Dianne Bright's Blog - Posts Tagged "sci-fi"
Soul Reader, Excerpt and Response on Character Development
"Can you explain the mind-melding thing to me please?" I whispered to avoid an audience. "It's convenient and cool, but it's also freaking me out, probably because it's still new for me." (Jennifer)
"It's just mind-melding. What's the big deal? When we choose to, I can hear your thoughts and you can hear mine." (Jadan)
page 79, Soul Reader Book #1
When developing Jadan's character, I tried to create a figure with noticeable weaknesses juxtaposed against obvious strengths. Most readers question his mysterious nature and his unexplained edge of confidence. Jadan has a timeless way of drawing Jennifer inside his mind, heart, and soul-- and she wants to know more.
Jadan's physical weakness is evidenced only by his wheels. As a San Diego day trader, he's got an unlimited supply of money to enjoy his thirst for adrenaline through extreme sports. His brown hair and blue eyes attract plenty of looks from the ladies, but his super-model health-nut girlfriend, Brooke, has kept his attention steady.
Then again, the longer Jadan studies Jennifer from afar, he realizes she offers something that simple words can't explain. Jadan connects with Jennifer differently; but it's not physical. For them, it's spiritual because their souls long for the same thing-- to be fully known and understood. Their connection allows Jadan to lower his guard emotionally; around Jennifer, he can just be himself.
Jennifer's weaknesses come from her vulnerability and worrisome nature. She's genuinely good and puts others first; but she undermines her own needs and abilities. She begins to long for more than her 9-5 routine and is drawn to Jadan's certainty about how the world works. Her strengths become more obvious as she embraces her new identity.
The more Jennifer learns about her past, she realizes life will never again be normal. But deep down, that excites her, and she can't wait for the rest of the story to unfold.
"It's just mind-melding. What's the big deal? When we choose to, I can hear your thoughts and you can hear mine." (Jadan)
page 79, Soul Reader Book #1
When developing Jadan's character, I tried to create a figure with noticeable weaknesses juxtaposed against obvious strengths. Most readers question his mysterious nature and his unexplained edge of confidence. Jadan has a timeless way of drawing Jennifer inside his mind, heart, and soul-- and she wants to know more.
Jadan's physical weakness is evidenced only by his wheels. As a San Diego day trader, he's got an unlimited supply of money to enjoy his thirst for adrenaline through extreme sports. His brown hair and blue eyes attract plenty of looks from the ladies, but his super-model health-nut girlfriend, Brooke, has kept his attention steady.
Then again, the longer Jadan studies Jennifer from afar, he realizes she offers something that simple words can't explain. Jadan connects with Jennifer differently; but it's not physical. For them, it's spiritual because their souls long for the same thing-- to be fully known and understood. Their connection allows Jadan to lower his guard emotionally; around Jennifer, he can just be himself.
Jennifer's weaknesses come from her vulnerability and worrisome nature. She's genuinely good and puts others first; but she undermines her own needs and abilities. She begins to long for more than her 9-5 routine and is drawn to Jadan's certainty about how the world works. Her strengths become more obvious as she embraces her new identity.
The more Jennifer learns about her past, she realizes life will never again be normal. But deep down, that excites her, and she can't wait for the rest of the story to unfold.
Soul Reader, book #2-- two new mystical gems
So, it's taking me a bit longer to finish book #2 of my fantasy/sci-fi trilogy. I'll blame it on the fabulous So Cal weather that calls me to go cycling or jogging most days before "sitting down to write." It could be my recent Cassandra Clare addiction (she's such an amazing writer) or Andy Weir's The Martian that I could barely put down. Kiera Cass could be culpable as well. It's just that there are so many books to read and not enough time; however, I strongly support reading good literature to improve my own writing style in a number of ways.
That said, book #2 is actually coming along pretty well. I'm just a little behind schedule from where I wanted to be by the beginning of November. I'm currently around page 200/300 pages.
Book #2 offers a variety of new mystical gems. Jadan gives two gems in particular to Jennifer while they are on Catalina Island, looking for some weapons stored in an underground cellar of the casino on Avalon. Here are some details about the two gems and a few passages from book #2.
The first passage is about the light pink gem:
“All right, the pink one first. This one allows you to lock in to a past memory. You can hear from a person or read their thoughts. So if you had a conversation with someone and got interrupted, or you never got to share that one last thought—you get to lock in to that moment from the past. You can hear the rest of the story,” Jadan said smiling.
The second passage is about the over-sized white diamond gem:
“This one creates a huge bubble-like cloud over you. It’s an emotional diffuser which simply means that when one emotion feels too strong for you, you can enter the cloud to get better control of your feelings. It works on any emotion: anger, fear, anxiety, and even strong romantic feelings that you might be trying to avoid,” he said shyly. “After a short while, the strong emotion dissipates. You come out feeling more self-controlled.”
“So am I safe inside the bubble? I mean, what if Zander or Zophar came around?” I asked nervously. “Will you go inside the bubble with me? That might feel safer the first time.”
There are a plethora of flying scenes in book #2, along with an abduction by a demon, and a crazy-insane dark blue gem that I'm not going to explain just yet. It's not safe to share about it here or anywhere for that matter. So forget that I mentioned the gelatinous blue gem that Jennifer finds in her bedroom.
That's it for now. Thanks for reading my blog and please pass Soul Reader along to your friends. Feel free to share on social media and if you get the chance, I'd love a review.
If you haven't read Soul Reader, book #1 yet, please "ADD IT TO YOUR SHELVES."
Blessings,
Dianne :)
@dibright
Facebook.com/AuthorDianneBright
Soul Reader
That said, book #2 is actually coming along pretty well. I'm just a little behind schedule from where I wanted to be by the beginning of November. I'm currently around page 200/300 pages.
Book #2 offers a variety of new mystical gems. Jadan gives two gems in particular to Jennifer while they are on Catalina Island, looking for some weapons stored in an underground cellar of the casino on Avalon. Here are some details about the two gems and a few passages from book #2.
The first passage is about the light pink gem:
“All right, the pink one first. This one allows you to lock in to a past memory. You can hear from a person or read their thoughts. So if you had a conversation with someone and got interrupted, or you never got to share that one last thought—you get to lock in to that moment from the past. You can hear the rest of the story,” Jadan said smiling.
The second passage is about the over-sized white diamond gem:
“This one creates a huge bubble-like cloud over you. It’s an emotional diffuser which simply means that when one emotion feels too strong for you, you can enter the cloud to get better control of your feelings. It works on any emotion: anger, fear, anxiety, and even strong romantic feelings that you might be trying to avoid,” he said shyly. “After a short while, the strong emotion dissipates. You come out feeling more self-controlled.”
“So am I safe inside the bubble? I mean, what if Zander or Zophar came around?” I asked nervously. “Will you go inside the bubble with me? That might feel safer the first time.”
There are a plethora of flying scenes in book #2, along with an abduction by a demon, and a crazy-insane dark blue gem that I'm not going to explain just yet. It's not safe to share about it here or anywhere for that matter. So forget that I mentioned the gelatinous blue gem that Jennifer finds in her bedroom.
That's it for now. Thanks for reading my blog and please pass Soul Reader along to your friends. Feel free to share on social media and if you get the chance, I'd love a review.
If you haven't read Soul Reader, book #1 yet, please "ADD IT TO YOUR SHELVES."
Blessings,
Dianne :)
@dibright
Facebook.com/AuthorDianneBright
Soul Reader
