TLG Blogpalooza: Character Interview

It's the final LOST GIRL teaser post! Gosh, the last five weeks have flown by, haven't they? Next week will be release day and the day I announce the winner of the giveaway. Jump in and enter if you haven't already, it's not too late!

A character interview today. I decided to interview Matthew, one of the three Weavers. He wrote the encyclopaedia from this post. This isn't the first time I've tried to interview Matthew, by the way. The last time I did, it didn't go particularly well. Yet, for some reason, I chose to embroil myself in that mess all over again. Hoping, optimistically, that it would yield better results this time.

You'd think I would know better by now.


SANGU: Look, let's just get this over with, shall we? I want to be sleeping and you want to be off doing something clever and mysterious and probably criminal. So we needn't hang about longer than we have to.

MATTHEW: A wee bit snippy, are we? How delightful. I do so enjoy giving up my time for someone who hasn't even brushed her hair.

SANGU: That is not true! My hair is just... unruly. 

MATTHEW *snorts*

SANGU: I need teasers. Give me a teaser. Or two. Please. It's for the blog.

MATTHEW: Eva dies.

SANGU: I said teasers, not spoilers! And certainly not LIES!

MATTHEW: I don't believe in spoilers. I believe in knowledge. I know everything, you see, so I feel other people should at least come close to being similarly equipped. But very well. If you're going to be a tyrant, I will cease to spoil and to lie. Someone dies. Actually, two someones die. Is that good enough for you?

SANGU: Do those things happen because of you?

MATTHEW: Charming. Everything is always my fault, isn't it? No. Neither death is because of me. Well, actually, if we're going to be philosophical about it-

SANGU: We're not. So you can stop right there, Matthew.

MATTHEW: Sir Matthew.

SANGU: Don't start that with me.

MATTHEW: You're a real hoot today, aren't you? About as cheery as Adrian. That baby still keeping you awake at night? You know, you should have taken my advice about how to deal with the little-

SANGU: Yes, I should have. And then you and I would be in prison. Forever.

MATTHEW: You might be. I know people in high places.

SANGU: Keep this up and I'll put you in prison.

MATTHEW: You can't do that, love.

SANGU: I created you. I can do whatever I want.

MATTHEW: And yet it's unacceptable when I use that very same logic on precious Eva?

SANGU *shuts up very quickly*


Yeah. I really, really should have known better. But at least we got one thing out of it, specifically the

TEASE OF THE DAY

Two characters will die.

TLG Blogpalooza: The Imaginary Cast

So, this post was originally supposed to be me answering the fun hypothetical: if someone made a LOST GIRL movie and asked me who to cast (I know it ain't happening, but this is imaginary, remember!), who would I pick?

...only I have absolutely no idea who I'd cast in over half the parts. Like, nothing. I suppose, ideally, I'd want a complete unknown playing Eva/Amarra, Nikhil (Amarra's brother), Sasha (Amarra's sister), Ray (Amarra's boyfriend), Lekha (who is awesome), and pretty much a whole lot of other people. So, given I've got virtually nothing, I'm abandoning the imaginary cast idea and am, instead, making Team Buttons!

(If you're confused, my Team Buttons are pretty much your way of proclaiming eternal love for the face on the button. I've had a lot of emails and Twitter messages declaring the sender's love for certain characters, so here's my way of thanking you for that. No, they're not prize pieces of art. I have no doubt other people could make far better buttons, but it's the thought that counts, right?)

Team Sean

Currently the reigning favourite. And after months of thinking there was no one in the world I would pick to play Sean, I FOUND HIM!

 

That's Jeremy Irvine, of War Horse (the movie) fame. Granted, he may already be a tad old for the part, but this is imaginary. Also he shares a name with my son, and I don't come across many Jeremys, so I think it's meant to be. (And I can't be sure, but I think he even has Sean's green eyes.)

Team Ray

A reader called him '[her] hottie Hamlet' in an email, which made me laugh for practically a whole day, so while Ray isn't (yet) as popular as Sean, I thought he deserved his own button.

 

You may have noticed he's distinctly lacking a face. He has no face because I don't know who I'd cast! But feel free to adopt the button and add a face of your choosing!

And a surprise favourite:

 

Team Matthew

He's not young and romantic. He's not even one of the good guys. But he's had his fair share of admiration. I'm fairly certain my editor Sara, anyway, would demand to be president of Matthew's fan club if such a thing existed.

 

YES! Another Jeremy! Is this magic or what? (That's the totally amazing Jeremy Irons, if you didn't already recognize him.)

So read the book, pick your favourite, and take a button, any button...

(Boys: sorry. I realize this is a very girl-centric post. I promise this will be THE ONLY ONE!)

TEASE OF THE DAY

One of the book's most important characters never actually appears on the page.

PS. A massive, ginormous thank you to all of you for the LOST GIRL-related comments, tweets, emails and support. It's been amazing and I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate it! Don't stop now, though: you still want to win stuff, don't you?

 

TLG Blogpalooza: Echoes and Encyclopedias

First: A BOOK TRAILER!

(Am I excited about it, you ask? Who, me? Excited? Heavens, no. Just... moderately pleased. Excitement is for sillies. Oh, who am I kidding... I am excited about the book trailer. Not because it's, like, the most spectacular thing or anything - it's not - but because I had a lot of fun making it and it's finally out in the world. It's my way of practicing for when the actual book is finally out in the world.)

SO HELLO, TRAILER!



As for the book: well, some of you have read it already. But some of you have probably only read the description or nothing at all. So I wouldn't blame you if you were a teeny bit confused sometimes. There are lots of words in THE LOST GIRL (lots. I'm sure the sheer volume of them has made every editor and/or copyeditor at HarperCollins Children's Books cry), words that mean one thing in normal everyday use and mean quite another in Eva's world. So I've consulted Sir Matthew, a Weaver, and he somewhat grudgingly allowed me to use extracts from his (I quote) 'definitive encyclopedia on echo behaviour'.

Echo (n.) Sentient being. Copy stitched exclusively to replace its original (better known as its 'other') in the event of the original's demise. Though these copies possess remarkably human characteristics, including (on occasion) a decidedly inconvenient impulse to be individual, it is important to remember that they. Are. Not. Human.
(edit: it is also worth noting that Adrian insisted upon that last bit.)

Weaver (n.) Creator of echoes at the Loom (London, England). Possessor of extraordinary knowledge and skill. The first Weaver was one Henry Borden, Adrian's great-something grandfather, a madman by all accounts (though brilliant. Funny how those traits often go hand in hand). Currently there are three Weavers: Adrian Borden, Elsa Connelly and yours truly, Sir Matthew Mercer. I am by far the handsomest, cleverest and most charming. Moreover, I know everything.
(edit: Elsa thinks I should focus on the task at hand and not wax lyrical about myself. I'll never understand why everyone feels compelled to stick their noses into my affairs.)

Hunters (n.) Lunatics. And minus the brilliance.

Eva (echo.) Irksome brat. 

I hope that clears a few things up.

Tease of the Day

When he pulls away, I catch a look in his eyes that tells me he will never forgive me.

-THE LOST GIRL

Don't forget I'm giving stuff away! If you haven't entered already, here's how.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Perpetually Imbalanced

Happy Friday, everyone! Today I'm over at Dystopian Domination III, where Eva of THE LOST GIRL has answered some very cool questions, so do pop over there and have a look. Bonus: you could win bookmarks and a signed copy of the book!

I don't know about you, but I've never been one of those writers who has been able to just write. By which I mean I've never been able to devote a working day to writing, then switch off and be 'home' the rest of the evening and/or weekend. I have always had to balance writing with something else, or, more often than not, with many other things. Writing and high school. Writing and a family holiday. Writing and university. Writing and looking for a job to pay the bills. For me, it's always been a quest to find the perfect balance.

I've never found it.

These days, more often than not, it's writing and my seven-month-old creature/baby. And for the first time, writing has been losing. Seriously, in the past I was the kind of person who stared off into space during dinner with my parents (who learned to ignore that look and pretend I wasn't there until I was ready to return to the real world). Or who left a university essay to the last minute because I had one more page of my newest book that I wanted to write. Or whose husband came home, kissed me on the head, said hello and went on with his life, only to have me turn around twenty minutes later and yelp 'STEVE! When did you get home?'

Now I find that writing is the thing I normally do only after I've dealt with everything my baby needs, wants or does. Which is sad, but I don't really regret it, because he's going to be this little only so long, and I really should appreciate what he is before these moments vanish.

So, no. I have never found a balance. In fact, I've paused in writing this three times because the first time, my son crawled into a door (oops); the second, he started chewing on the dust cover of my printer (egad) and the third, he started chewing on my toe (ouch).

I wish I could say, this is how I do it and it works. I wish I had a magic trick that meant I gave everything my undivided time in perfect, even slots. I wish I could spend time with my baby without thinking 'but I have so much work to do!' or could write my book without thinking 'am I neglecting Jeremy?' I wish I wasn't often so tired that I find myself struggling to enjoy any of the things I'm trying to balance.

But I can't, unfortunately, and I don't think it's realistic to expect myself to be able to. 

I don't think true balance is possible. You can't give everything your all, every single minute of the day. You can't do everything and still enjoy all of it. You can't be perfect.

I think, instead, it's about finding a balance within the imbalance. To give yourself a break, for the love of Heathcliff. To find a way to enjoy the things I do do and not fret about the things I don't, to enjoy a little bit of every single day instead of finding everything too full and stressful, to appreciate my crawling, toe-chewing child and love the moments I have with my much-loved new book.

I'm not quite there yet. I haven't yet found the right balance within my perpetual imbalance. But I'm not far away.

Anyone struggle with the same imbalance? How do you juggle everything in your life?

Special

Shhh. Don't make any sudden movements. My laptop might turn off again!

Yes, it's still misbehaving - though it has managed to stay on for a whole two hours today, and I'm trying not to push my luck - so this post will be short and sweet. I'm turning it over to you. What makes a character special to you? What works? 

Pick a favourite character - or one of many - and tell me why you think they're amazing.

My choice-

Which was hard. I have so many. I was going to go with Sherlock Holmes, but everyone knows all about him, so I'm going with Anna from Eva Ibbotson's The Secret Countess. She's an impoverished Russian countess who flees her home during the Revolution and goes to England. To support her family, she finds a job as a maid at the country home of an English lord/war hero and of course, she starts to fall in love with him - amidst a whole lot of obstacles and other shenanigans.

Anna is fabulous. She's sweet and brave and stubborn and hilarious. The book is funny and heartbreaking and sweet all that the same time and Anna is just about the reason for all of that. She's incredibly selfless (in a good way) and everything she says is funny and her love story with Rupert is fantastic.

Best moment: That dance. If you've read the book you'll know what I mean. If you haven't, well, go do it because it's such a lovely book!

And now it's your turn. Who's your pick?

There's something about The Boy

Or man, as the case may be. I realize this post might largely be to the tastes of my female readers, but it's something I thought worth writing about. The male protagonist/hero/love interest is such a key part of most novels. In fact, I don't know about you, but sometimes I'll read - and reread - a book just because I love The Boy (or man) so much.

Maybe we like to step into the shoes of the female narrator/protagonist and imagine he's in love with us. It's all part of the escapism of reading. Or maybe we think he reminds us of someone we fancy/love in real life. Whatever the reason, whatever the genre, I've found that The Boy can have the power to make or break a story.

So how do you create a swoon-worthy love interest type?

Make him devoted. He can be the witty, charming, sweet, sarcastic, rude, ambiguous, openly loving, any of those things. But as long as we know, deep down, that he would pretty much do anything for our heroine, we're hooked. There's something irresistible about someone who sticks by no matter what. 

But don't make him a doormat. Unfortunately, you can take this too far. He can become a whining, snivelling, 'yes darling of course I will' type and then you just want to smack him (and her, for letting him carry on like this). I'm going to mention Edward from the Twilight series here. His devotion to Bella is touching. But there was something immensely annoying about his behaviour in Eclipse: notably the way he was willing to stand by and let her snog the Other Boy right in front of him just because. Devotion can go too far. It can make a character look pathetic.  

Make him amazing in some way. Is he a really powerful warlock/vampire/werewolf/businessman? Does he have super-strength or speed? Is he just really smart? Make him almost unsurpassed in some way. It's attractive. 

But for the love of Heathcliff, make him flawed too. Perfect characters are a pet peeve of mine. I hate them. I think an awful lot of other people hate them too. No one likes a character who can do anything, achieve everything, be totally awesome and never have to deal with a single consequence or ever suffer a moment of true conflict. Flawed characters are incredible. We understand their flaws because we're flawed too. These flaws can be huge things that the character can't get past or they can be small niggles, realistic things that crop up now and then. We can love these characters because they're not alarmingly, intimidatingly, irritatingly perfect. 

Make him a little bit of a bad boy. This one is completely take-it-or-leave-it. But ladies, let's face it. We're drawn to the slightly dangerous, wise-cracking types in fiction, aren't we?  

But he'd better have a heart of gold under all that badass-ness. Because in the end, we want our heroines to end up with the nice guy. The one who deserves her. (Unless we hate her, in which case we just want someone to strangle her, but that's a whole other problem.) It also satisfies us because we're in her shoes. We want to end up with the nice guy too.

Well, there you have it. I've searched my bookshelf, unearthed beloved male characters, analyzed them to death, and boiled it all down to the above. When you create your bestselling love interest and fangirls the world over are tattooing his name to their bosoms, you know who to thank!

What draws you to a fictional man? Who are your favourite love interests? And to the male readers: don't be afraid to chip in with your take on the female side too - I'm intrigued to know what kinds of female characters hook you?

What's in a Name?

I've probably talked about naming characters before. If I have, it would have been a long time ago so I'm doing it again. Character names are important. To me. Maybe to you. I've spent days trying to come up with the right name for a character because I've needed it to 'feel right'. I need the name to feel like him/her. And sometimes I've had a character come to me fully formed, name and all.

As a reader, I notice names. I laugh at some. I love others. I think 'what was this author thinking?' about a few, which is probably naughty of me, but hey. I can't help it. For instance, I've noticed that a lot of YA heroines seem to be called Grace. Shiver, Entangled, Fallen Grace, these are just a few. I have no less than five novels on my bookshelf right now with a Grace. 

(This is also my sister-in-law's name, so when I recently changed my YA protagonist's name and Grace suggested Grace, the first thing I said was 'ohmyGod do you have any idea how many people are already called Grace, Grace?')

So how to name a character? I don't know. I don't think there are rules and there are certainly exceptions to every 'guideline'. But there are certain things you can avoid/lean toward. Here's my take-

Silly is OK

Here's where the 'Naming Your Character' not-quite-a-rulebook differs from the 'Naming Your Baby' rulebook. You'd never want to name your child something other people will laugh at (Fifi Trixiebell? Really?). But sometimes you want your readers to giggle a little at a character's name. So silly is okay.

Avoid long, difficult names

To give you an example, I'll use my own (lest I use something else and offend someone!). Sangu is short for Sangamitra. There. I've admitted it. My personal albatross.

Now Sangamitra, alas, will just not fly. It's four syllables long. It's unfamiliar. Sure, it's memorable, assuming you can actually commit all ten-bloody-letters to memory in the first place. But try to imagine writing a scene in which another character cries desperately to your protagonist: NO, SANGAMITRA, DON'T. SANGA - DAMN YOU, WHY DON'T YOU HAVE A NAME I CAN SHOUT QUICKER? Imagine that translated to the big screen. Eeek.

I'm sure there are plenty of long, unfamiliar names out there. I'm sure they're even lovely, popular character names. But it's hit and miss. And when you want your characters to trip instantly to your readers' thoughts, you don't want a name they'll stumble over.

Avoid anything too literary

I don't mean names like Dashwood and Bennet and Lizzie and Juliet. These are popular names. Dashwood is probably pushing it, though, because it's uncommon in the real world today and it definitely suggests Jane Austen to anyone who hears it. Other names to avoid: Sherlock. Shakespeare. You don't want to choose something so instantly recognizable. If you happen to have a clever character named Sherlock, even if you claim it's meant to be homage/a parody/a modern retelling, people might think you're trying too hard. 

Another concern: your readers will certainly remember the name, but when they think of 'Sherlock', your character's not going to be the one that pops straight into their heads. Better not to wither away in Holmes's shadow.

Please, no puns

Unless you're writing an out-and-out farce/comedy/parody/who knows what, for the love of mercy steer clear of Eggen Mermalayde, Justin Case and Ben Dover. Please.

And in the end, try to remember it's not everything

Honestly. No matter what I or anyone else says, names are not everything. Your character is. Who she is. What he's like. Whether readers love or love to hate him. Those things matter more.

On the advice of my agent and editor, I recently changed my narrator and protagonist's name from Echo to Eva. At first I thought this would mean the end of the world as I knew it. Disaster. Apocalypse. How could she still be the same without the same name?

Turns out, she is the same. Sure, I miss Echo sometimes, but I love the name Eva (that's pronounced E-va, by the way, not A-va. I'm downright Nazi-ish on that point.) Maybe she's so firmly imprinted in my head that nothing could change her now. Or maybe I got lucky. But it did help me realize that names are not the beginning and end of a character.

Writers, how do you name your characters? Are names important to you? And those of you who aren't writers, what about you? As a reader, does a name matter? What are the funniest/weirdest/best names you've come across?

Reader Request: Top Seven Adult Characters

Another Reader Request post! This time the reader is Alex, who wanted a post about characters. Here's what she said:

I'd really like to read some more of your in-depth thoughts on fictional characters/relationships. I loved the top 10 post the other day.  

And here's the post: my favourite adult characters in children's/YA fiction. I think adult characters often get a hard time in children's or YA novels (absent parents, irresponsible relatives, cruel stepmothers, and so forth) - but sometimes you get a truly fantastic, superb grown up, whether they're a parental influence or a friend or an antagonist. In this post, I'll list my top seven, in no particular order.

Note: I'm widening the definition of children's/YA fiction to novels that also happen to be primarily about a child/told from a child's point of view, even if the novel itself isn't necessarily a children's story. I've broadened the definition for one reason only: so I can include one of my favourite adult characters of all time.

1. Sirius Black in the Harry Potter novels (JK Rowling)
I loved Sirius from the moment he appeared and proved just how wrong we/Harry/the world had been about him right through Prisoner of Azkaban. I've always thought him reckless but loving, irresponsible but oddly kind. And sexy.

2. Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
Atticus is the reason I broadened my definition, because some would argue that TKAM isn't exactly a children's book - though I think it is.
Who doesn't love Atticus? He's good and clever and brave - incredibly brave. He's not without flaws. And he loves his kids so much.

3. Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter novels (JK Rowling)
It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that, given my way, most of the characters on this list would be from Harry Potter - I think there are some fantastic adult figures in the series. But I'm limiting myself to a few, lest I bore everyone. And Professor McGonagall had to make the cut. She's brilliant and hilarious and weirdly soft once you get past her sarcasm and prickly, stern exterior. And she totally won my heart when she went out of her way to defy Umbridge in Order of the Phoenix.

4. Luke Garroway in The Mortal Instruments trilogy/series (Cassandra Clare)
Clearly I like the cool, fatherly figure - though Luke is also fierce, totally not perfect, and is *ahem spoiler ahead* a werewolf. I like werewolves (except Jacob. Sorry, Jacob fans. Jacob annoyed the heck out of me.)

5. Topaz Mortmain in I Capture the Castle (Dodie Smith)
Again, not entirely sure this officially counts as YA, but if it doesn't, I think it should. 
Topaz is obviously a lunatic, and I mean that in the best possible way. She stands on the heath stark naked in an attempt to commune with nature. This makes her awesome to me. And hilarious. She's also rather sweet.

6. Lord Asriel in His Dark Materials (Philip Pullman)
Definitely not the loving father, him. He's ruthless and charismatic and often cruel, but he ultimately redeems himself. I just love that about him. And he's another sexy one, so I fancy him anyway.

7. Mags in Catching Fire (Suzanne Collins)
Any Hunger Games fans out there will probably think this an odd choice. After all, Mags is barely in the book - she hasn't got much page-time. But this is an old, old woman who volunteers to fight to the death just to save another girl from having to do it. And when a certain something happens to her, I bawled my eyes out, which just goes to show how quickly I grew to love her.

And there you have it: my top seven. Who are your favourite adult characters? And why do you love them so much?

Top 10 Fictional Relationships

Considering I frequently ramble on about how important to me characters and character relationships in books, movies, writing, etc are, I thought I might put together a list of my favourite fictional relationships of all time. And, of course, invite you to do the same - you can even make your own lists in the comments/your blogs if it takes your fancy!

Well, I say 'favourite fictional relationships of all time', but whenever I make these lists, I always forget something or someone I love. So let's call it my Top 10 Fictional Relationships That I Can Think of Right Now.

And so, in no particular order, my Top Ten...

1. Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, from Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories/novels

2. Harry and Hermione, from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series

3. Emma and Mr. Knightley, from Jane Austen's Emma 

*I should probably add here that I've never actually read Emma - I don't particularly like Jane Austen. But for some reason, I love the adaptations of her novels, so when I talk about this relationship I mean the one portrayed on the film and TV adaptations

4. Phedre and Joscelin, from Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel novels

5. Henry and Clare, from Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife

6. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker, from the original Star Wars trilogy

*Luke as an individual character doesn't do much for me, I must admit. But I love his relationship with Vader - especially watching the latter's complete that fallen-from-grace-but-ultimately-redeemed arc

7. Cristina Yang and Owen Hunt, from Grey's Anatomy

8. The Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler, from Doctor Who

*also the Human Doctor and Rose, though I'm not listing this separately as the Tenth Doctor and the Human Doctor are pretty much the same person - and both are a little bit swoon-worthy (thank you, David Tennant!)

9. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, from Harry Potter

and

10. Anna and Rupert, from Eva Ibbotson's The Secret Countess

(which, by the way, is amazing and should be read by everyone in the whole world)

And that's my list. This post would turn into an absolute monster if I tried to explain just why each of those relationships appeals to me so much, but if you're interested I do have individual posts about Harry/Hermione, Holmes/Watson, Henry/Clare and Emma/Mr. Knightley. 

So whose relationships would be on your list? They don't have to be romantic - any kind of fictional relationship counts!