If you have read my books, you'll notice that the majority have ladybugs as some part of them, be it the ladybug who was rescued by Rhea's touch and then began to change everything, or simply a carved design in wood. There will be even more ladybugs in book 4, which will tell the story of Katrina, the youngest of the De Nespa line.
So what's the deal?
Part of it is that I simply like ladybugs. I think they are beautiful and fascinating, and since they are one of the bugs that don't bite me, they are my friends. It is so fun, to me, to watch ladybugs climbing around, or to feel them tickling your palm if you are lucky enough to catch one.
It is also a nod to one of my favorite teenage memories, and a way of reminding myself of that carefree moment. It was my senior year of high school, and was still driving the family car (a 1997 Chevy Lumina, green, awesome). My friend and I were waiting for another friend to go do something, and were bored sitting in his driveway. This was a time before cell phones and tablets, and the only thing that we found to entertain us was a pack of stickers. Ladybug stickers. Over a hundred ladybug stickers.
Really, what else is there for two bored teenage girls to do but cover the inside of a car with hundreds of ladybug stickers. It was actually pretty awesome, and made everyone smile. Granted I then had to remove the hundreds of ladybug stickers, but that was okay.
The best part was when my mother kept finding ladybug stickers in the car over a year later. I used to joke that they were my way of reminding her of me when I was away at college, and they forever held a place in my heart.
