Listening to characters

I had to crowd surf for a topic.  So this blog is about...(drum roll)….”When the characters 'talk' to you...do you talk back?”

I think this question is related to “Where do you get your ideas?”

I was asked this by an editor I wanted to impress recently and I had to say "I have no idea the heroes just wander into my mind". Yeah, that sounded cool. It is however the truth. The hero, usually, just appears and starts dropping enticing hints about his world or his problem.

Seriously when Haidyn from Dark Secrets turned up in his lovely red coat and said he was a whore I just went, na-ah I can’t write that. Needless to say he stuck around until I did.

When the Goblin King arrived I just knew he had dreadlocks. Random, yes, but it was so much a part of the story in the end that I couldn’t imagine him any other way. (I know he doesn't have dreads on the cover but trust me by the end you will get it).

I guess I see and hear the characters in my mind, but most of the story is impressions that I give voice to, sometimes it like watching a film without sound—some scenes are so clear there is sound.

Other times I'm running around in the dark wondering who turned out the light and where is this story going, only to pop out on the other side with total understanding and a new appreciation for the hell I put my characters through (it’s for their own good, really, and not one has complained yet).

Once their story is written that is it, they leave me in peace and new people populate my mind.

 

I'm pretty sure non writers don't get it. When I get asked what I'm thinking about there's a dozen different things going on, like the heroine's backstory, how does the magic in this world work? Is the hero good at sport? Should I have another piece of chocolate? The heroine seems a little lost...is this about her self discovery? That is a very cool scar Mr. Hero, how did you get that? Oooh *shiny new hero walks past and flashes a grin* who are you? He brought wine! Plotting party in my head! I should totally have another piece of chocolate.

 

Where was I...I listen to my characters and they tell me stuff, yes I know it's my subconscious but it's kind of cool that all of that is in there just waiting to come out.

Paranormal Week: Old myth/new life

One of the things I love about paranormal romance is that it can take old myths and breathe new life into them. It could be something as simple as vampires, looking at what the common law is but adding a new spin. Or it could be taking whole legends and reimagining them, Juliet Marillier is very good at this in a fantasy setting.

While Beauty and the Beast gets used a lot in romance, in paranormal romance the hero can truly be a hideous beast…or goblin.

I was able to blend my love of Roman Britain with goblin lore and a classic tale of not judging a person based on appearance to create The Goblin King.

For the Annwyn series I looked at the old fairy lore, the stories from when they were gods and Gwyn ap Nudd ruled the underworld, and then imagine a kind where are they now scenario? What has happened to the fairies over the last couple of thousand years?

Other writers draw on Greek myth or Egyptian. But in each case the old gods and creatures get a chance at being reborn for a modern audience.

Before stories were written down they were handed down orally. Each teller adding their own variation. There are so many variations of King Arthur and Robin Hood. And these are just the ones we know about, the ones that were recorded, and they are far more recent that ancient myth. Imagine how many variations and tales of the gods we have lost over the centuries. 

Some was deliberately destroyed when early books were destroyed by Christian monks wanting to stamp out the worship of old gods. Other stories would have simply been lost because no one was telling the stories anymore after they were forced to convert. 

The only way to keep myth and legend alive is for it to be talked about, for people to know it exists. 

I love that TV shows are looking at the old stories and bringing them back. Supernatural uses plenty of paranormal creatures; ever googled the wendigo? Or the woman in white? 

Seen the trailer for Sleepy Hollow or Dracula? Go one take a look, I’ll wait ;)

Even Once Upon a Time give the fairy tales a fresh spin.

Paranormal romance lets authors take an old tale out of the crypt, revive it and give it a makeover. Some will closely resemble their source (like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast) but others will spawn a new story that on the surface looks nothing like its parents.

Character Interview - Dai from KISS OF THE GOBLIN PRINCE

Today I'm interviewing Dai, the unforgettable hero from KISS OF THE GOBLIN PRINCE by Shona Husk.

Here's the story in a nutshell:

Trapped for centuries in the bleak Shadowlands, Dai clings to his humanity with a thirst for knowledge. But now he's free of the goblin curse, and some would say he knows too much- he can make nature bend to his will, influence the minds of others, and command magic. Yet love eludes him. Then he meets Amanda, a single mother with a sick daughter whom he feels compelled to protect. But could she possibly place her trust in the kiss of a goblin prince?

"Darkly Celtic, richly imagined, this is paranormal romance at its best." -Juliet Marilier, award-winning author of Daughter of the Forest praise for The Goblin King

What was your life like growing up?
I grew up in what is now Flintshire, Wales. That was the Decangli lands. When I was a child my life was much like everyone else’s. Even though my father was King, my brother and I weren’t allowed to place ourselves above the rest of the tribe. I imagined growing up and becoming a druid, but then the Roman’s pushed West, my mother died giving birth to my sister and everything changed. We resisted for several years, then they built a fort and at fourteen I was taken as a good behavior hostage. Things went from bad to worse rather rapidly, and not just for me but for every Decangli.
Before the action in the book, what were your plans/hopes for the future?
Honestly if the curse hadn’t broken, I’d planned to die. I was so close to succumbing and fading to goblin, another day and I’d have been gone, nothing but a grey skinned mindless beast. I didn’t want to live like that. No one should have to live like that.
Do you have a motto or code you live by?
Do what you will but harm none…sort of. If you’re rushing in to battle, you are expecting to get hurt. But seriously, when I studied magic and was initiated I made oaths not to use magic harm others. Those are vows I live by because the repercussions would be far worse than being cursed to be a goblin.
What is your most distinguishing characteristic?
I have scars and tattoos. I could pick one but without the rest it wouldn’t make sense. Most of the scars came from my time as a slave, a few happened later when fighting goblins. When I wasn’t fighting I was studying magic, which is how I got the tattoos. They are markings from various masters, most are more than skin deep and also mark my soul.
What is your major skill or talent?
Magic. I spent years studying all different kinds of lore in the Shadowlands. Once human and in the Fixed Realm again I found I was able to use it. Everything I’d learned (and remembered, I’m sure I’ve forgotten more about magic than I can remember—the human mind isn’t able to hold two thousand years of memories) about I can do. Travel across the globe with a thought, heal, create something out of nothing, stop time—except I’m not supposed to do that. Actually most magic I’m not supposed to use, but what Birch Trustees doesn’t know won’t hurt them, or me.
What’s your favorite color?
Gold? Joking, I’m not a goblin anymore. Blue, sky blue. Until it’s gone you don’t realize how important it is.
If you had to pick another career, what would it be?
If I wasn’t a mage, I’d be a scholar. There’s always something to study, language, history, occult law. You’d be surprised how much history got wrong. Of course it’s so deeply entrenched that those contradicting popular knowledge gets laughed at—I know that from first-hand experience.
What’s on your bucket list?
After living as long as I have I don’t really have a bucket list. I’ve travelled, seen history unfold, seen things I wish I hadn’t seen, seen creatures that no longer exist. I guess my priority now is family. Roan and I should get on better than we do. Amanda would like another child…Do ex-goblins make good parents? I suppose there have been plenty of books written about parenting so I can always look it up. I should probably spend less time reading.
Who do you love?
Amanda. She made my second chance worth living.

VS sez: KISS OF THE GOBLIN PRINCE is available at Amazon 
Also check out  GOBLIN KING, the first book in the Shadowlands series