1. Decide which of your characters you'd like to introduce everyone to, and choose a snippet about this character (preferably no more than 200 words) to share about this character.
2. Between January 23-25, tell us who your favorite character you've written is and why, and post your snippet.
3. Hop around to other participants to check out their favorite characters and a bit of their story.
The lovely Melanie Billings, Acquisitions Editor at Whiskey Creek Press, has graciously offered to supply critiques as prizes! Winners will be drawn from the list of active participants after midnight on the 25th and announced on my blog on the 26th.
1st Prize: critique of first 15 pages of your manuscript, an e-book copy of my book, Confessions from the Realm of the Underworld (Also Known as High School) and an ARC e-copy of my next book, Rising Book 1: Resistance (upcoming publication in February 2012).
2nd Prize: critique of first 10 pages of your manuscript and an e-book copy of Confessions from the Realm of the Underworld (Also Known as High School).
3rd Prize: critique of first 5 pages of your manuscript.
Here's my entry:
My favorite character is Magena Silver, celebrity therapist and witch. She's the protagonist in Witch' s First Rule (the first book in a paranormal romance trilogy). Magena is intelligent, sexy, and career-minded. Imagine a 30-year-old Catherine Zeta-Jones in professional clothes tailored to hug her lovely curves. She gives her clients love potions to re-ignite their passion and boost her success rating. Nothing is going to get in the way of getting what she wants. Not even love. Well, nothing gets in the way until she gives a love potion to the wrong people, her life is threatened, and she meets a gorgeous man who can feel her powerful emotions behind her cool therapist mask.
I don't want to hurt the feelings of my other characters, but Magena's been with me for a long time. I love to write strong women. Not just physical or supernatural strength, but ones with an iron will and clear mind. Magena knows what she wants and how to achieve her goals. She is determined and aggressive in all areas of her life. Underneath that strength, she's hiding herself from love. She's afraid of being seen as weak. I like writing a protagonist who seemingly has her act together, but her hidden flaws are massive. Part of the challenge for me is coming up with a story that can unveil those flaws and make her face them.
Here's a snippet from Witch's First Rule:
“Yes, I have-” Nathan cut himself off and looked at her. “He sent you blood? Whose blood?”
“You're just here to supervise. If Mr. Knox didn't tell you, you don't need to know.” Magena kept her eyes upon the road. A smirk played over her lips.
“What are you using it for? I know you're a witch. He did mention that much.”
“I'm making a potion,” she replied with a small shrug.
Nathan reached into one of his pockets and took out a tiny red vial. He held it up and asked his question again. “Whose blood is it and what sort of potion are you making?”
She smirked and made a left turn into her neighborhood. “Are you worried it's your blood?”
“F*ck, yes!” He opened the window and stuck his hand out with the vial in it. “Tell me whose blood it is or I'll drop it.”
“No, you won't.”
He shook the vial, letting it dangle from his fingers. “I'll drop it.”
Magena glanced at him, wearing the calm expression she put on her for clients. “You won't drop it because then you'll have to explain to Mr. Knox what happened to the most important component of the elixir. I don't know how easy it was for him to obtain it, but I'm sure he would not be pleased at all.”
