A Few Character Tidbits

"Your life is like a play with several acts.  Some of the characters who enter have short roles to play, others, much larger.  Some are villians, others are good guys.  But all of them are necessary; otherwise, they wouldn't be in the play.  Embrace them all, and move on to the next act."  - Wayne Dyer

*scribble, scribble, scribble*

Whatcha' doin'?  Writing I hope.

Uh, yeah.  Sure.  *looks down at pen scratches*  Well, kinda.  I have a few notes in my notebook and on my phone, but when I thought I had an idea, it floated away.  Plus, it doesn't help that while I've been productive with writing, it's been on the wrong book!

Harsh.  How many books do you plan on writing anyway?

As many as I can.  You know that I find writing relaxing so I'll keep going until I get tired of it.  Which can be tomorrow or never.

At least you're somewhat productive.  But I have a question.

Yes?

Can I ask you and one of your characters some things?  I'm kinda curious.

Uh, yeah.  What do you want to know?

Well, what about your first character?  You've mentioned her and I want to get to know her.

Kali?  Wow, it's been a while since I last spoke with her.  What I have shared about her is that, not only is she my first character, she is one of the main characters in the first story I ever wrote.  That story, Blood from Another, helped me through some difficult times, both personally and educationally.  If you read my work, you can probably tell how I was feeling as I was typing up a scene.  There are happy moments, but Blood from Another is mostly conflict; confrontations, demons, overall bad luck. I didn't make it easy for any of them.  People had been forced into their situations.  Greater powers influenced the world and twisted an individual's views on others.  I went big with this story.

I have a question for Kali.  Can you get her?

Hold on, let me find her.  Kali!  *wanders away*

Wait, did you really leave?  Get back here!

Fine.  Found her though!  Kali, say hi.

- Hello.  How long is this going to take?

Not very.  Go on, the stage is yours!

- *swallows*  Okay.

She's a little shy so go easy on her.

Alright.  So Kali, what are you?

-I am a vampire.  I was turned when I was twenty-six.  It was against my will, but in the end, I can't complain.  I found someone whom I love immensely and Dwyer can be quite the charmer when he tries.  And before you ask, he is a vampire too, an Ancient to be exact.  He is one of the originals but unlike his siblings, he has only turned three people, myself included.  My situation was one where he pitied me and wanted to give me a second chance, but his brother, Kieran, decided to take me away and turn me against Dwyer.  It worked for a couple decades, but I came around.  Kieran was an asshole, still is.

Do you wish that you had more time in the book?

-I am already all over this thing.  It is exhausting really.  The chapters where I am not the main focus are quite relieving.

Why is it exhausting?

-Well, Kieran is a control freak, Dwyer is over-protective, and I keep being dragged into the middle of their sibling rivalry.  Then after I was awakened, *sigh* there is a war between humans and vampires.  The Sunrise Corporation decided to take it upon themselves to combat the vampire threat. *grumbles*  They also decided to categorize vampires based on threat level.  I was nicknamed Reaper and categorized a Still Morte, silent death, until they realized I was a Grand, an awakened vampire.  Fitting if you knew how we fought.  It worked in my favor and I was good at my job.  Call it luck, but I found out that Damien, the ace Hunter of my enemy, was my blood.  *blushes while picking at fingers*  It's still weird for me to think that I used to enjoy bloodshed.

What's your favorite part of the story?  It's basically your life, right?

-You can say it is but it is difficult to tell you what my favorite part of my life has been.  However, if I had to narrow it down, it would be either falling in love with Dwyer, seeing Liam overcome his bloodlust, or Azrael.  *blush deepens*  Not that I can have a favorite, I mean, um, when you live as long as I have and you experience just as much, you would understand what I mean.  *hides face behind hands*  Oh, this is embarrassing.  I am so glad Dwyer is not here.  *looks over her shoulder*  Though I have a feeling Azrael might be.  *glares*  He does not understand boundaries very well.

You alright?

-*blinks* Huh?  Oh, yeah.  I'm fine.

If you want, Kali, you can go back to your life now.  I have a few more questions for Lindsey.

-Thank you.  It was a pleasure to speak with you. *innocent smile*

What do you think of Kali?

Seems interesting.  Maybe we could bring her out again later?

Maybe, but not today.  I think she has something stuff to do.

No problem because I have some questions for you.

Alright.  Shoot.

In your "Lost Gun"  series we meet Samuel.  How did you come up with him?  And why in the hell is he so cocky?

Haha!  To be honest, he just happened to be that way.  The more I wrote Samuel, the more distinct his personality became.  He was originally supposed to be comic relief, but him teasing everyone was too much fun.  Samuel is direct, blunt, lives for pleasure, and, in Bartender, mostly has a one track mind.  I couldn't write him any differently if I tried.  He's a cocky asshole and that's the way he should be.  Something about Samuel just screams arrogance which was something my main character, Ghost, needed.  Ghost is quiet so when he became friends with Samuel, he was pushed out of his comfort zone and developed more as a human being.  Samuel's cockiness comes from his teenage years.  I mention in one chapter of Bartender his past before he came to the White's household.  He thought he was invincible, women came to him, he was hot stuff, and no one could tell him otherwise.  Samuel liked his life until he had to flee.  Leaving his family behind was difficult and he ended up drowning himself in women and drinking during his hours off work.  Total player.  It was Kim White who helped bring him around.  While Samuel's ego didn't deflate, he found a purpose, a meaning behind his existence.  He would never admit it, but despite loving to hit the clubs, Samuel secretly enjoys lazing around at home in his underwear, sipping a beer, watching a movie.

 Seems like you dove into the deep end of the pool for him.  How are you able to focus on a character to create depth and a backstory?

Not totally sure.  I just enjoy thinking about my characters.  I throw them into "what-if" situations and watch them react.  As for their backgrounds, my mind has this uncanny knack to fill in holes.  If something does not make sense, I have to figure it out; which is how Bartender came about.  But when it comes to sitting down and writing, I always have music playing.  I have a few playlists that I rotate through.  Or songs that I put on repeat.  For example, Samuel, his song is Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time by Panic at the Disco.  If I'm struggling to write while staring at my screen, music is what usually gives me that extra little push.

Music connects you to a character?  Then which character are you most connected to?

Hmm.... good question.  I'll get back to you on that.

Not fair!  At least give me a name!

*shrug*  Sorry.  Got nothing off the top of my head.

Liar.

What are you gonna do about it?

*grumble*  Give you a different question....  Do you have a character that relates back to you?

To be honest, Mia from the Lost Gun series is the one that I can see standing beside me.  Not because she reminds me of me, but because, unlike most my other characters, I wrote her based off someone that I know personally.  The girl and Mia are pretty close with their histories, but Mia evolves and becomes someone better.  Someone that I hope her inspiration can become.  So I guess Mia is my wish for the girl.  I'll admit, it's been a long journey for the real girl, but I'm still unsure of how she'll become.