Chapter Text
(1) Let's start with Dee Dee. In Summer to Remember, Ronald states that she has "very short blonde hair," which I thought was supposed to mean she has a pixie cut. I don't know. For whatever reason, I just have a very hard time imagining her appearance as described in the book. I keep imagining her as Selena Gomez with a braid, so naturally, I gave her braided brown hair for my story. It suits her, and her passion for surfing.
(2) As I demonstrated in the sneak peek, Kimbo's character will be a bit more tomboyish than her counterpart in Ronald's book . . . and headstrong . . . and brooding.
(3) Now for a slightly harder one to explain. In the book, Kimbo has a brother named Paco, but that name just doesn't go with her given name, Kimberly. Neither does it go with her nickname, and both names come from different origins. I stumbled across the name Raymond while doing some research, and it reminded me of someone I used to go to school with. "Ray Ray," we would call him. I thought it was the perfect name for Kimbo's brother. Raymond goes well with Kimberly, and also, "Kimbo and Ray Ray" has a very nice ring to it.
(4) In the book, Kimbo is said to be part Portuguese. The only issue I have is with her last name. As a stickler for names, it bothers me that "Salvatore" is NOT a Portuguese surname. It is, strictly speaking, Italian -- change my mind. "Salvador," meanwhile, is Spanish, Catalan, and Portuguese. And this is the story behind why Kimbo's surname is spelled with a "d" instead of a "t" for my story. Exciting, right?
(5) Kimbo is now ten years old, instead of eleven. A small difference, I know, but not entirely meaningless. I thought it would make her brother's disappearance all the more significant to her character development.
(6) Elements of fantasy, such as a superhuman ability, will be introduced into my story's universe -- which explains the fantasy tags.
(7) Her mother will work as a cashier at the local supermarket, instead of serving food at The Crow's Nest -- some kind of bar and grill. I plan to have Dee Dee start out working at a restaurant like her counterpart in the book, so I didn't want two characters to have similar jobs. I wanted to give their world a wider variety of jobs to choose from as well.
WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
(8) Kimbo's brother was confirmed dead in Summer to Remember, not long before the events of the story began. If I'm remembering the details correctly, his lifeless body was found washed ashore. Not by Kimbo, thank God. Because that would be traumatizing as fuck for an ten-year-old. In my story, Ray Ray's body was never found, but everyone on San Martin believes he is dead. Except for Kimbo, of course. She will believe it when she sees it.
(9) Her father also passed away before Summer to Remember began. Ronald R. Schuster never specified why. He's still alive for my story, just absent. One boring afternoon, he upped and left without warning. No one knows where he went, and Kimbo isn't too willing to forgive him for his sudden departure.
IT'S OKAY. YOU CAN OPEN YOUR EYES NOW.