Beautiful People: Parental Edition (with Aleria, Iris, and Garic)

This month’s Beautiful People interview is about parents! The character we shall be talking about today is Princess Aleria of Esclia, whose parents are Iris and Garic, so basically I’m just talking about Iris and Garic anyway. See how clever I am, talking about what I’m currently working on?

If you missed my excerpt with Iris and Garic, you can check it out here (Spotlight #5: Iris) and understand why I’m casually just fangirling over my own characters…

Beautiful People is a monthly character interview hosted by Cait @ Paper Fury and Sky @ Further Up and Further In.

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Now for the questions!

• Overall, how good is their relationship with their parents?

Pretty good. Garic and Iris both try to be close to their daughter, but they also try to protect her from a lot of things, which causes some tension. They’re also gone a lot and it’s hard for Aleria to always communicate with them, but she does know that they care about her.

• Do they know both their biological parents? If not, how do they cope with this loss/absence and how has it affected their life?

Yes, she does.

• How did their parents meet?

Well, this is the story that I’m writing currently, so I could give you the very in-depth version, but in short, Iris is famed to be “the prophetess of Eyspar” and Garic comes to her for help because he’s the prince and he’s afraid someone wants to kill him.

• How would they feel if they were told “you’re turning out like your parent(s)”?

Aleria would get that warm, fuzzy feeling inside because she admires her parents, especially her mother. She wants to become like them, and if she were told that she was, she’d be thrilled.

• What were your character’s parents doing when they were your character’s age?

Well, Aleria’s story starts when she’s younger than Garic and Iris are in their story, so nothing extremely exciting. Garic was doing princely things, like preparing to come of age and being tutored in all sorts of things and trying to deal with his father’s remarriage. Iris was probably embroidering pillows and starting to look for suitors and being dragged on adventures with Rosie and Samuel.

• Is there something they adamantly disagree on?

Garic and Iris trust their adviser, but Aleria does not, and in fact does not like him at all. She wants them to get rid of him, but they won’t, and she doesn’t understand why.

• What did the parent(s) find hardest about raising your character?

Raising her to not thinking that she could have whatever she wanted…which they didn’t exactly succeed at. She’s the princess and the only child, and she did get what she wanted. But they did manage to raise her to be kind, which was a partial success.

• What’s their most vivid memory with their parental figure(s)?

Aleria remembers more with Iris, I think, and there’s not specifically one that stands out more than the others. She loved to sit and watch her mother embroider in the night, by light of a candle, humming…

• What was your character like as a baby/toddler?

Adorable but willful. She liked to get into things she wasn’t supposed to, but you know, with that innocent smile and chubby cheeks, how could one be angry with her?

• Why and how did the parents choose your character’s name?

Aleria is Garic’s mother’s name, and she was awesome. They wanted Aleria to grow up as strong and gentle and royal as she was.

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Also!

Because I love you, when I was supposed to be writing yesterday, I made a Pinterest board about my story with Garic and Iris. There are adorable pictures & mysterious captions and little quotes from the story, so check it out and tell me what you think!

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let us talk!

What are your thoughts? What would you ask Aleria, Iris, or Garic if you could ask them one question? What are the best kind of parents in books/in real life? If you did this Beautiful People interview, link me to your post!

Beautiful People: March with Bennett

Beautiful People is a monthly character interview hosted by Cait @ Paper Fury and Sky @ Further Up and Further In. It’s been ages since I’ve done a Beautiful People (let’s be honest, okay, I’ve only done two ever) but here’s to starting again! *clinks glasses of sparkling cider*

I wasn’t entirely sure who to do for this one, but after some talking, I decided that I would do it with Charles Bennett, a young politician and somehow both a minor and major character in the epic sci-fi. How does that work out? Who knows.

Anyway, he goes by Bennett (honestly, calling him Charles is the weirdest thing) and I introduced him in the most recent update of the Enhanced field guide: Enhanced: The Complete Field Guide, Part Two (Characters). Now, for the questions!

Oh! Also I decided to follow the example of some bloggers and ask Bennett the questions directly instead of answering for him. My comments are in [italicized brackets].

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• What’s your favourite book/movie/play/etc.?

[Pride and Prejudice, obviously.]

Um, no. *says something in Latin* It’s a play (and a movie) about life and death, revenge, pain, unrequited love, and heroism.

[Way to answer without actually answering what it is. It’s basically warmed-over Shakespeare without the cool language.]

• Is there anything you regret doing?

I regret my naive view on life when I was younger–my belief that, somehow, I could make a difference to these people when they have never wanted to change.

• If you were sick or wounded, who would take care of you and how?

[*cough* That’s a spoiler.]

What?

[I mean, you haven’t met her yet, so…]

*ignores Lana* To actually answer the question…no one?

[Come on, there has to be someone who would help you if you were near death.]

*frowns* There isn’t anyone.

[That’s almost sad.]

• Is there an object you can’t bear to part with and why?

Yes, lots of things. Old books, papers, letters, computer documents, journals…I keep them in a special place.

[You “forgot” to say why.]

I can’t stand to look at them…but I can’t leave them behind either. I need to know that I have something to remember them by.

• What are 5 ways to win your heart (or friendship)?

1. Don’t fawn over me. [*raises eyebrows*] Okay, don’t be obsessed with me.

2. Be intriguing and interesting.

3. Be intelligent and able to carry on a knowledgeable conversation.

I can’t think of any more.

[You know, maybe you could put something like “kind” on there, because right now those three are sounding a whole lot like all of your politician “friends” and nothing real.]

Fine, I guess you’re right.

4. Believe in me.

5. Be willing to stick with me even when you disagree, even when times get rough, even when I tell you to leave. Just always be there for me.

• Describe a typical outfit for you from top to bottom.

Nicely-styled hair, fashionable suit, polished shoes. Oh, and a smile, of course.

• What’s your favorite type of weather?

Sunshine…when the world is warm and the trees are budding into spring, and there’s a tiny breeze [not enough to mess up your hair, of course], and everything just feels so alive and peaceful.

• What’s the worst fight you’ve ever been in?

What if I don’t want to answer a question? *folds arms* People are allowed not to answer questions that reporters ask them.

[Just answer the question.]

Fine. It was when I was thirteen or fourteen…we were being stupid…and one of us walked off with a broken nose and the other walked off with a broken arm.

 

• What names or nicknames have you been called throughout your life?

Bennett is obviously a sort of nickname. People began calling me that when I started attending political functions–lots of people are referred to by their last name. A couple of people call me Ben, but not many. When I was growing up, I went by Charles, and my family called me Charlie.

[Charlie Bennett…hehehe.]

Stop laughing.

• What makes your heart feel alive?

Changing someone’s mind. Showing them what is the right way to think and view a problem, showing them the solution and convincing them that it is right. Disputing their opinions until they believe like me.

[Come on, Bennett, actually answer the question.]

…The time I’ve felt the most alive is the time I’ve spent making a difference in other people’s lives. That time I spent in the Outer Regions…those smiles I got in return…they were some of the happiest moments I’ve ever had.

[And you still came back.]

Of course I did.

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How do you like Bennett? Very mysterious, is he not? Indeed, he tries to avoid all of the questions…or lie about them…he’s pretty good at that. (Oh, stop glaring at me, Charlie.) Thoughts on [my brackets]? Annoying or amusing? What do you want to know about Bennett? I can probably force him into answering in the comments…

As always, thanks for reading!

 

The Lady of the Vineyard Blog Tour + Character & Author Interview

This is an exciting post because I get to be one of the blogs that opens the blog tour for The Lady of the Vineyard, a novella by Kellyn Roth, who you may know from her blog, Reveries. You also may have noticed her from the rather long comment chains we tend to make responding to each other’s posts.

Kellyn is a homeschooled author and she’s already self-published one novel, The Dressmaker’s Secret, which is a historical fiction novel. BUT that is not what our post is about. This post is about The Lady of the Vineyard, which…is also a historical fiction novel.

and can I just take a moment to flail at you about how a cover I made is going to be on a published book? *MUCH FLAILING*

By now I’m sure you’re absolutely dying to hear the synopsis of the book, so no more waiting, I’ll just give it to you:

Judy has lived with her egocentric mother since her parents divorced when she was a baby. When her father, Troy Kee, shows up at her sixth birthday party and whisks her away to his vineyard in France, Judy is more than happy to go with him. But Adele, Judy’s mother, isn’t quite ready to give up her daughter. Can Judy forgive Adele? More importantly, can Troy?

The Lady of the Vineyard tells an amazing story of change, growth, and love, and it’s going to be published on September 10th–in two days! But if you don’t want to wait that long, you can preorder the Kindle version on Amazon.

And now, to the fun stuff! I was able to interview both a character from and the author of The Lady of the Vineyard for the blog tour, and so I chose to interview Judy, the serious six-year-old girl this story is about.

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Interview with Judy

Did you ever think about your father much before the story began?

No, I guess not. I knew he was somewhere … but nobody ever talked about him. I mean, Aunt Lola did sometimes, but she didn’t visit all that often.

What is your favorite thing about your mother? Your father?

My favorite thing about my mother is that she is beautiful. My favorite thing about my father is that he is wonderful.

Would you rather spend time with other people, or on your own?

I’d usually rather spend time with other people, but I like being with Daddy a lot.

What is your favorite childhood memory?

I don’t think I have one yet.

What do you want, more than anything else in the world?

I just want to stay in one place and have everything be the same. I don’t want things to change all the time anymore.

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But change is fabulous and that is what this story is about–how hard change can be…and then how amazing the results can become! Isn’t that awesome?

Afterward, I got to interview Kellyn Roth, the author of The Lady of the Vineyard, about…well, author-y things!

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Interview with Kellyn Roth

What inspired the characters in The Lady of the Vineyard?

I think for once I made character to fit a story instead of visa-versa. 🙂 Of course, they ended up jumping off the pages eventually, but y’know, their basic personalities were pre-determined.

Who really encouraged and inspired you to publish?

My friends, especially my friend Bailey, were always encouraging me too, and then NaNoWriMo (YWP, of course) is so awesome for encouraging young writers to write and write and write! But I think mostly if helped a lot to get my blog set up and feel like I was official.

What book(s) are you currently working on?

Ivy Introspective (The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy, Book 2) is really what I need to focus on what now … but I’m also plotting out At Her Fingertips (Book 3). And … writing random bits of writing based on every plot bunny I can catch.

What was the biggest thing you learned while writing The Lady of the Vineyard?

The Prohibition didn’t happen in England. Or France. XD

Not really. But that’s a hard thing to pinpoint. I suppose one of the things I learned is that oftentimes my philosophical rambles don’t make sense – at least not outside of my head – and it’s sometimes better just to do something that actually makes sense.

And … that didn’t make sense. 😛

What is the best part of writing and being an author?

Being able to control everyone. *evil laughter*

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Be sure to head on over to Reveries and congratulate Kellyn on the publishing of her novella and to check out the rest of her blog tour! And if you’re looking for a short and sweet story to read, The Lady of the Vineyard is just the book for you.

Character Studies: Lil’s Beliefs

 

It’s time for you to finally meet Lil! Yay, who’s excited? She got slightly introduced in this post I wrote before I left, about all the characters in Enhanced, but now you get to meet her even more fully. And yes, I do realize that these are the questions from July, but I’m not going to skip them because I want Lil to answer them. The questions are on beliefs, ideals, and morals, which will be lots of fun!

Character Studies is a monthly character interview hosted by Morgan Dusky from Studies in Character. You can find this month’s (well, last month’s) interview questions on her blog here and here.

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• Do you believe in true love?

Yes, I do, but it doesn’t have to be romantic. True love can be familial or brotherly or friendly as well, but it just goes deeper than normal love. True love is when you would sacrifice everything to help that other person.

• How about love at first sight?

I don’t think so, not like how it sounds. There can be affection at first sight, longing perhaps, but not real love. That comes later, with time, lots of time.

• Have you ever been in love—like really in love?

Yes. Yes, I have.

• Do you believe in second chances?

Of course. Where would I be without second chances? I’ve made too many mistakes to count.

• Is there something more to life?

I do believe so. I think there is a reason we are here and that we don’t die at death–not all of us, anyway. A part of us must stay alive, somehow. That’s what I’ve been taught to believe…that’s what I have to believe.

• Do you believe in unicorns?  (Hint: If you say you don’t, somewhere a unicorn dies.)

*laughs* In that case, yes I do.

• Are you superstitious?  Why?

I guess it depends on what you mean by superstitious. I don’t feel superstitious but maybe that’s simply because my beliefs seem normal to me. I believe that good comes from doing good and bad from bad,

• Somebody you just met claims to be a time-traveler from the future.  Do you believe them?

I think part of me would believe them, and part of me would think they were just joking. They’d have to prove it, I think.

• What would paradise look like?

Kaelan and our son son and I, all of us together. That would be paradise.

• Bonus: What are your thoughts on balloons?

Balloons? Toddlers love them, and I think they’re pretty fun too.

• What happens, do you think, when you die?

I don’t think we die–not every part of us. Some part of us keeps on living, survives the death, and goes on to a better place, a happier place where everyone can finally rest and be at peace.

• Are you afraid of dying?

Yes. No. I…I know I’m supposed to know that something more will come, that I should be content with the future and what it may bring, but…I am frightened. I know there will be no pain, but what if it is not everything I was grown up to believe in? What if I die, and it’s just…the end? That’s what I’m afraid of.

• What is the most irrational fear you have?

I’m afraid of getting hurt or wounded, and I’m not entirely sure why, considering I wouldn’t actually feel anything. Perhaps it’s just that everyone else is afraid, and they’ve passed that on to me.

• Why are you afraid of that thing, even knowing it’s irrational?

I think what I said above–it’s sort of rubbed off on me from other people. And some part of me, because of that, is afraid that it really will hurt, that if my hand gets cut off or I get shot in the back, I’ll feel the pain for the first time I can remember, and I can’t imagine how much worse it’d feel without experiencing a smaller portion of it before.

• You’ve just been threatened and told that if you tell anybody about what happened to you, you’ll die (or worse).  Do you tell anyone, or do you lie about what happened?

I wouldn’t tell anyone what had happened. If Kaelan… Maybe eventually I’d tell somebody, if I felt like it was safe, but I’d lie rather than run the risk of dying–or worse, having someone close to me get hurt because of it.

• The one person who could save you is the person you trust least in the world.  What do you do?

I wouldn’t let them save me. I’d rather die.

• Would you, or have you, ever killed anyone?

I’ve never killed anyone, and I never would. That’s horrible. To take someone else’s life…it’s so wrong, and I wouldn’t be able to bear the mere thought of myself were I to commit murder.

• Do you have any recurring dreams and/or nightmares?

No. Blessedly, my sleep is normally very calm and free of dreams or nightmares, at least most of the time. When I do dream, it’s very odd, and nightmares are far and few between.

• You’re going to die in exactly fifteen minutes.  What do you do with those minutes?

It depends on how I was going to die. If we were all being threatened and about to die, I’d spend my last minutes protecting my friends as much as possible. If I were alone…I think I would pray and pour out my soul to the sky. I would think of all I have lost, and all I have loved, of Kaelan and my baby.

• Bonus: How long is your attention span?

I’m decent at paying attention, but the times when I’m not seem to always be the times when it was the most important.

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Ahh, so there’s Lil! And I have finally finished this post, despite school being a little bit crazy busy at the beginning. (Short school update: I like all my classes and teachers, so I’m liking school, but I’m kept busy by homework and my marching band practices, not to mention things like writing and spending time with my family.)

Anyway, how did you like Lil? I feel like she made sure to answer some of these questions shallowly…but maybe the vagueness made her more mysterious or intriguing or something like that, heh. I do love Lil, though. She’s so interesting. Do you have any questions about her? I’m ready to answer them! (Unless there’s spoilers…then you’ll just have to wonder.)

And also, lastly, how have you all been? Is life getting busier at the start of a new school year? Anything exciting happening? Tell me about all the fun (or not fun, I suppose) you’re having!

Character Studies: Kai’s Comforts

I’m finally doing the June Character Study! (I know, I know, I’m behind, but at least I’m doing it now!) This one is on comfort, or as Ereinne (one of Morgan’s characters) calls it, affection. This one will be interesting since Kai’s character has changed a lot since I wrote the first draft of Enhanced. He was my original main character, but I haven’t used him for the Character Studies yet because he was basically a sugar character…nothing nutritious or filling at all. (Yes, I did just make that term up.) However, I finally feel that he’s ready to be exposed out into the open. For a little background, his mom is sick and dying but he doesn’t want anyone to know that so just shhh. Don’t tell him I told you.

Character Studies is a monthly character interview hosted by Morgan Dusky from Studies in Character. You can find this month’s interview questions on her blog here and here.

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• Who’s your best friend?

I try to be friendly and make a lot of friends… I wouldn’t say I have a best friend. I know a lot of people, but no one really stands out as the “best” one.

• You’re feeling miserable.  Who tries to cheer you up?  Does it work?  Do you appreciate it?

My mom usually is the one to try to cheer me up, or sometimes my friends if I’m with them. And it usually doesn’t work, but I pretend it does, and sometimes the pretending works. It definitely doesn’t work if she’s miserable too, though. Then we’re both miserable. I appreciate her trying, though.

• What actually is the best way to cheer you up?

Probably just hanging out with my friends and talking–that usually works. Or being convinced to try something crazy–a little adrenaline rush really stops any miserable-ness.

• What’s your favorite comfort food?  Or what do prefer to eat when you’re sick?

Sometimes Mother plants things in the garden that we’re not supposed to–things besides flowers–and then we eat them. That always makes me happy, even if I’m sick.

• You’re being congratulated on/for something.  How do people congratulate you?

Congratulated for what? I haven’t done anything congratulatory…but if I ever did do something amazing we’d have a celebration with dancing and music and people would tell me “Congratulations.”

• What’s your idea of a perfect date?

Walking with a pretty girl who is clever and is impressed by me and makes me laugh as we talk about anything and everything, and then maybe playing some games together or something. I know that sounds kind of childish, but I kinda think it would be nice.

• What kind of relationship do you have with your parents?

My dad died when I was younger, and I only have a few memories of him. But my relationship with Mother is good. Sometimes we just talk and I tell her everything–from friends to girls to my dreams for the future. She always listens to everything.

• If you could have anything at all, what would you want your parents to give you? (Not something tangible)

More time.

• Hug or fist-bump?

Fist-bump. I don’t like all that touchy-feely stuff.

• BONUS: Are you ticklish?

I’m not going to answer this question…

• Which is your preferred fight—words or fists?

Fists, but it doesn’t happen much…well, not anymore. When I was younger I got in quite a few fights…

• How difficult is it for you to apologize when you were wrong about something?

Pretty difficult…I’m not very good at apologizing…or even admitting that I’m wrong. I usually wait for the other person to apologize first.

• You had a nightmare. Do you go to anybody for comfort? If so, who?

No, I don’t tell anyone. There’s no reason for me to bother them.

• Someone is trying to ask you out. What could they do to really screw it up? What is, in your opinion, the ideal way to be asked out?

There is a multitude of ways they could screw it up…but to really screw it up? Someone I don’t like very much asking me when I’ve had a really bad day while expecting they’ll get exactly what they want. I prefer girls to be a little more hard to get, so the ideal way to be asked out would be for me to gradually and subtly convince them to ask me out. It’d be so much more rewarding that way.

• What would you do for love? What would you do for hate?

I’d do a lot of things for love. If I really love someone, and I mean really love them, I will do anything to help them. For hate? Maybe get a little revenge and punch someone but not much more than that. Hate is strong, but not that strong.

• What is your perfect happily ever after?

Being able to have everyone I love around me when I need them.

• What would you do if someone hugged you so hard, they knocked you both to the floor?

Push them off and give them a look that says “Why on earth would you even do that?”

[*Lana enters interview* The funny thing is that I can totally see Brie doing that…]

Please don’t talk about Brie.

[Why not?]

She’s so…immature.

[Well, you’re not exactly the epitome of maturity either. I actually can’t believe how shallow you are about some things.]

Wow, thanks.

• What’s your favorite thing about your favorite person? (If you don’t have a favorite person, just pick one awesome person.)

I guess my favorite person is my mom, but please don’t say that out loud, because it sounds really childish and immature. My favorite thing about her is that she isn’t always perfect and she doesn’t make me try to be perfect. Sometimes we break the rules and that’s okay.

• Do you like to be touched by other people, or would you rather they kept their hands to themselves?

I’d rather not have anyone touching me. Unless they’re a certain pretty girl…I wouldn’t mind holding her hand or something.

• BONUS: Do you like plants?

I like the plants in our garden. The plants that we grow as a region I’ve grown to hate because they remind me of long, sweaty days working in the sun without enough water and hardly any reward.

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What do you think? Seriously, though, I didn’t realize he was so shallow about girls. If I actually had any control over him I’d teach him a lesson, but I’m afraid he won’t listen if I try. Which of your characters do you wish you could teach a lesson to and why? Would they actually listen? 😉

Character Studies: Meryn’s Hobbies

It’s time for the May Character Studies, this time themed with hobbies, and I will be interviewing Meryn, one of my six main characters in my epic sci-fi series. She’s the daughter of a wealthy man in the city (whose profession I haven’t decided on yet) and is kind of spoiled. But despite that, she’s awesome and I still love her so much. Fun fact: She actually doesn’t meet any of the other main characters until Cryonic, the second book, but she has a younger sister named Aislynn who I shall try to introduce to you soon.

Character Studies is a monthly character interview hosted by Morgan Dusky from Studies in Character. You can find this month’s interview questions on her blog here.

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•  You need some time with friends, being social. What do you do and where do you go?

I’ll either hang out with my friends at their houses, or I’ll go to one of the parties hosted in the evenings in the Brev-Talo near my house. At the parties there’s dancing and talking and just general socializing, and it’s especially nice because Aislynn isn’t old enough to get in yet so she can’t bother me and my friends.

• You want some time alone. Just you and yourself. What do you do?

I’d probably go down to the Green, a park a couple stops away, and either sit and think or maybe read. Sometimes (and don’t tell anyone I said this, because it’s highly childish) I’ll climb the trees in the Green and just watch people walk below me because they never look up.

• You’re feeling creative. What do you do?

I love to color-coordinate things, so I’d probably do that with something in the house, whether it be Aislynn’s closet or the bookshelf in our living room. Sometimes I doodle outfits and ideas for fashion, but I don’t do that too often.

• What do you do when you don’t want to do anything useful or productive? Your favorite “useless waste of a time”?

I spend time with my friends or maybe even talk to Aislynn, if I’m feeling too lazy to leave the house. Or I just take a nap. That’s nice too.

• What do you do when it rains?

I love it when it rains really hard, because I’ll sit next to the window, wrapped in a blanket, and listen to it falling. It just sounds so pretty and ferocious all at once, and sometimes I’ll even see lightning over the city.

• What’s your favorite outdoor activity?

Oh, I don’t know. I like to take walks in the Green sometimes, when it’s nice outside. Sometimes I’ll also play an occasional sports game with my friends, as long as its not raining.

• Do you like to read?

I’d rather talk to my friends than read a book, but I do like it in my spare time. Aislynn’s definitely more of a reader than I am…she practically breathes books.

• What makes you laugh?

All sorts of things…my friends, old pictures and memories, movies, Aislynn’s horrible attempts at humor…

• You’re going to a museum/exhibit of some kind. What is at the museum and who do you go with? Do you enjoy yourself?

No, I don’t enjoy myself, unless it was that fashion exhibit I went to once that was really interesting. However, in this case it’s probably my mother trying to make sure I’m “educated and refined” and so I make it a point not to be happy about it. Even if it wasn’t her taking me, I still wouldn’t like it. Museums are just so…empty of people and quiet. You just stand there and look at things, which honestly, doesn’t sound very fun to me.

• BONUS: What’s your favorite kind of cookie?

Macadamia with white chocolate. They’re delicious.

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What do you think of Meryn? Would you like to learn more about her and Aislynn? What are some of your favorite hobbies?

Beautiful People: May with Nathor

Beautiful People is a monthly character interview hosted by Cait @ Paper Fury and Sky @ Further Up and Further In. Since there are only 10 questions, I’ve decided to save the 20 question Character Studies interviews for my main characters, and use Beautiful People to introduce and develop some of my minor characters instead.

Nathor is a minor character from Cryonic who popped up randomly while I was writing and made me really want to learn more about him. In quick summary, he’s an extremely sincere, semi-introverted writer (well, poet) that lives in the fancy sci-fi-y city.

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• How often do they smile? Would they smile at a stranger?

Nathor is kind of completely like me shy, especially when starting conversations and stuff, and he’s also really serious. He wouldn’t smile at a stranger, unless they smiled at him first, but he finds enjoyment in lots of little things that make him smile. Softly, like the budding of a flower…okay, nope, I’m not the poetic one here.

• What is the cruelest thing they’ve ever been told? And what was their reaction?

“You only care about yourself.” His reaction was partly irritated and at the same time, kind of guilty and thinking they were right. He does care about other people, but he spends more time alone than with others, and he thinks that maybe he should fix that.

• What is the kindest thing they’ve ever been told? And what was their reaction?

“You’re the best person I know.” Nathor probably reacted with a “thank you” and a smile, part of him doubting it and the other part of him accepting the compliment and trying to internalize it. Or something, I don’t know. This is the question I had the most difficulties with, so it could be totally inaccurate.

• What is one strong memory that has stuck with your character from childhood? Why is it so powerful and lasting?

Let’s see…I’m thinking it probably has something to do with him having to take on more responsibility and maybe something to do with his parents. I think his parents might have been pretty strict about respect and stuff (though that doesn’t mean they love him any less!) and he probably remembers being punished for something he did wrong. It’s powerful and lasting because I think part of him still resents it, but also because it reminds him of what he’s been taught about respect and such.

• What book (a real actual published book!) do you think your character would benefit from reading?

I have no idea…he’d probably enjoy reading poetry to see how some people did it, and also just because he likes poetry.

• Have they ever been seriously injured? How severely? How did they react?

I don’t think there was ever anything more than the typical broken bone or something. Nathor’s not exactly the type to try the most stupid of ideas, probably because he’s the oldest and has a lot of responsibility placed on him. If he was ever injured, I don’t know, he probably cried and it hurt and then he got better and didn’t want to get hurt again.

• Do they like and get along with their neighbours?

I kind of doubt that Nathor talks to them at all. There’s probably some he doesn’t like and some he likes, but all from a distance. He’s not very outgoing unless he feels comfortable around people, and he’s okay with it being that way. He finds joy in nature and in his solitariness. (Is that a word?)

• On a scale from 1 to 10 (1 being easy and 10 being difficult) how easy are they to get along with?

Meh, maybe a 4 or something? It takes a little while to get to know him and understand why he does some things, but he’s chill at the same time. I guess it really depends on the person who’s trying to get along with him…some would find it harder or easier.

• If they could travel anywhere in the world, where would they go?

Hmm, I haven’t developed too much about the world, and I’m not sure how much he knows about it. I feel like he’d like to go somewhere peaceful and calm and beautiful, where he can just think.

• Who was the last person they held hands with?

I’ve decided he has a little sister that he held hands with most recently, because boys who play with and love their little sisters are 105% more amazing.

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Opinions/thoughts on Nathor? Does he sound like anyone you know (characters or otherwise)? What else would you like to learn about him? What are some of your favorite minor characters in the stories you’ve written and why? I’d love to hear about them!

Character Studies: Will’s Flaws

It’s time for April’s Character Studies, this one themed with flaws. Will will (hehe, sorry) be our interviewee this time, a character from the epic sci-fi. For a little background information, he’s Taira’s cousin (you may remember her from last month’s Character Studies, Introductions with Taira) and he loves to play around with computers.

Character Studies is a monthly character interview hosted by Morgan Dusky from Studies in Character. You can find this month’s interview questions on her blog here and here.

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•  WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?

Wow, you had to pull that out on the first question? Well…I worry about Taira and I’m sometimes afraid she’s going to accidentally allow herself to get hurt (don’t tell her I said that) . I’m afraid that one day I’m going to come back to my family and things just won’t be the same as before because I’ve changed too much. I’m afraid that Kai’s going to think he doesn’t have anyone who cares about him. And sometimes, I’m afraid that deep inside, I’m a monster.

And…that question just killed the lighthearted mood. I’m not going to be able to laugh my way through this, am I?

• DO YOU HAVE A TEMPER?

I like to think I’m pretty level-headed, but I’m probably not. Taira would say I’m not, definitely. I get frustrated when people won’t be careful in dangerous situations, even though I’m not cautious myself, and I get angry at Taira when she starts off with those self-deprecating comments. She says she doesn’t want me to pity her, but then she starts saying things like she’s a mutant, and I can’t stand it.

• WHAT KIND OF THINGS WOULD MAKE YOU LOSE YOUR TEMPER?

The things I said above, and I guess people not doing as I say. I don’t mean to be bossy, but it sometimes turns out that way. One of my faults. Lana, why on earth did you choose the flaws interview for me? Do you want me to feel bad about myself?

• IF YOU’RE ANGRY, HOW DO YOU (TRY TO) CALM DOWN?

Usually spending time alone and away from whatever bothered me helps me to clear my mind, especially if I’m working on a particularly difficult coding tangle. It doesn’t always help, though.

• YOU’RE IN AN ARGUMENT WITH YOUR BEST FRIEND/SIGNIFICANT OTHER.  WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

No significant other for me. But best friend…I argue with Taira when she’s trying to have her pity party, or if she really insults someone. I guess we do argue some of the time over things I say too, especially when she thinks I don’t spend enough time with other people.

• WHAT’S YOUR WORST HABIT?

I guess…it’s probably just what Taira accuses me. If I get started on a programming or hacking project, I can disappear into my room and stay there for hours and hours without talking to anyone. I don’t mind company while I work though…it’s just that I can concentrate on what I’m doing while talking to people, and others seem to find it annoying that I can hold an entire conversation while working on something else. Apparently it looks like I’m not paying attention.

• IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOUR APPEARANCE, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

Lana, you should probably figure out my appearance. I mean, I probably wouldn’t change anything, because I look fabulous. Well, maybe my nose. I don’t like my nose–it’s kind of crooked.

• WHAT ABOUT YOUR PERSONALITY?

I like my personality too; I think I’m friendly and I hope that people like talking to me. If anything, I’d like to have less of a temper while still being spontaneous and fun.

• YOU’RE WORKING WITH A GROUP OF PEOPLE ON SOME KIND OF OBJECT.  WHAT ROLE DO YOU PLAY?  (LEADER, STRATEGIST, LABORER, ETC.)  DO YOU LIKE YOUR ROLE?

Depends what kind of project it is. If it’s about computers, I’m the leader all the way. If it’s anything else…I’d probably try to be the leader but end up being the person who doesn’t do the work and just talks to the other people. Which isn’t really that bad of a job, if you think about it…

• BONUS: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF ANIMAL?

Good question…I like cats. They’re friendly, but they’re not always begging for attention, which is really good if I get distracted. Plus, they’re soft and cuddly, and who doesn’t want something soft and cuddly to hold once in a while? (I probably should have said something more masculine there, but oh well.)

• THE WORLD ENDED (LITERALLY OR FIGURATIVELY, YOUR CHOICE).  IT WAS YOUR FAULT.  IF IT HAD BEEN AN ACCIDENT, WHAT HAPPENED?  IF IT HAD BEEN INTENTIONAL, WHAT HAPPENED AND WHY DID YOU DO IT?

[Lana inserts herself into the interview wildly screaming “PLOT BUNNNYYYY” and steals “The world ended” as a first sentence of a story if Shim doesn’t mind.]

Lana’s weird like that sometimes. Anyway, I think the world ending would probably be an accident? I mean, hopefully? I’m not exactly sure how I’d cause the world to end, unless Rick decided to blow it all up and I didn’t stop him in time…or something like that.

Or, well, if this interview is supposed to be deep, maybe it was on purpose. Sometimes I’m not sure who I am inside. What if I turn into some sort of crazy control freak who decides he has to take over the world and kills a bunch of people? Or…or something.

• WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD RUIN A FRIENDSHIP FOR YOU?  SOMETHING COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY INEXCUSABLE, EVEN IF YOUR CLOSEST FRIEND DID IT.

I’m kind of forgiving, usually, but…if they hurt someone close to me and didn’t feel sorry for it…it can ruin a friendship. It almost ruined mine with Taira, but we got past it. Barely.

• SOMEBODY WANTS YOU TO DO SOMETHING YOU DON’T LIKE.  WHAT’S THE BEST WAY FOR THEM TO GET YOU TO DO IT?  (BRIBE, BLACKMAIL, ETC.)

Something I don’t like? Well, I’m usually more prone to do something if I know someone else is doing it too that I can talk to. And well, money doesn’t hurt either. Of course, if they’re not good people, blackmail’s probably the way to go. The reason taking hostage family members and threatening to kill them is so cliche is because it’s really, really scary.

• SOMEBODY IS GETTING ON YOUR NERVES AND YOU REALLY WANT THEM TO GO AWAY BUT THEY DON’T SEEM TO GET THE HINT.  WHAT DO YOU DO?

Probably just give them more and more obvious hints until they leave, or I’d make some sort of half-honest excuse of why I have to leave.

• WHAT IS, IN YOUR OPINION, THE WORST THING YOU’VE EVER DONE?  WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY?

Oof, that’s a tough question to answer. I think probably joining with the Delorems. I know I didn’t actually hurt anyone by doing that, but…I just wish that things had been different, that I hadn’t been the kind of person that would survive their initiation. It’s not the sort of thing that a good person should be able to do…and I did it.

• SOMEBODY YOU USED TO TRUST BETRAYED YOU IN A BIG WAY, AND THEN BEGS FOR YOU TO FORGIVE THEM.  DO YOU AND WHY OR WHY NOT?  IF NOT, IS THERE SOMETHING THEY COULD DO TO GET YOU TO CHANGE YOUR MIND?

Yes, eventually, but forgiving is different than trusting again. I want to say that I’d be willing to trust them again…but I’m not so sure that I would. I probably wouldn’t trust them with big things again, even though they might still be trustworthy.

• WHAT’S YOUR OPINION ON LYING?  IN WHAT SITUATIONS WOULD YOU LIE?  WHEN DO YOU FEEL IT’S IMPORTANT TO TELL THE TRUTH, NO MATTER HOW PAINFUL IT MIGHT BE?

I think it’s okay to hide the truth sometimes, when it would hurt someone, but if it would really hurt someone, they need to know. That probably makes no sense…but I guess there’s a point where someone can live without knowing something and a point where someone needs to know something to keep living.

• YOU’RE CONFIDENT THAT YOU CAN DO SOMETHING GREAT.  WHAT COULD SOMEONE DO/SAY TO DESTROY THAT CONFIDENCE?  WOULD YOU LET THEM KNOW THEIR COMMENT HURT YOU?

I don’t know that it’d completely destroy my confidence, but it would definitely hurt if they chose someone else to do it instead of me, especially if I’ve already proved that I can do something like that. And no, I probably wouldn’t tell them. I might try to do it myself, though.

• WHAT’S YOUR OPINION ON LOYALTY?

Loyalty is important and a good quality to have, but taken to the very extreme it can be a little excessive. A decent amount of loyalty is good, though.

• BONUS: DO YOU LIKE THE RAIN?

…Eh. I don’t really have an opinion on the rain…it’s just there, the water that falls from the sky and lets us live while simultaneously soaking us. It has its ups and downs.

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Lana here again: What’s your opinion on what you’ve learned of Will? I think he might need some more work… Do you have any characters with similar views as him? Or any characters with totally different views? Have you done this Character Studies interview on one of your characters? Are you planning to? You should, if you’re not. The Character Studies interviews are a great way to get to know your characters.

Character Studies: Introductions with Taira

After having a bit of indecision about what to write for this blog post, I decided to do a Character Studies interview with one of my 6 POV characters from the epic sci-fi, Taira. (Character Studies, by the way, is a monthly character interview from Morgan Dusky’s new blog, Studies in Character. You should look at her blog if you haven’t already — it’s written almost entirely be her characters.)

There’s two parts of the interview, but I’m just going to put them both in here. (You won’t get tired of Taira and her pessimistic attitude after 20 questions, will you?)

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• WHAT’S YOUR NAME?  DO YOU HAVE A NICKNAME?  IS THERE ANY MEANING BEHIND YOUR NAME OR YOUR NICKNAME?

My name is Taira, no, I don’t have a nickname, and I have no idea whether or not there’s any meaning behind my name. My parents never told me anything of that sort.

• HOW OLD DO YOU LOOK?  IS THAT YOUR REAL AGE?  HOW OLD ARE YOU, ACTUALLY?

I’m pretty sure I look around my real age, which is somewhere between 16 and 18; Lana hasn’t decided that yet.

• WHAT’S YOUR GENDER?

Female.

• WHAT’S YOUR EYE COLOR?  HOW EASY IS TO TELL YOUR EYE COLOR FROM A DISTANCE?

Brown, and I have no idea. Do you expect me to be able to see my own eye color from a distance? I can assume it’s fairly easy to tell they’re a dark color, but I can’t be certain.

• WHAT’S YOUR ETHNICITY?  DOES ANYBODY EVER GET IT WRONG?

I grew up in the Outer Regions even though I was born in the city, but there’s not really any way to tell that. There’s a lot of different races in both places, so you can’t tell by skin color or anything. People have thought I’ve grown up in the city before, though, which I can understand. I like it better here.

• WHAT’S YOUR BUILD?  HOW TALL ARE YOU?  ARE YOU STRONG?

I’m not strong, at least physically, and I’m of average height. You could say I’m skinny, I guess.

• WHAT’S YOUR FOREMOST PHYSICAL TRAIT—THE FIRST THING SOMEONE WILL NOTICE ABOUT YOUR APPEARANCE?

The first thing that anyone would notice about me is that I’m usually removed from everyone else–standing in the corner of the room and all that. Or they might notice the glare, though that’s really not my fault. I have a nearly constant headache, and being around people makes it a million times worse.

• WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE OUTFIT, OR WHAT DO YOU WEAR THE MOST?  WHY IS THAT YOUR FAVORITE?

Well, Lana hasn’t exactly done enough world building to decide on clothing yet (*glares*) but I like clothes that look nice, but aren’t horribly stiff and uncomfortable. I don’t like to look sloppy or lazy, though.

•  HOW DO YOU USUALLY INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO NEW PEOPLE?

I don’t. Or I glare at them. If they want to talk to me after that, then that’s their choice.

• BONUS: WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE A PIRATE?

I don’t even know what a pirate is.

• HOW DO YOU USUALLY ENTER A ROOM?  (DRAMATIC ENTRANCE, WALK IN BEHIND SOMEBODY SO YOU AREN’T NOTICED, ETC.)

It’s not that I prefer to be unnoticed, it just makes my head hurt less if I stand in the corner, not to mention that I don’t like talking to people. So, yes, I usually try to slip in quietly without making a huge scene about it.

• HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN ONE WORD?

Ha, definitely not “enhanced”. Maybe “modified” would be better, or “different”. “Mutant” might work, even.

• THREE WORDS?

Misunderstood, modified, and aloof.

• WHAT KIND OF FIRST-IMPRESSION DO YOU USUALLY MAKE?  DO YOU THINK IT’S A GOOD FIRST-IMPRESSION?

I’m pretty sure I make the impression of a cold, reserved person who’s aloof from everyone else and hates talking to people. Is it a good first impression? Most people probably wouldn’t think so, but it’s fairly accurate and I don’t really mind.

• WHAT KIND OF FIRST-IMPRESSION DO YOU WANT TO MAKE?

Most of the time, I’m fine with the first impression I make. But if  I want to appear friendly to someone (which isn’t often) I’d rather have something less unapproachable.

• HOW WOULD YOUR BEST FRIEND DESCRIBE YOU?

I suppose Will (my cousin) would describe me as…someone he cares for deeply and is very close to, but who should also be pitied because of her time spent in the Enhancement Facility. Okay, that’s not actually what he’d say, because he’d start talking about my “good qualities”, like how I deep down have a sense of humor, and that I’m smart and that I persevere or something. But the first description is how he thinks about me, I know that.

• HOW WOULD YOUR ENEMY (OR LEAST FAVORITE PERSON) DESCRIBE YOU?

Full of potential that he can harness, not to mention his prized subject, but he’d likely also describe me as rebellious, stubborn, and weak. And lots of other insults I really don’t want to think about and list right now.

• DO YOU AGREE WITH EITHER (OR BOTH) OF THOSE DESCRIPTIONS?  WHY?

Out of the two, I’d agree with Will’s assessment more, but I hate being pitied. The problem is that no one can really describe me except for me, and I might not even be able to do that, since a lot of me is based off the influence of other people. If there was no one else in the world, I’d act completely differently.

• HOW DO YOU USUALLY EXIT A ROOM?

Through the door. (See, that’s something Will would say. He’s rubbing off on me.)

• BONUS: IF YOU WERE A FLOWER, WHAT KIND OF FLOWER WOULD YOU BE?

I hate flowers. I’d be whichever one that would wither up and die the fastest.