June 22, 2020
What are your favorite kind of characters to create? To read?
My door was securely locked with the rubber bumpers slid under it as far as they would go, the curtains closed, and my lights dimmed to make it seem I’d gone to bed.
I was about to break a rule, and I wanted no interruptions. Or witnesses. The plot was unethical at best and illegal at its worst. I planned to use my access to the Oak Grove Police Department’s records for personal gain.
From The Samurai’s Inro. Book 5 of the Harmony Duprie Mysteries
I fell in love with Harmony while I was writing her first book. She was a quiet, reserved person with an inner strength she didn’t know she had until she was forced to draw on it. It’s been fun watching her grow through the series, as she’s become more comfortable allowing that strength to shine.
I launched myself down the hallway. I’d be able to only take on one person, and my target was obvious. With a satisfying smack, I rammed into Annabelle’s back. The gun hit the tile floor with a loud clunk. She fell to her knees. Not good enough.
Jake should be able to handle Brent. I concentrated on Annabelle. An awkward and ill-timed kick landed between her shoulders. Although her hands hit the ground, she still wasn’t where I wanted her.
In the moment I got distracted checking for Jake, she recovered and rose to a standing position. She threw a hasty punch. It landed solidly on my shoulder. I staggered backward.
I’d been hit before. In practice. With gloves.
From The Baron’s Cufflinks, Book 3 of the Harmony Duprie Mysteries
I’ve always written Harmony as a someone who works within the law. Mostly. She’s been known to push the edges of legality. Never quite crossing over, but coming close. Except for in my current work-in-progress, The Ranger’s Dogtags. She’s pushing the line until it breaks.
And that’s how I like to write my characters. As works in progress. Constantly being challenged, constantly having to adjust.
And while that’s tough on Harmony, who loves routine, some of my other characters take to it easier. For example, there’s Lori Grenville, my main character in Wolves’ Gambit, from The Free Wolves adventures. She moves from one pack of wolf shifters to another, changing her name and her appearance, on a mission to help female shifters break free from traditional pack structure.
When the fangs dropped and claws sprouted, she forced herself to stay calm and made a show of adjusting her backpack. These men were the elite, and they only needed a moment to regain control of their emotions. When they were ready to talk, she would be as well.
“So, what kind of shifter are you?” Turtle asked.
“Wolf.”
“No, really.”
“Wolf.” Lori shrugged. “Even in wolf form, I’m small, but that’s the way it is.”
“Then why can’t we smell or hear you?’
She moved away the mental blocks that kept her secure. “Try now.”
Four voices flooded her brain and she held up her hands. “One at a time, guys!”
“How do you do that?” asked Turtle.
“Training. And it’s not perfect. A strong alpha can break through. Carlson can. But there’s no time for twenty questions. We need to get going.”
“Will you be able to keep up with us?”
Lori grinned. “You forget, I’m leading the way. You have to keep up with me.”
From Wolves’ Gambit, The Free Wolves Adventures
As much as I love writing strong women characters, I like to read them, too. And I want that strength to carry through the book. I once read a romance by a major woman author who, throughout the whole book, emphasized how the lead female character prepared to face the villain. But in the end, when the two were face-to-face, the major male character rushed in to save her.
Truthfully, it made me angry. After all the buildup, the ending was a disappointment. That book has been given away. No matter how well-written, it didn’t deserve a spot on my bookshelf. I don’t want my leading ladies to depend upon a prince to save them. I want them to rescue the prince sometimes.
What are your favorite kind of characters? Let’s talk about it in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the other writers on this hop. You can see what they have to say by following the links below.
Until the next time we get together, stay safe.
June 22, 2020
What are your favorite kind of characters to create? To read?
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Yes, I was told by a film company back in 2017 that directors are now looking for strong women, so you’re on the right track!
Yeah, just look at the mystery solving retreads on Hallmark and Lifetime! What would they do with a real “oh, piss off” female like Sharon Small usually plays as a LEAD?
Probably sell less books, because the readers are used to a certain formula.
I’ve got the “sell less books” part covered!
Lol.
Amen.
I like the strength to be real, to be palpable in a non-super hero way. One of my favorite lines is when Cary Grant asks a very feminine, possibly very dangerous Eva Marie Saint, “How does a girl like you get to be a girl like you?”
Oops, and God knows I LOVE examples! Thank you!!
It’s been fun – and sad, in a way- writing Harmony as she grows and loses that small-town innocence.
I had one do that. Liked to killed me. I liked her the way she was. The salvation for me was not letting her get cynical. She wrote her own happy ending. I thought the two of them would kill each other first…
I feel your pain. There are times when I’m writing and I put the pen down and go, “Really Harmony? Are you sure this is what you want?”
In the same way, I love the way my characters develop as the story unfolds. They never cease to surprise me with the way they grow into their new roles.
It’s like watching your children become adults. It make you sad in one way and proud at the same time.