

Readers of my Peg Shaw Series are familiar with a rather unconventional version of the afterlife- what Peg refers to as Deadsville. The spirit world that Peg finds herself coping with totally evolved out of my own imagination. The quirks of Deadsville are not meant to be a serious theological description of the afterlife but rather ideas that made me laugh out loud as I wrote. I decided if a concept made me laugh there was a good chance others would find it humorous also.

I have to admit I enjoy the reactions various characters have when they discover that death holds much of what we are familiar with here on earth. Peg may be surprised as we are introduced bit by bit to how the spirit world operates but she mainly takes the news in stride. The rules and activities of the next realm are the least of her concerns—getting rid of ghosts in her life tends to be more important to her at the beginning. As she grows more comfortable with the ghostly additions in her life she slowly gains interest in what life after death will be like. She uses each tidbit Bob accidentally drops into a conversation to learn more about Logan and his world. Initially, her beliefs of the afterlife are what I imagine most of us accept as true-- peaceful existence with no problems. The realization spiritual wars have consequences for the living had never entered into her realm of thinking. This knowledge changes her view of the work she is doing for Logan and influences how she deals with the uncomfortable nature of her ghostly work.

Andy on the other hand, is quite fascinated by every revelation concerning Deadsville. I imagine Andy applying his engineering skills as he quietly and secretly charts every ounce of data he learns. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to discover he has the diagram hidden in his desk drawer at work. Maybe one day we will know if this is true.

Jack’s reaction to any and all knowledge of the inner workings of the next world is a hoot. He simply wants peace and quiet in death and envisions himself sitting on a cloud with no paperwork or department politics to interfere with a worry free existence. When faced with the truth he is horrified that there are actual work assignments waiting for him as he departs this life. The more he discovers the more disgusted he is with the entire situation.

Logan not only lives in Deadsville, he is quite a powerful being there. We know very little about him and he wants to keep it that way. As the series unfolds we recognize his authority in his realm and that his heart is always in the right place even if he waits a tad too long to aide Peg in her misadventures. I envision Logan as the key player in his corner of Deadsville and higher beings rely on his abilities as the struggles both in the spiritual plane as well as earthly occur at an increasingly rapid pace. I trust Logan knows what he is doing and has plans that we may-or may not- one day realize.

Each book I write reveals a little more to me about the inner workings of Deadsville. While I don’t have complete knowledge I’m having fun discovering more right along with the readers.