R.M. Archer's Blog, page 32

May-June Language of Worlds Link-Up

There’s another edition of Language of Worlds out! This month, I’ll be answering for Rynn.

1. Your character goes on a leisurely stroll. Where to?

She’s probably in the Eckards’ garden. The Eckards have a big garden surrounding their manor, always kept in wonderful shape, and it’s a favorite place for anyone who’s been there. Rynn finds it extremely relaxing.

2. What’s her favorite food? Why? What does it taste like?

Issabelle Eckard’s apple pie. Issabelle makes the best pie, and her apple pie is a particular favorite. The apple filling is the perfect balance of sweet and tart, and the barely-crispy crust is sprinkled with cinnamon sugar for extra crunch and flavor.

3. Describe her typical day.

Before The Masked Captain, she’d spend most of her day in the library, whether due to her studies or as a way to escape between the pages of a book. Probably two hours of her day would be spent with Kallum, doing combat training in the courtyard. Of course she’d have meals, and some days she’d go spend time with the Eckards either at Ivybrook Manor (where they live) or at the “treehouse” she, Rhylan, and Halder established in the woods.

During TMC, her days consist of training the troops; talking to Tobe, Ari, and/or Arden; and training on her own. Also lots of tiny side-quests, but I don’t know how much those count as “typical.”

Afterward… it’s some mix of the two, and saying more could potentially disclose spoilers.

4. When is she most productive? Morning, evening, or sometime in-between?

She’s trained herself to be productive in the afternoon, since that’s when she most needs to be productive, but I think she’s naturally a night owl.

5. Who is she closest to?

At home, she’s close to Rhylan and Halder. At the military camp, she’s close to Ari and Tobe. I think Rhylan, Halder, and Tobe are probably the top three.

6. Has she ever lost someone close to her?

When she was five, her mother died of an illness. She doesn’t really remember her mother, but she frequently wonders what life would be like if her mother was still around.

7. Describe her education.

She was tutored in general studies alongside Rhylan. History bored her to death, she never had a knack for music, science and math twisted her brain into knots, and politics made her want to scream at all the subterfuge and beating around the bush. Though she was good with languages, the only part of her schooling she really enjoyed was when she trained with Kallum in horseback riding and combat. She learned archery, swordplay, and how to fight with daggers, and she always felt that the more physical lessons were what she was best at.

She frequently frustrated her general studies tutor because she was constantly questioning what she was taught and itching to be doing something elsewhere. Her mind often wandered into daydreams of brave and daring deeds, causing him to have to repeat things constantly. It even started to grate on Rhylan’s nerves, despite his patience, because it dragged out his lessons as well.

8. What is her talent?

She’s naturally good at picking up languages, and at anything that requires hand-eye coordination and motor skills.

9. When does she doubt herself? What makes her do so?

Throughout The Masked Captain she’s concerned she won’t be able to lead her men effectively.

10. When does she feel most comfortable/cozy?

When she’s with the Eckards for their evening storytelling sessions. She’s surrounded by their wonderful family, the light is fading outside and the room is illuminated in golden firelight from the hearth, the carpet is soft under her, the little kids are falling asleep on laps, she listens to everyone singing along to folk songs, or Halder basically singing the littles to sleep… It’s gloriously cozy. ^-^

Liebster Award #4

I’ve been nominated for the Liebster Award a fourth time (the second time this year). I was actually nominated way back in February by Catwing, but I’m only just now getting around to answering the questions. :P Anyway, let’s do this. :)

Rules:

Acknowledge the blog who nominated you for this award.

Answer 11 questions the blogger gave you.

Give 11 random facts about yourself.

Nominate 11 blogs.

Notify them.

Give them 11 questions to answer.

Questions:
1. What is the first book you remember reading?

I don’t really remember reading any of the books I read when I was a lot younger, but I know one of my first favorite books was Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey.

2. First book you remember writing?

I’m going to assume “book” is a loose term here, lol. I wrote a really short mystery story (because that’s what I was into reading at the time) with no original characters and a really creepy ending (looking back), lol. I also immediately swore off writing mystery as its own genre because said story stank. XD

3. Do you prefer Winter or Summer?

SUMMER. I get cold super easily (I’m pretty much cold as soon as it drops below 70 degrees. It’s kinda ridiculous), so I much prefer the heat to the cold. Plus there’s no snow to deal with, there’s no school, camp happens, and my birthday is toward the end of summer.

4. Glitter. Is it shimmering innocent sparkles or the parasitic bane of existence that wants your skin?

THE BANE OF HUMAN EXISTENCE. IT. NEVER. LEAVES. KILL IT WITH FIRE.

5. Would you rather have a phoenix or a dragon?

Phoenixes are super cool, but I think I’d rather have a dragon. I imagine they’d be easier to ride.

6. Which one of your characters is most likely to break through the fourth wall and find you?

Well since Solem regularly breaks the fourth wall in his storytelling, I’d imagine he’s most likely. And since he’s one of the characters who has least reason to be mad at me, that’s pretty good for me, lol.

7. Would you rather have a bow and arrows or a knife?

Ooh, can I have both? No? Darn. Mm… See, they’re good for very different things. I’m actually decent with a bow (I discovered this at a renaissance fair Sunday), and I’ve always thought archery is super cool, but you can really only use that at range (unless you want to ditch the bow and stab people with the arrows). The knife is really more versatile, because you can throw it (something I found Sunday I’m terrible at), you can use it in close combat, and you can use it for non-combat stuff like cooking and woodcarving and all that jazz. I could maybe even use it to make myself a bow and arrows. ;) So I’d say a knife is the better choice.

8. Do you keep a candy stash or eat candy when you get it?

Both? I have a stash, but I tend to go through it really quickly.

9. What is the craziest thing you’ve ever made?

I think my early writing is pretty crazy… I didn’t really understand relationships, which made things… interesting.

10. How did you get interested in writing?

It basically just stemmed from my love of reading. I decided, “Hey, what if I tried to do this?” and so I did, and it was a ton of fun and I haven’t looked back, lol.

11. Do you like writing/drawing/working with music?

YES. I always have some sort of music playing. I can’t debate something with music on, unfortunately, and sometimes normal discussions are also slightly difficult, but in general I can do just about anything with music playing and that’s my preference.

11 Random Facts

As a general rule, I prefer the company of guys to the company of girls. I’m not entirely certain why, I just do. I also generally prefer male characters to female (and yet a bajillion of my own characters are female…)
The band Cimorelli is my current obsession.
I have yet to see Endgame (and honestly I’m a little nervous… but not because of the deaths because I’VE SEEN SO. MANY. SPOILERS. and honestly no one I really care about dies, so…)
I didn’t care much for Captain Marvel (a.k.a. my initial prediction upon seeing the trailer was correct)
I have no poker face. My emotions are constantly showing on my face. However, if I’m intentionally bluffing then I can have a bemusing half-smile that serves as my poker face. (Just ask anyone I’ve played Mafia with at camp. XD)
I’ve somehow read 35 books this year.
I can’t believe I’ve gotten through 7 of these facts already and only recycled one from a previous award.
My favorite things about camp can be summed up as: “It’s challenging, but feels like home.” (My favorite things are everything.)
Clothes and food are the two things I’m most uncreative with in stories. I just have a ton of trouble with them, for some reason. (And my characters tend to eat way too many pastries.)
I’ve finished about 24 short stories (not counting the “novels” I wrote when I was younger) to varying degrees.
I’m currently working on memorizing three songs: Church Clap by KB and Lecrae, Home by Vanessa Carlton, and King of the World by Young Rising Sons.

Nominees

Rae Marie at Ozark Mountain Cailins
Maya at Maya’s Magic Musings
Angela at A Peculiar Messenger
Tabby at Courage on the Front-Lines
Anna at A Storynerd’s Life
Claire at The Overactive Imagination
Dawn at Rosy Dawns and Radiant Musings
Rosalie at Penprints
Hallie at Hallie Jenkins
S.M. Metzler at A Tea With Tumnus

Questions for Nominees:

Which of your characters is most likely to break through the fourth wall and find you?
What’s next on your reading list?
What are you most creative with when it comes to writing?
What’s your current favorite song? (Or album or artist, if song is too difficult. XD)
What do you think of plaid?
What style of music is your favorite?
If you could snap your fingers and be instantly best friends with any three celebrities, who would you choose?
If you’re an author, what’s your favorite thing about writing?
Are you obsessed with anything right now?
What would your first act as queen of the world be?
Would you rather be a pirate or a ninja?

Flash Fiction: Remember

Every year, Rosalie Valentine hosts a Flash Fiction Dash, which is a couple of weeks in which authors across the blogosphere (and beyond) write flash fiction based on a prompt assigned by Rosalie, post them on their blogs if they have them, and then Rosalie gathers them all into one glorious wrap-up post at the end. I saw it last year, but thought I couldn’t write anything that short, but this year I decided it would be a good way to get back into short stories in a more gradual and fun way… and I was basically right. The only problem is… with any new short story comes new characters that I have NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH beyond the story, so now these characters are rattling around in my brain.

But enough of my yakking. Here’s the prompt I started with:

Now let’s get into the story.

Run, you clever boy, and remember.

Fire lances through my legs. Trees rush by in a blur. I remember.

We’re standing on the outskirts, waiting for the transfer. Her eyes are silver in the moonlight. I try to focus on the street, but I keep coming back to her.

A summer breeze brushes over us and rustles her red hair. Crickets chirp beneath the trees behind us. She stands so straight, like a soldier. She’s not a soldier, and only ladies and spies stand with so much poise.

A shadow approaches from the street, dark cloak blending with the night. He stops three feet away.

Run, regretful man. You couldn’t save her.

“You have him?” she asks.

The shadow beckons and another steps into the moonlight, the young prince limp in his arms.

“You have the payment?” the shadow replies.

“The prince first,” I say. I take the risk.

The shadow snaps to me.

“Look out!” I feel someone approach from behind just as her cloak sweeps the back of my ankles.

Run, you tired hero, don’t forget her sacrifice…

I don’t forget. I can never forget.

I spin around as she crumples to the ground, her silver eyes on mine. Crimson rivers fill the space between the cobblestones.

“The boy…” Her last words. Her last breath.

…But always keep in mind it wasn’t you who took her life.

Fury floods my veins, and with it, fire. The night is set alight, and the silence is pierced by the shadows’ screams. The prince never wakes to see the ashes. My blackened hands. I cradle him in my arms, measuring his steady breath, praying I don’t leave stains on his snow-white blanket.

I turn to her. Vacant silver eyes fade to blue. Another will take her place.

The prince is safe. The mission complete.

I turn to take the prince back home. She died to protect him. So will I.

“Elyas. Elyas!”

I snap from my vision and realize I’m running, running, running. I pull to a stop and the youth behind me takes my arm.

“You ran again.”

As if I don’t know. As if I can scour the images from my mind.

I look into the face of the prince, and in the moonlight his eyes are silver. I stare.

“What?” He’s confused. Concerned.

He’s too young to know. Too young to understand. I never told him of the Moonwalkers. Never told him of her. He cannot be the one…

My voice is breathless. “Run.”

The Project Inspire Award

A couple of months ago I did the Project Inspire Tag, which was a wonderful opportunity to share about the people who have inspired me (and hopefully inspired you readers, as well). Well this is the Project Inspire Award, which is a related tag that has rules to tag people who have inspired you rather than leaving the questions open for anyone to take, and last week Chelsea R.H. of An Ordinary Pen tagged me. Thank you so much, Chelsea! ^-^

The Rules:

Thank the blogger that nominated you and link back to their blog.
Include the award graphic and button graphic (below) in your post. You can optionally use the button graphic to put on your site’s sidebar, making the image a link to your award post.
Answer the ten questions. If you mentioned people in your answers, be sure to link to their blogs if they have one.
Tag three other inspiring bloggers for the award. You won’t be giving them a new set of questions for this award, they just answer the same ones you did.

Character Interview: Hunter Eckard

Hunter is a friend of Rynn’s, and one of two Eckards who has a decent-sized part in The Masked Captain. He’s loyal, protective, supportive, and caring. Enjoy his interview. :)

Hunter: *comes in and shakes the interviewer’s hand* Hello.

Interviewer: Hello. How are you?

Hunter: Doing well. *takes a seat* How are you?

Interviewer: Not bad myself. Are you ready to get started?

Hunter: *nods*

Interviewer: What is your name?

Hunter: Hunter Elias Eckard.

Interviewer: How old are you?

Hunter: Twenty-two.

Interviewer: Do you have any siblings?

Hunter: *chuckles* I have an older brother and five younger siblings.

Interviewer: Are you close with your siblings?

Hunter: *nods* Definitely. We grew up doing everything together, and we’ve always been a close-knit family. I wish I could see them more often now.

Interviewer: What prevents that?

Hunter: My job. I’m a member of the border guard, so I’m permanently stationed at the edge of Scythia. I’m not too far from home, really, but the Vollak make it risky for anyone to come visit.

Interviewer: I’m sorry. Do you like your job?

Hunter: “Like” may be too strong a word, considering there’s a high risk of me dying, but I value the opportunity to protect my country and the people I care about.

Interviewer: What would you do if you weren’t a border guard?

Hunter: I think I’d be an entertainer of some sort. I love to make people laugh and crack jokes and pull pranks, so I think I’d choose something that lets me do that more freely.

Interviewer: I’m sure you’re able to raise your men’s spirits, though, at the border.

Hunter: *nods* Usually. But, of course, it doesn’t lessen the import of what we’re doing.

Interviewer: Of course not. Nor should it. *glances at question sheet* Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Hunter: An extrovert.

Interviewer: What is your favorite food?

Hunter: My mom’s chicken pot pie. It’s the best dinner one could ask for. With potatoes and a freshly-baked dinner roll on the side? Mm. What I wouldn’t give to have that again. *chuckles*

Interviewer: That sounds delicious. I hear your mother is quite the pie-maker.

Hunter: *nods* You heard right. We’ve encouraged her to open a bakery, but she always says she’d rather host people in the house because it’s more personal, and she’d want the smiles much more than the money.

Interviewer: An excellent baker and hostess. She seems like a lovely mother. *glances at list* What is your favorite color?

Hunter: Dark green.

Interviewer: Do you like to read?

Hunter: *nods* Not as much as Halder or Hayden–a couple of my brothers–but I do enjoy it when I get the chance. I especially enjoy desert fantasy.

Interviewer: Have you heard of Soldiers of the East? I hear those are quite popular in other areas; I don’t know if they’re available where you are.

Hunter: *nods again* Those are some of my favorites.

Interviewer: *gives a meaningful look toward the camera/author like “you’ve really got to find more favorite books for your characters”* *turns back to his list* What is your favorite animal?

Hunter: I like most animals. Horses, dogs, cats, birds… even wolves, though not of the variety that stand on two legs. *chuckles*

Interviewer: What are some of your hobbies?

Hunter: Telling stories, pulling pranks, telling jokes, playing cards, gardening, playing with my siblings and my nieces and nephew, running… If it involves family or the outdoors, chances are I enjoy it. *chuckles*

Interviewer: Good things to enjoy. How many nieces and nephews do you have?

Hunter: Two nieces and a nephew, so far. I suspect there will be another before too long, but don’t tell Brigitte I said that. *winks* She’s my sister-in-law.

Interviewer: My lips are sealed. *smiles* Which of these is most important to you: kindness, intelligence, or bravery?

Hunter: Kindness, with bravery in close second.

Interviewer: And honesty or selflessness?

Hunter: Selflessness.

Interviewer: What’s something you can’t leave home without?

Hunter: *holds up his right hand to show a wooden ring on his pinkie* My brother Horace is a woodworker, and when I was about ten he made this for me. He’s carved a dip into it for each of my siblings since.

Interviewer: Why a ring?

Hunter: *shrugs, lowering his hand and spinning the ring on his finger* Rings are generally used to remember things. Halder has a lute, Hayden has a wooden tree, because they have specific interests. Hadley and I have rings.

Interviewer: *nods* That’s very cool. Is there anything else you’d like to add before we wrap up?

Hunter: Just thank you for your time. *smiles*

Interviewer: All right. Then I think we’re done. *smiles* Thank you for your time, as well.

Hunter: *gets up and shakes the interviewer’s hand* You’re welcome. Athair bless you. *leaves*

5 Tips for Keeping a Writing Habit

Last Monday the Go Teen Writers 100-for-100 Challenge began, which is a challenge to write 100 words each day for 100 days. So far it’s been a huge boost for me and it’s gotten me actually putting my butt in the chair and my fingers to the keyboard for the past nine days (with one exception). Not only is it helping me boost the word count of my current project, but it’s also helping me to do something that almost every writing blog will tell you to do: build a habit. This is something I’ve always struggled with, but I’ve discovered a couple of tips that have helped me maintain my habit over the past week.

1. Set a Time

Personally, I set a goal to get up at six in the morning, have an hour-long quiet time, and then get my writing done. Setting a particular time to write–especially if you have an existing habit you can tie it to–is super helpful, because it allows you to tell yourself “No, this is my writing time. I’m not doing anything else. It’s writing time.” This also trains your brain to get into writing mode at a certain time. Now, have I started my writing at seven every morning over the past week? No. But that’s where the next tip comes in.

2. Decide to Write Anyway

So you got up and got ready for the morning, but then you got sucked into social media, or a sibling demanded your attention, or your parents asked you to tackle an extra chore and you didn’t get your writing done. That’s all right. Beating yourself up over it or saying “Oh well, it looks like I missed my window” aren’t beneficial mindsets to have. Instead, tell yourself you’re going to do it anyway. Force yourself, at the next available moment, to sit down and write. For the 100-for-100 Challenge, this is only 100 words, which doesn’t take very long, and if you’re a fast typist you can probably get between 100-600 words in just fifteen minutes and then get back to whatever else you need to do. (If you’re a slow typist, no worries. Words written are still progress, whether there are 1,000 of them or 100.)

3. Set a Low Goal

If you set yourself a low goal–100 words, ten minutes, one paragraph, one page–then you know you can hit it, even if you only have a couple of minutes. This makes it way easier to convince yourself that you can sit down and get it done than if you set a goal of 2,000 words right out of the gate (which I’ve been known to do in the past and have always failed at). It also eliminates the urge to beat yourself up for not reaching a larger goal. But just because your goal is low doesn’t mean you can’t far exceed that goal if you get on a roll or have more time than you thought or whatever, either. Whether you barely eke out your minimum or far exceed your own expectations, you’ve won.

4. Recognize Progress

I have a penchant for not acknowledging progress when it’s in small increments. I often completely forget that I’m published because the short stories I’ve released so far aren’t what I’ve always imagined publishing: they’re not lengthy, they’re not all that meaningful (in my mind, at least), they’re not host to characters I’ve been living with for years, most of them were spur-of-the-moment ideas rather than epics that had been marinating for ages. But that doesn’t mean they’re not published, that doesn’t mean they can’t reach people, that doesn’t mean they’re not progress toward my bigger goal of publishing novels. It’s important to remember that even if progress is small, even if you sometimes feel like you’re not getting anywhere, if you’re taking steps toward your goal you will eventually get there. It could be a few months, it could be several years, but the important thing is that you keep pushing forward and acknowledge your little victories. Those little victories are what are going to keep you encouraged and motivated to keep going.

5. Get Accountability

Having someone keeping you accountable (or even having someone else to keep accountable, which will in turn remind you to keep up with your own habit) is super helpful. Get someone you want to impress, or someone who’s really good at challenging you to get things done, or someone else who’s trying to build a new habit, and set a time to check in with each other. I challenged both my sister and my best friend to do the 100-for-100 Challenge with me, and I’ve been asking each evening if they’ve written their 100 words for the day. It keeps me accountable, because it makes me ask if I’ve gotten my 100 words done for the day, if one of us hasn’t then we can challenge each other to a word war, my sister can ask me for help if she needs it, etc. But the main thing is that we’re keeping each other accountable and challenging and helping each other to meet our goals for the day, and that makes so much difference. Doing something alongside someone is so much more encouraging than doing it all by yourself.

What’s the most helpful tool you’ve found for keeping up with your habits, or building new ones? Do you have a current writing habit or is that something you struggle with? Have you ever done the 100-for-100 Challenge? Let’s chat!

Do I Have That Book? Challenge

Jenna Terese did this tag last month and left it open, so I’m going to snag it. Thanks, Jenna! I’m not sure who originally created it, but it was a YouTube tag to begin with.

The Rules:

1. Time yourself trying to find each prompt on your shelf

2. Try and beat the time of the person who challenged you.

3. Don’t forget to tag your challenger and the original creator.

4. Have fun!

The Questions:
1. Do you have a book with tattered edges?

Tattered edges? No. Beat up edges? Yes. (Dreamtreaders, The Search for the Shadow Key, The Final Storm, and Isle of Swords by Wayne Thomas Batson, Dracula (a used copy), The Seer and the Sword by Victoria Hanley (also a used copy), and Eragon by Christopher Paolini, likely among others.) Deckled edges? Also nope.

2. Do you have a book with 3+ people on the cover?

Circle of Shadows by Evelyn Skye. I haven’t gotten around to reading this one yet.

3. Do you have a book based on another fictional story?

Spindle by Shonna Slayton, as well as three books of Norse mythology, Fairest by Gail Carson Levine, The Beast of Talesend by Kyle Robert Shultz, The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, The Mirror-Hunter Chronicles by yours truly, Heartless by Marissa Meyer… etc.

4. Do you have a book with a title 10 letters long?

Isle of Fire by Wayne Thomas Batson.

5. Do you have a book with a title that beings and ends with the same letter?

The Dressmaker’s Secret by Kellyn Roth.

6. Do you have a mass market paperback book?

The entire Dark Legacy of Shannara trilogy by Terry Brooks.

7. Do you have a book written by an author using a pen name?

I’m not familiar with which authors do or don’t use pen names, so I’m going to cheat a little and say Short Story Collection Vol. 1 and The Mirror-Hunter Chronicles by R.M. Archer. Oh! And I think Women of Kern by Maris McKay.

8. Do you have a book with a character’s name on it?

Fawkes by Nadine Brandes. Also Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Slayer Vol. 1 by various authors, The Rise of the Wyrm Lord by Wayne Thomas Batson, Dear Jamie, Love Rory by Micaiah Saldana, etc.

9. Do you have a book with two maps on it

The Girl of Ink & Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

10. Do you have a book that was turned into a TV show?

No. Though I can point you toward several that should be turned into TV shows. (Buffy: Tales of the Slayer was based on the series rather than the other way around.)

11. Do You have a book written by someone who is originally famous for something else? (Celebrity/Athlete/Politician/TV Personality…)

Not that I know of.

12. Do you have a book with a clock on the cover?

Dreamtreaders by Wayne Thomas Batson.

13. Do you have a poetry book?

I do not.

14. Do you have a book with an award stamp on it?

Isle of Fire by Wayne Thomas Batson has Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards stamp on it.

15. Do you have a book written by an author with the same initials as you?

I can only find two authors on my shelf with the same last initial as me, much less two matching initials. I didn’t realize R surnames were so uncommon (at least on my shelf).

16. Do you have a book of short stories?

Women of Kern by Maris McKay, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Slayer vol. 1 by various authors, Short Story Collection Vol. 1 and The Mirror-Hunter Chronicles by R.M. Archer, Wingfeather Tales by Andrew Peterson, and Four by Veronica Roth.

 17. Do you have a book that is in between 500-510 pages?

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer has 505 pages.

18. Do you have a book that was turned into a movie?

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve. From what I can tell, Peter Jackson ruined it.

19. Do you have a graphic novel?

No. I wouldn’t mind having one or two in the future, though.

20. Do you have a book written by 2 or more authors?

Project Canvas (edited by Caroline meek and Olivia Rogers), Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cory McCarthy, Buffy: Tales of the Slayer vol. 1, and maybe one or two more.

Nominees:

Allie at Of Rainy Days and Stardust Veins (you’ll have fun with this one. ;D)

Leila at Wildflowers and Cosmic Tea

And whoever else would like to do it!

Book Review: The Traveler by E.B. Dawson

At the beginning of this year I set a goal to read all of the Phoenix Fiction Writers’ books that I could get in paperback, by the end of the year. If I remember correctly that list was 25 books long, and so far I’ve read three off the list (as well as four PFW books that weren’t on my list, including a reread). I’m looking forward to significantly growing that number over the next few months, but for now I’m happy to focus on the lovely book that is The Traveler.

First off, I was immediately struck by how atmospheric and vivid the setting description is in this book. Throughout the book I was able to really enjoy the mood of the settings and feel (as much as I could) like I was in the book alongside the characters. The worlds themselves were very well-thought-out and intriguing, as well, and (being primarily a fantasy reader) I particularly enjoyed Angapo.

The characters are where I feel like this book fell a little bit flat. I liked all of the characters, but I didn’t feel like I really got to know them. I don’t think this is a fault in the development of the characters–I got the impression they were all fleshed out well–but in the writing. A lot of the emotions in this book were told rather than shown, including Anissa’s feelings toward the other characters, so I feel like I didn’t really get to connect with them like she did. Even with that said, I was able to particularly enjoy reading about Carson, Brett, and Rodge, and I’m looking forward to reading the short story companions/prequels to The Traveler and getting to know a few of the characters better.

The lack of emotional showing also impacted action scenes, which lost the tension they might have had if I’d been able to feel what Anissa was feeling. I think they were well-written otherwise, and they were still usually enjoyable to read, but I think they could have been even stronger with more sensory description.

My biggest problem with this book, however, was the moment my suspension of disbelief was most strongly tested. When Anissa drove for the first time, in a stick-shift, with minimal instruction, and didn’t pop the clutch on her first attempt. I’ve mostly driven an automatic, but I’ve also driven a stick-shift a couple of times, with leisurely, detailed instruction, and I pop the clutch almost. every. time. Yeah, I’m probably less coordinated with it than the average person, but the idea that Anissa didn’t pop the clutch until several minutes into her drive is pretty hard for me to believe. Am I being nit-picky? Maybe.

But overall, I really enjoyed this book. The writing was pretty good, most of the characters were interesting, I loved the worldbuilding and the atmosphere, so overall I’d give it 3.5 stars.

Character Interview: Tobe Narin

Tobe is a character who invited himself into The Masked Captain and shoved Ari aside to become Rynn’s confidante. He’s charming, intelligent, and will do anything to find the truth of a matter. Enjoy his interview!

Tobe: *comes in and shakes the interviewer’s hand with a broad smile* Good morning.

Interviewer: Good morning. How are you?

Tobe: *takes a seat* Doing well. How are you?

Interviewer: Also well. Are you ready to get started?

Tobe: *nods* Ready when you are.

Interviewer: What is your name?

Tobe: Tobe Narin.

Interviewer: How old are you?

Tobe: Twenty-two.

Interviewer: Do you have any siblings.

Tobe: I have an older brother, Keran.

Interviewer: Do you two get along well?

Tobe: *shrugs* Most of the time. But we’re brothers, so of course we’re not always on good terms. *chuckles*

Interviewer: Do you have a job?

Tobe: I’m part of the Peren division of the Scythian military.

Interviewer: Do you like your job?

Tobe: It’s getting better. The military has been useless for a long time, but we got a new captain recently, on King Rayth’s orders, and we’re finally beginning to do something about the Vollak threat.

Interviewer: That’s good. Very good. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Tobe: An extrovert.

Interviewer: Do you have a favorite food?

Tobe: Cheese pastries.

Interviewer: A favorite color?

Tobe: Dark grey.

Interviewer: Do you like to read?

Tobe: When I get the time. I’m particularly a fan of books that follow alternate histories of the world.

Interviewer: Interesting. Do you have a favorite animal?

Tobe: I like dogs. Wolf-dogs, especially.

Interviewer: What are some of your hobbies?

Tobe: *shrugs* I have a number of them.

Interviewer: Do you care to elaborate?

Tobe: It’s not all that interesting.

Interviewer: Which of these is most important to you: kindness, intelligence, or bravery?

Tobe: Intelligence.

Interviewer: And honesty or selflessness?

Tobe: Selflessness.

Interviewer: Is there anything you can’t leave home without?

Tobe: My sword. *taps the sheath of a narrow blade at his hip*

Interviewer: Thank you for your time.

Tobe: *nods and rises* Of course. Thank you for your interest. *shakes the interviewer’s hand before leaving*

5 Details to Bring Your Character to Life

As a character-driven author whose stories almost always come into being based on a cool character who took up residence in my brain, characters are something I often create by a subconscious process rather than through consciously fleshing them out. That’s why, for so long, roleplaying was a huge part of my character development process. Over the past few months, however, my character-building process has become more conscious and I’ve been able to identify some details that help make characters more realistic and engaging, so here are five details to think about when creating your characters.

Quirks

While the basic ideas for characters come to me quite naturally, creating deep and multi-faceted characters is something I feel like I’m still learning, and quirks are something I’m terrible at thinking up. This is actually one thing that I realized not from my own character development process but from my best friend Allie, who naturally comes up with really intriguing character quirks. It adds so much dimension to a character to give them a unique quirk. One of Allie’s characters in our collaborative story has vitiligo, and Allie decided her quirk is to trace around her spots with Sharpie. Another character has the ability to create anything out of nothing and tends to weave together threads of nothingness when he’s bored. The real key to these quirks is that they’re not random; they fit with the individual character and who they are and what they’re like as people and sort of enhance that by showing what they think of their traits by how they treat them.

Backstory

This is a broad topic, so I’ll try not to overload you with information, but giving your character a backstory and developing what they’ve gone through in their lives and how those events have shaped who they are is super important and adds a lot to a character. It’s important to know why your characters do the things they do and why they’re so passionate about the things they’re passionate about. I’ve written about backstory before and how it affects your characters’ present, so you can check out that post for some further insight.

Interests

Have you ever been writing a story and realized you have no idea what the characters should do next, or that they’ve been doing the same thing over and over again? (I’m guilty of having the characters in The Shadow Raven play incessant chess and do little else.) It might be time to think harder about your characters’ interests. When thinking about your characters’ interests, it might be helpful to look at their backstory. What did their parents like to do that they might have passed down? What are things they were encouraged to do or discouraged from doing when they were younger? (Depending on your character, they may be more likely to do the things they were encouraged to do or might be more likely to do the things they were discouraged from doing.)

Also think about their environment. Someone who lives in the forest with very few other people is probably going to have very different hobbies and interests from someone who lives in a bustling city, or at least have access to different hobbies as possibilities. Maybe your forest-dweller enjoys gardening, or hunting, or woodcarving, or tree-scaling; while your city-dweller likes shooting pool, going to the movies, or sightseeing. But don’t feel tied to stereotypes, either. Just because someone has limited choices doesn’t mean their choices are so limited as to only encompass the stereotypical interests of someone in your setting.

Relationships

Maybe this is just me, but I find character relationships to be one of the most interesting things about a character. Sure, I like characters on their own, but I also love seeing how characters interact with each other and how their relationships manifest. Is your MC teasing with one older brother but totally serious with another? Or maybe he’s teasing with his older brothers but extremely protective and wise with his younger brothers? Is he totally comfortable with that one girl he’s been friends with forever but totally awkward with any other female? First you develop the relationship, then you develop the why behind it, then you determine how the characters’ feelings for each other (good or bad) are displayed. (Or you can do those “out of order.” Whatever works with your writing process.) Relationships are a huge part of who your character is and how they behave, so don’t neglect them.

Values

Values are another thing that are strongly developed based on your character’s past. Values are instilled in us from the time we’re children by our parents, and as we get older we learn and grow and form our own opinions and values, on a foundation of what our parents taught us (even if we reject what they’ve taught us, we’re still going to see things in light of those values whether negatively or positively), and those values direct our actions. It should be no different for your characters. To use an example from a D&D campaign my family is playing, one of my characters has developed a great soft spot for young people. When you combine that with her recklessness and hatred of any sort of imprisonment of the innocent, she rushes headlong into a fight with someone who’s holding a teenage girl hostage without thinking about the consequences. Your character’s values are going to mix with their inherent character traits and strongly influence their actions. A character who’s usually quiet on political issues but has a strong distaste for rude debates and is a strong advocate for being civil with others even when in disagreement might speak up and write a blog post about the problems with social media debates. (In case you were wondering why that’s so oddly specific, and want to hear my thoughts on the matter, here’s the post I wrote.) If your character is all about protecting the lives of those in her country, she might rush off and get her military into shape to defend said country and then do her best to prioritize her men watching each other’s backs so she loses as few lives as possible.

What are some things you’ve found add a lot to your characters? Are you a plot- or character-driven author? What tools (online roleplaying, tabletop RPGs, character sheets) have you found most helpful when developing your characters? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!