Day Twenty-One

Day twenty-one: Do any of your characters have children? How well do you write them?

 

Yes, my characters have children. And I have decided that that is a very boring answer. So let’s show you some genealogy here (side note: only going to give information on the actual ones that matter, I mean everyone has parents…):

 

• Noah and Atarah: They have two children – twins – Vanessa and Selene.


• Selene and Micah: They have one child, Aislynn.


• Vanessa and Luke: They have one child, Silvanius.


• Mirabelle and Raymond: They have one child, Haizea


• Aislynn and Douglas: They have one child, Sierra.


• Aislynn and Conall: They have one child, Isis.


• Cadeyrn and Nadine: They have one child, Aileen

 

Those are the main parent-child combinations that show up and mean anything in my story. Like I said in the parenthetical above everyone has parents, so technically if I wanted to I could go in to more combinations. I at least generally know most parentages of the characters that have a biggish part in the story and could give you more but the above combinations are ones you actually see both the parents and the children in one story or another.

 

As for how I write them is and how well I do at it … I think I do alright. I’m not so good at the character interactions with babies, mostly because I’ve never had the experience of a 24 hour day with a baby. I have step children that were toddlers when I entered their life and I think I do a lot better with my character’s interaction with toddlers and above.

 

Past Entries:

Day One
Day Two
Day Three
Day Four
Day Five
Day Six
Day Seven
Day Eight
Day Nine
Day Ten
Day Eleven
Day Twelve
Day Thirteen
Day Fourteen
Day Fifteen
Day Sixteen
Day Seventeen
Day Eighteen
Day Nineteen
Day Twenty

 

Cara Mia Amore

Day Twenty

Day twenty: What are your favorite character interactions to write?

 

I’m not really sure I have any favorite interactions … and I’m not really sure I know how to answer this question. Are we talking about the interactions themselves? Or are we talking about the actual interaction between multiple characters? I guess I can take it any way here since it is my blog ‘n all but I like to know what I’m answering.

 

Anyways, when it comes to the actual interaction, I don’t think I have any favorites. Each has their ups and downs (see post on relationships and dialogue) but there has never been a time where I go “Oh! I get to write that [insert scene type] today!” I like to watch them flow out on their own and see where they go. If I don’t like how they turn out they get trashed and if I like how they turn out then they stay.

 

But if we go along the lines of what combination of characters do I like writing and which would be my favorite, that’s a little easier to go with. Each interaction between characters is fun to experience but there is one that I am really enjoying writing at the moment. And that would be the interaction between Selene and the Voice.

 

Since right now where I am writing scenes is focused heavily on when they first “come together” they are really learning about each other and one another’s limits. One thing I am really enjoying is the discovery of just how crazy the Voice is. Selene is learning this too, she doesn’t find it enjoyable though.

 

Their banter is fun to write and I look forward to that interaction more and more as I write scenes in Selene’s story.

 

Past Entries:

Day One
Day Two
Day Three
Day Four
Day Five
Day Six
Day Seven
Day Eight
Day Nine
Day Ten
Day Eleven
Day Twelve
Day Thirteen
Day Fourteen
Day Fifteen
Day Sixteen
Day Seventeen
Day Eighteen
Day Nineteen

 

Cara Mia Amore

Day Nineteen

Day nineteen: Favorite minor character that decided to shove him or herself into the spotlight and why?

Well in this entry I am going to talk about a few characters that would be considered “minor” and the evolution they have gone through in the stories that I’ve written. I have had several characters that have started as minor, once mentioned characters that have completely pushed their way into the scene and some that have even become so insistent that they are being given the chance to tell their own stories. But let’s go through them.

First, let me reiterate the fact that when I first started writing people in this world it was Selene’s story all the way. Then as I continued to write it there were several characters that have stood out. Some that demanded a lot of me and took the spotlight away from Selene. Which I found unfair because I still wanted to tell Selene’s story and so I turned around and started to write other stories based around these loud characters.

Second, this entry is really going to go through the evolution of some of these characters. Some that were minor and became main and some that were minor and stayed minor but had some big scenes in the stories. This is probably going to be a long one, it seems I like to talk about my characters …

Aislynn – When Aislynn’s character first showed up she was the daughter of Selene and her mate (who at the time was named Alec, then Leo and then Micah, but we’ll get to him later) and when I first realized that Selene was pregnant I had a nagging feeling that her child would be special. Fast forward to when I started writing Aislynn’s character as a toddler and, wow, I was right. She was special. She was clairvoyant and had some major visions of the life they all lived. When she started showing of pushing herself forward in the story I decided that she needed a story of her own. So Aislynn and her life became the focus of my next big story and boy-oh-boy I have definitely been enjoying discovering all that she is becoming as a teenager and adult. I think her evolution from a minor add in character to a main character has been one wild trip. I think her pushiness was what first attracted me to her as a character and she really reminds me a lot about myself and some of my own insecurities.

Noah – This is another minor turned main character. When the original story started with Selene he was mostly a minute detail, not really ever mentioned other then in passing. When Noah’s character really came around it was when I was writing Aislynn’s story. There is a point in the story where some of Aislynn’s powers grow to the point of her being able to commune with ghosts and is one thing that becomes a big part of her story. One of the ghosts that visit her is Noah to impart some pretty important information. When he came to talk to Aislynn it was actually a surprise to me. I had never intended to bring him into the story, but when I was writing he showed up. He basically took the spotlight and said “look at me, I really need to tell Aislynn something important” and so he came on the scene. What ended up happening is that I discovered he had a story that needed to be told, so I decided he would get the chance and started his story. This is a recent development that I am enjoying. I’ve already talked about why I like his character in my protagonist post so I think I’ll stop here for him.

Alec/Leo/Micah – This is Selene’s mate. He is a major spotlight grabber. I had first intended on him being a relationship of Selene’s. Something that was part of the book but something that didn’t take up a large amount of the writing but Alec at the time did not like that idea. He became a big part of Selene’s life and so I started to write him in there more. He became very bossy and told me his name was Leo. Which sounds funny but is true – his name has constantly changed on me, we can’t settle on what he should be called. As Leo he started to take more responsibilities and supported Selene in many ways through her journey. As I continued to write Selene’s story I kept getting a tap on my mental shoulder from Leo and he kept whispering to me “I could do more for Selene, let me help her more.” At this point I had hit a block in Selene’s story – something just wasn’t adding up – and I decided to listen to Leo and his nagging voice. And so Selene’s story got a major overhaul and we learned what the real problems in her life were. With these changes Leo changed to Micah. As Micah he really started to tell his story along side Selene’s, he became a major-minor character and one of the biggest supports to Selene.

Atarah – She is the mate of Noah. She is one character that is involved in all the stories I currently am writing as a minor character. She is sweet and strong and demanding. As a queen she should be. With this she really becomes someone who gets to make some big decisions in the lives of some of my characters. With those decisions she tends to take the spot light from some of my characters.

Silvanius – Sil has gone through a lot of changes from the time I started writing the stories in this world. He was never an intended character and snuck up on me. He is the son of Vanessa and Luke and cousin of Aislynn. When Aislynn’s story came about and I decided I needed a group of character’s to be the ultimate defenders of their race that is when I truly decided I needed him to enter into the story. He was a timid character at first but has become more persistent in the writing. He plays a main bit in the group to defend the race and has some very touching moments.

Haizea – She has always been a part of the story. She was actually the product of a prophecy that Selene had in her story. Haizea was born as a Cat to two human parents and so started the revelation of a long line of prophecies coming to pass. I knew when I started writing her character that she would play an important role. That role changed a few times and she is still part of Selene’s story but her biggest parts take place in Aislynn’s story. She is the most timid of my characters and I like how it balances out with the other characters in the stories.

Douglas – Douglas has had a relatively easy evolution. When I decided that Aislynn would have her own story and part of that story would involve the group of defenders I needed someone to even out the numbers. It would be an even four. I had Aislynn, Haizea and Silvanius. I then decided I needed to add the forth and that forth would be a love interest to Aislynn so I would have two couples. At first when I started writing to him, he was very shy and not very outspoken. And then I started having things happen in Aislynn’s life that he was not happy about and he started to speak. He became protective of her and their love grew. The path it is taking is a bumpy one but its interesting to see how he balance her out and at the same time really butts heads with her.

Conall – Conall has changed a lot from the beginning of my writing. In Aislynn’s story there was going to be only one love interest, one person to be involved in Aislynn’s love life and that was Douglas. Conall began as a messenger from the king of the Dallions. But when I first introduced him to Aislynn he instantly felt he wanted her, and surprisingly Aislynn wanted the same. Their relationship has evolved and developed on a slightly deeper level then Aislynn and Douglas’s relationship which caused me to develop the current love triangle between the two men and her. Conall becomes a wonderful balance to Aislynn on all levels, much like Douglas is, but in different ways. I love the evolution of who Conall is.

Those are really the big spotlight stealers of my stories. Though, in truth, I could probably spend hours talking about my characters. All of the big players, and some of the minors, hold a special place in my heart. I enjoy writing with them and love the places they take me.

Past Entries:

Day One
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Day Six
Day Seven
Day Eight
Day Nine
Day Ten
Day Eleven
Day Twelve
Day Thirteen
Day Fourteen
Day Fifteen
Day Sixteen
Day Seventeen
Day Eighteen

 

Cara Mia Amore

The Voices in my Head …

After these last few days of entries focusing heavily on characters I wanted to write an entry about how I see them because I honestly think that if someone random stumbled across this blog they would probably think I was schizophrenic in the way that I talk about them.

 

When it comes to my characters they are a big part of my thoughts. When I write they “talk to me” in my head. I let them and their character lead me through scenes and if I let them lead the way, things flow beautifully. If I try to force things on my characters that is when I seem to find myself in the toughest blocks and can’t seem to get around them doing what I want them to do rather then what they want to do.

 

Each of my characters has a special place in my heart. They are pushy most of the time, but I’ll occasionally run into some shy ones that have to be coaxed out of their shells but all in all they do lead me in the right direction. Or at least a direction that they approve of.

 

I’ve heard of a lot of writers that say their characters speak to them. I think it’s a trait of many writers out there, specifically in the fictional aspect of writing, and its one I enjoy having. Even if it sometimes makes me look crazy – like the day I was at some coffee shop writing and caught someone staring at me. Apparently I had been talking to myself about the writing out loud and hadn’t realized it. Am I the only one that does this?

 

My characters are real in my head. I see them clearly, I talk to them and I listen to them. They help my writing flow and they help me make sure I am uniform in my details – especially when it is in regard to certain characters staying consistent. I think that if I didn’t have those voices in my head then my writing would suffer greatly. Honestly that is one of my fears, that those voices will stop and I will lose my direction in my writing. Maybe I am crazy.

 

I just wanted to make an actual entry talking about it. I know in the last few days’ worth of the meme I’ve been talking about them like they are actual people and wanted to take a breather to mention how I see my characters.

 

Cara Mia Amore

Day Eighteen

Day eighteen: Favorite antagonist? Why?

 

Like we talked about yesterday, all my antagonists have fun sides and boring sides. But I think I’ll avoid yesterday’s format and just write about the one that is the primary bad guy that I have been focusing on in one of my stories.

 

Currently she is called The Voice though once she did have an actual name it is now forgotten. She is a goddess that has been imprisoned the entire time she has had her godhead. She began as a human but was granted godhead by mistake. Her powers are focused around pain and death and she uses them whenever she can. Because she has been imprisoned by the other gods of the world, she doesn’t get the chance to use her powers often, but when she does it’s not pretty at all. She likes to torture her victims and when she is done with them she makes them suffer an agonizing death.

 

Right now she is currently the antagonist of Selene’s story, but she has made an appearance in Aislynn’s as well. Selene is her victim in her story, the first one in a few centuries and the Voice is especially grateful to have her because she is a Cat. The Voice doesn’t like the Children of the Gods, they are the one – in the long run – that got her trapped where she is now.

 

The reason I like her so much is that she is abso-freaking-lutely crazy. Seclusion for thousands of years causes that, and her prison is sense deprivation at its finest. I love the way she thinks and the way she acts because its so off the wall that its almost funny and I know it will occasionally give me chills when I write her character. She is just a very freaky lady.

 

Past Entries


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Day Seventeen

 

Cara Mia Amore

Day Seventeen

Day seventeen: Favorite protagonist? Why?

 

This one is hard. I don’t think I really have one favorite over another. So what I will do in this one is give you why I like each of my main characters in the stories I have. It’s a three way tie.

 

Noah – He is relatively new in the sense of protagonists. His voice and his newness is a lot of fun to write right now. He’s very talkative in my head and he is very pushy. I love the abilities he is discovering he has. His magic is unique and his personality strong. I love the fact that he has completely secluded himself from his family and all that could help him (not gonna tell you why neener-neener) to find his place in the world and get answer. Since his story is relatively new I don’t have much to say about him right now but he will be fun to work with.

 

Selene – She is, like I’ve said before, my oldest character. She has been on this journey with me from the beginning and I love her just for that. She is such a strong voice in my head. She has grown up like a baby to a teenager and above, her attitude has changed and grown with her and it’s a lot of fun to work with. Her story has become a very interesting one. It explores a different life style that I’ve never been involved in and is going to require a lot of research that will probably cause eye brows to be raised but it’ll be entertaining. Her magic and her battles are going to be fun to write as well.

 

Aislynn – She’s a trip. She has been an interesting girl to write. She has attitude, she has insecurities. She is wonderful in how she talks to me. She reminds me of some of my own problems when I was her age. Granted I didn’t have to worry about my body ripping itself apart to turn into something else, but her emotions are closely tied to mine. I love that her powers are something that scare her. I love the fact that she has to make tough decisions and some of them are life changing for more then just her own life. The trials she goes through in her story are hard, or at least I would think so, and she has to make a lot of sacrifices. But even when she is having problems she is always good at making the mood lighter with a snarky comment.

 

What is funny about these characters is that they are so close to me. They are like children that I tend to and grow with. Even if it’s only in my imagination my characters are an important part of my life. I think that’s something that makes me such a good writer, that I let my characters tell me what to do instead of forcing them to do something they would never do.

 

Past Entries:

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Day Nine
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Day Sixteen

 

Cara Mia Amore

Day Sixteen

Day sixteen: Do you write romantic relationships? How do you do with those and how “far” are you willing to go in your writing?

 

The easiest answer here is yes, I write romantic relationships. My opinion when it comes to romantic relationships is it helps in build the world of the characters. I have several different relationships and struggles involved around those relationships that are part of the story line, not necessarily the main plot line but usually something that goes hand in hand with it.

 

When we get in to more detailed answers here in regards to writing romantic relationships, many of those relationships are build ups and part of the growing process of my characters. Their relationships are a part of the story and grow alongside the actual conflict and story line. What I want to do is talk about the different character relationships I have going in this story and then I will go on to the second part of the story.

 

Noah and Atarah – These two characters are from the first part of the “series” on the family I focus on. I wouldn’t really call it a series, because even though parts are mentioned in each of the book, the story lines are individual. But I digress so let’s get back to the point of this. Noah and Atarah’s relationship is sweet and simple. The fall in love and stay in love. Granted, like any relationship there are speed bumps in that road to bliss, but this is one relationship meant to last. Noah is the son of a monarch and Atarah is a simple girl. Both of the Cat race, and both are trying to make it on their own. They meet each other and connect and the story for Noah is focused heavily on this relationship as a sub plot to the actual conflict of the story. These two characters are a relatively new story I am telling and I am riding the relationship with them and seeing how they react.

 

Nadine and Cadeyrn – This relationship is a new idea of mine. Nadine is the twin sister of Noah. Cadeyrn is/will be a faction leader of the Dallions. Nadine ends up being “kidnapped” in the beginning of Noah’s story and this is what starts much of the conflict in his story – him trying to find her and bring her home. Since Nadine is so young when she is kidnapped, much of her life is spent in the Dallion world and culture, and because of this she meets and falls in love with a Dallion. Their relationship is going to be conflicting and mentally abusive. I want the drama of this relationship to add to who Cadeyrn is and will become.

 

Selene and Micah – Selene is the main character of the second part of the book on this family. She is actually the oldest character I have written and has been with me from the beginning of this writing adventure. Granted her story has changed from the beginning as I actually start to listen to her, but she has been constant with the times. Micah is a relatively new concept of a character. He has is the mate of Selene, but he has gone through changes through the years and is no starting to really become a part of the story. Selene is the daughter of Noah and Atarah and Micah is a demi-god born of the Voice (or Ezra) and they are put together when Selene becomes bound to the Voice and starts to become tortured. Micah trains her from a young age to withstand the powers that his mother has over her and survive and on that journey the two take together there is blood, sweat and tears but they fall in love despite the world around them. This relationship ends up facing many challenges: her family’s hatred of who he represents, the fact that their relationship is based around pain and survival, and the anger of a very mean goddess. I like who Micah and Selene have become through the years as they’ve “grown up” and I am enjoying telling their story in the book that Selene is a part of.

 

Vanessa and Luke – Vanessa is the twin sister of Selene. Luke is a man that was chosen to be her husband by her mother and father from a family that was their friend. Their relationship develops in Selene’s story and is continued is Aislynn’s. Since their relationship is arranged, things are not as smooth as a normal relationship. Vanessa is attracted to him right away but Luke is standoffish during the beginning causing both to try and avoid each other. Since Vanessa and Luke are both considered minor characters most of their relationship is developed through snippets that happen in the story. They do grow to respect and then love each other which become a lot more evident in Aislynn’s story then Selene’s. I’ve enjoyed figuring out how to write about arranged marriages and the like and how they take effect in our world, and since these people live in a different world, there have been new changes to the world of arranged marriages when it comes to my world.

 

Aislynn and Douglas and Conall – This relationship is a triangle like all other triangles. One thing about writing this triangle is that I’ve made sure each side of the triangle gets its own share of time in the writing and I make sure to try and develop both sides of that triangle because I’ve made it become a big part of who Aislynn becomes. Its been a lot of fun writing this triangle as a side line to the main conflict.

• Aislynn and Douglas – This relationship is a giant rollercoaster. When the two of them first meet they are instantly attracted to each other. Aislynn is hesitant, mostly because she is feeling manipulated and pulled in to it. Douglas is persistent and eventually they get together. Things aren’t all sunshine and roses when they are together because many things are discovered when they are brought together. They are both part of the Elementai – the protectors of their people – and in essence are meant to be together because of it. I’ve enjoyed writing this relationship, exploring Aislynn naïveté in regards to how relationships work and seeing her be less confident. I have a part that I’m thinking about writing in that is bound to really strain this relationship and I am looking forward to seeing how both these characters respond.


• Aislynn and Conall – This relationship is heat. Its warm and passionate and life changing for Aislynn. The way this relationship develops has been fun. To Aislynn he is a visitor in her dreams, and same goes for Conall. Neither know the other truly exist anywhere besides their dreams. It’s a friendship at first, Conall becomes someone that Aislynn confides to in this story but soon it becomes more. All the doubt that Aislynn feels when she is with Douglas is alleviated here in this dream relationship. But nothing is ever easy or perfect, they have their share of fights and things go up and down as well. When things finally become revealed that its more then a dream, that is when the triangle stops.

 

Silvanius and Haizea – This relationship has evolved with my book. At first it was something that was known but not really developed, now since I divided my stories, I wanted to work their parts of the story a lot differently. With that, I decided one thing I wanted to work on more was the way their relationship works and how it plays a part in the story. Parts of their relationship are going to cause a lot of conflict in the story at certain places which I needed because these character were slightly lopsided, not quite flat but not as round as should have been. (I just got a name for that type of character, a half deflated balloon character … don’t mock me, I’m sleepy and I enjoy that name). One of the main reason I decided to round out their relationship in this story is I decided that in my head the four Elementai would be a group of four people – two boys and two girls – and part of the strength of the group would be the relationships and how their power heightens when they work together. So since I had Douglas and Aislynn I decided to do Haizea and Silvanius together as well – or at least defined that relationship more.

 

So those are my main romantic relationships that I have going right now. Granted there are other relationships in the story but they are completely flat and undefined. Minor characters and their spouses and other familial relationships that are in the story but are not necessarily part of the story.

 

Now on to the second part of this question: How far do my characters go in their relationships when I write? And this is surprisingly a hard question. As I write my stories now, there is definite kissing and definite scenes of sex. I’ve never been very good at writing a sex scene where it is tame enough to not make you blush but not so boring as to make it bland. I’ve been working on it but its one of those areas that my I need to teach myself the limits of what is acceptable or not. I don’t really have any boundaries when it comes to what I write, but if I don’t think its good writing then I kick it out as I should. I want to be comfortable with what I write.

 

Well, I’ve talked a lot more then I thought I was going to talk in regards to this, so I think I will just end it right here. Hope I didn’t bore any of you to tears reading this one.

 

Past Entries:

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Day Eight
Day Nine
Day Ten
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Day Twelve
Day Thirteen
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Day Fifteen

 

Cara Mia Amore

Day Fifteen

Day fifteen: Midway question! Tell us about a writer you admire, whether professional or not?

This is actually a hard question. Because honestly there are a lot of writers that I admire out there and I would never be able to pick just one. Even if I divided it among professional or not the list would be endless.

 

Instead of picking one writer I am going to do a shout out to all writers great and small. Writing is such a unique life style. It’s gruesome and awe-inspiring, happy and sad, hard and easy, solitary and communal. You will have a rollercoaster ride of ups, downs and side-to-sides. Every one of you amaze me whether you are a pre-teen writing dreadful poetry or a best selling author, you blow my mind.

 

To stick with this craft is a journey. One that you are constantly learning and teaching yourself about because no only do you need to know the grammar and spelling and all of those lovely mechanics of writing but if you plan on proceeding to that glorious stage of “published” you are also going to have to do a lot of research on agents, querying, publishers, and the actual industry you are trying to be a part of.

 

So this is my hats off to all of you! Keep at it. There will be times when its hard and you’ll question yourself and your ability (or at least I have been there myself) but, I know for me, it will always be that wonderful world to live through and hopefully get to that top of the rung!

 

Past Entries:

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Cara Mia Amore

Review: Wicked Lovely

Description: Wicked Lovely is a young-adult modern day fantasy novel by Melissa Marr. This book centers on modern times and is focused on a teenage girl named Aislinn. She has a special ability called the Sight which allows her to see the fae in the world.

Aislinn is faced with many choices in this young-adult novel. She ends up getting stalked by a pair of fairies who are trying to woo her. She must make the decision whether to get help from her mortal friend Seth or to fight this fight herself. Other then that she also must make the decision to fall in line with the fairies and abide by what they ask and demand of her.

 

Reaction: Eh, this novel was entertaining. Slightly disappointing after the previous few that I have reading. It was a good story but had a habit of dragging on. A lot of build up for a small ending.

The writing itself was lovely and finally did pull me in when the action started in the last few chapters, but the draw in for the that action took too long. The pacing was not fast enough for what I usually look for in a book, but may be appealing to others.

As for the quadrangle of love interests, I like how it ended. Went where I wanted – and expected – it would go.

 

Rating: For this book I think I will give it 3 stars out of 5. Interesting story, not enough draw.

 

Cara Mia Amore