It’s all about the characters in today’s guest post and if you are from the US or Canada then there is a really good giveaway for you to enter as well.
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When Rebecca Peterson walks away from everything she knows to follow her dreams in Ireland, she never expects to be thrown into a world of vicious Fae and deadly secrets. On the dreary streets of Belfast, her terrifying nightmares are rekindled, and this time they aren’t confined to her imagination. Complicating her life further, Becca crosses paths with two mysterious strangers—both alluring in different ways, but are either of them to be trusted?
Her journey takes her deep into the treacherous Shadow Lands, where both her knowledge and courage will be tested. Navigating this new landscape of deceit and manipulation is paramount if she is to stop hordes of blood-thirsty Faeries from invading Earth. With time running out, will her limited training be enough to take on a centuries old enemy hell-bent on death and destruction? To keep those she loves safe, Becca is willing to risk it all.
In this captivating duet, Jill Ramsower takes her readers from the streets of Belfast on a harrowing journey to the most dangerous corners of Faery, where fear is a lethal enemy and trust is a luxury few can afford.
Amazon | Goodreads
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Character vs plot what inspires you first?
Characters!! The Fae Games Duet was initially inspired by my love of the stories told by Karen Marie Moning and other captivating fantasy authors. I knew that I wanted to tell the story of a young woman’s discovery of, and entanglement with, the Fae. I crafted the story one element at a time until I had a fully detailed outline and then began to write. While I had thought about my characters and made lists about their traits and backgrounds, it took time before I really knew them. I’ve been told on many occasions that the story seems to flow even more smoothly as a reader progresses further into the duet and I believe that was almost entirely owed to my increased familiarity with my characters.
Now that I’ve finished a third book and am well into writing the forth, I’ve realized that forcing the characters to tell a certain story has the potential to give the book a more disjointed feel rather than if the characters themselves dictated what the story should be. As an example, the scene where Becca sneaks into the basement of the Huntsman creates a conflict between her and Lochlan. The development of that scene needed to be motivated by Becca’s intense need for answers and be a product of the natural evolution of her journey. If the scene was included merely because it produced an element of conflict, but was not consistent with Becca’s past behaviors, it may create disbelief in the reader and pull the reader from the story. Including an element of conflict may help complete my book, but it doesn’t guarantee the book is any good.
Knowing the characters means I fully understand their actions and can speak consistently with their particular voice as I write. Hopefully, that means the characters are well-defined for the reader, who can then become invested in those characters and their plights and remain fully engaged in the story.
When I finished the duet, I knew that I wanted to write a book about Becca’s best friend, Ashley. Where Becca was reserved and more grounded, Ashley is bold and flashy. By the time I had written the duet, I knew all of Ashley’s behavioral traits and quirks, so her story unfolded very naturally. Each book I write is better than the last and I think that is in large part owed to my increased familiarity with the characters. Creating a back-story to explain why a character acts the way they do is thrilling, and I think results in a better final product than molding characters to fit within the confines of a story.
At this point, I still have a couple of books to write in The Fae Games world, but when it’s time to move on to a new project, I plan to take the necessary time to learn my characters before I ever put pen to paper. I’ve learned that the characters are the story, they are who we cheer for, and who we cry for when we read, and they should be the central focus from conception to completion in any writing project.
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If you live in the US or Canada and like the sound of the book then you’ll want to enter this giveaway to win…
a tumbler, $25 Amazon gift card, signed paperback of the duet and author swag
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Jill is a Texan, born and raised. She manages the hectic social calendars for her three active children and occasionally spends an evening with her dashing husband. Aside from being an author and a mom, she’s an attorney, travel junkie, and voracious reader.
Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter
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everywhere-and-nowhere.com 
Thanks for hosting today, Kate! 🙂
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