Choices that Change Characters
First, thanks for having me on Books-n-Kisses, Kelly. Great blog!
I thought I’d give your readers a peek behind the writers’ curtain today and share some of the things we think about as we craft our stories. Romance is character-driven fiction, so no matter how clever my premise, no matter how exciting my plot points, if readers don’t fall in love with my hero, if they don’t want to try on my heroine’s shoes, I’ve wasted perfectly good paper and ink. (Or pixels, if you’re an ebook junkie like I’ve become!)
So what do I do to create characters who breathe on their own? Well, there are the obvious first steps—choosing a name (which is a blog post all its own!), gifting the hero or heroine with certain physical characteristics (coloring, build, imperfections, intelligence, etc.—Side note to aspiring writers: it’s a good idea to record these things in a sort of “story bible” so your hero’s eyes don’t change from blue to green somewhere between Chapter 1 and 20). I also decide on my character’s most important goal.
But writers need to know more about their characters than they ever share with readers. We need to know what has made them the people they are when the story opens. We have to be well-acquainted with their backstory, while resisting the temptation to clutter our novel with it. I like to do this by determining 5 critical choices, which are different for every soul on earth.
Look back on your own life. What were the turning points, the decisions that changed everything that came after? Was it which field to study? What faith to embrace? What guy to marry? Should you give someone who betrayed you another chance? Will you move across the country to take a new job? What would you do to reach your goal? What are the absolutes you won’t violate even if it means surrendering that goal?
For WAKING UP WITH A RAKE, my hero Lord Rhys Warrington is haunted by a decision he made as a military officer. In the heat of battle, one of his friends was gut shot and begged Rhys to finish him cleanly. Rhys used his last shot to put a dying horse out of its misery instead, but he stayed by his friend for the three agonizing days it took him to succumb to the belly wound. Even years after returning from France, Rhys is plagued with recurring flashbacks of the battle and his decision. Check out this excerpt for an example of how Rhys’s past intrudes on his present at the most inopportune times: http://miamarlowe.com/books/waking.php#excerpt (If you’re an aspiring writer, note that I didn’t wallow in the flashback. I only allowed a bit of it into the present action, only enough to raise questions in the reader’s mind that hopefully encourage them to read on.)
And I hope you’ll decide to read on in WAKING UP WITH A RAKE. It’s Book 1 in the Royal Rakes series, so there are plenty more adventures to come! Enjoy!
I love to connect with readers, and other writers! When I has a volunteer willing to put the first 500 words of their WIP online, I host Red Pencil Thursday—a cyber-critique group—on my blog http://miamarlowe.com/blog/red-pencil-thursday/.
WAKING UP WITH A RAKE
by CONNIE MASON AND MIA MARLOWE
JANUARY 2013
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The Fate of England’s Monarchy Is In The Hands of Three Notorious Rakes.
To prevent three royal dukes from marrying their way onto the throne, heroic, selfless agents for the crown will be dispatched…to seduce the dukes’ intended brides. These wickedly debauched rakes will rumple sheets and cause a scandal. But they just might fall into their own trap…
After he’s blamed for a botched assignment during war, former cavalry officer Rhys Warrick turns his back on “honor.” He spends his nights in brothels doing his best to live down to the expectations of his disapproving family. But one last mission could restore the reputation he’s so thoroughly sullied. All he has to do is seduce and ruin Miss Olivia Symon and his military record will be cleared. For a man with Rhys’s reputation, ravishing the delectably innocent miss should be easy. But Olivia’s honesty and bold curiosity stir more than Rhys’s desire. Suddenly the heart he thought he left on the battlefield is about to surrender…
Connie Mason is a New York Times bestselling author of more than 50 novels. She was named Storyteller of the Year in 1990 and received a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews in 1994. She currently lives in Florida.
Mia Marlowe is a highly acclaimed new voice in romance whose debut novel released in Spring 2011 from Kensington. She lives in Boston, MA. Together, they are working on the next book in the Royal Rakes series, One Night with a Rake, which will be in stores in June 2013.
For more information, please visit http://www.conniemason.com/, http://miamarlowe.com/ and find Mia on Twitter, @Mia_Marlowe, and on Facebook, http://facebook.com/MiaMarloweFanPage.
Sounds excellent i look forward to it 😉
Thanks, Tracey!
Can’t wait to read this!
Lord Rhys is waiting for you. 😉
This book sounds fantastic. Can’t wait to read it. How many books will be in the Royal Rakes series?
There were three sons of King George who went courting during the “Hymen Race Terrific” so I have three rakes to counter them. Look for ONE NIGHT WITH A RAKE in June 2013 and BETWEEN A RAKE AND A HARD PLACE next January!
Congrats Mia on the new release! Sounds fantastic!
Thanks, Erin. Lord Rhys was great fun to write!
Love the guest post. thanks for sharing. I am a writer and the “story bible” is a great idea. should help me keep organized.
I wish I’d done it with all my books. The secondary characters are the easiest to lose track of. I have to make sure not to reuse names from one story to the next unless it’s the same character.
Hi Mia,
I love anything that you write, and I get double pleasure when you and Connie put your heads together.
Thanks for this opportunity to win “Waking Up With A Rake”. 🙂
Thanks, Diane. You’re very kind.
Great post Mia! I have Waking Up With a Rake on my Kindle and can’t wait to read it
I’m so happy to hear that, Maria! Hope you love it.
I love your books and look forward to reading this one too!!
Thanks, Betty!
Hi I love Mia’s book and would lo.ve to win this one.
I appreciate those kinds words, Julie!
Can’t wait to read! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
My pleasure, Kyla.
sounds like a good one 🙂 love watching those folish heroes fall for there own traps 🙂
I prefer to think of it as character growth on my hero’s part. He can’t stay the same from the beginning to the end. If he hasn’t changed during the course of the story, I’ve not done my job. 😉
This sounds like a great series! I love Rakes!
I love rakes who are capable of reformation. The real life fellows who flit from one woman to the next without a backward glance drive me crazy.
You are so right. I did the mistake with the eye color once and I was so embarrassed.
Your new story has captivated me and I would really love to read it. Congrats on the publishing. Best, Diana.
Thanks, Diana. Hope you enjoy Lord Rhys!
Looks like another great book from Mia!
How sweet, Robin.
Great post! I look forward to checking out this book. I’ve had my eye on it. 🙂
Hope you have your hands on it soon! 😉
I enjoyed the look into your writing process.
There is no one right way to write a novel. Everyone develops their own process through trial and error, but if I’ve given you some ideas, I’m happy.
Interesting information about writing.
I feel like I should post a disclaimer about my writing process. Something like “This is my opinion and it’s very true!” ;-D
I love both Connie Mason and Mia Marlowe’s books and I’m always happy to see a new one coming out. I’m looking forward to reading Waking Up With a Rake.
Thanks, Barbara. I’m happy to report that I’ll have several books out this year. Hope you’ll check my Coming Next page to see what’s up.
would LOVE to win & read!
PICK me!
Oh, Pam, I don’t get to pick. That’s done by my lovely hostess and she probably has an algorhymic method to ensure fairness. But good luck!
I’m not a big fan of historical romances but I will have to check this book out. Great guest blog post!!
Thanks, Kim. I’m always happy to try to make a convert. Not all historical romances are silly debutantes and besotted swains. I try to write unexpected characters.
I love Mia and Connie’s writing together. I’ve also read all your books Mia so I can’t wait to meet Rhys (love that name). Enjoyed reading your post as well. Congrats on this release. Thanks for the chance.
Carol L.
I honored that you’ve read all my books, Carol. Thanks for stepping into my fictive dreams…
Thank you for the interview and excerpt. I love those Rakes! I can’t wait for this to come out its been on my TBR for a little bit now. Thank you for the chance to win 🙂
It’s out already, Christy. Hit the store shelves on Jan 1st! 😉
Sounds like a great read! Another book for my wishist! Thanks!
Be sure you share that wishlist with your Significant Other. My DH never knows what to get me for Bdays and such. He’s pathetically grateful when I just tell him what I want. 😉
Congrats Mia!! Sound’s like a really good book to read..
Hope it is, Tina. It was a really good book to write. I fell in love with Rhys and Olivia and hated to see their story end. Fortunately, they get to put in small appearances in the other books in the series.
This book sounds great ! Love a giveaway thanks.i feel lucky lol
Good luck, Nanee!
Love to win this one. Rakes–what’s not to love?
When we decided to take on the rakes, we had Connie’s Rogue series to use as a guide. She has always written strong alpha heroes and put them in adventurous settings. WAKING UP WITH A RAKE honors that tradition.
I always think the questions of character background is so interesting. I have had a few defining moments in my life, like meeting my husband for the first time. Thanks for the giveaway.
I think we all have those “aha!” moments when we know our live is going to change and it will never go back to the way it was before that choice. Those are the defining moments for us all.
This sounds like a great read. You both are new authors for me.
My question for you both is what is your favorite genre to read? Also what is your favorite genre to write?
Thanks for the giveaway.
My reading tastes are pretty universal. I’ve even been known to stray outside romance altogether for big meaty historicals or well-written who-done-its. I love to write historical romances though.