Victoria Marshal's Blog, page 2

Read the First Chapter Free!

Good news! I finally have permission to release the first chapter of Bookended By Beauty Queens as a free sample. If you’ve been curious about Bookended by Beauty Queens, but weren’t sure you wanted to take a chance on a new author, just click one of the hyper links in this post to be taken to the PDF of chapter one.

CLICK HERE FOR CHAPTER ONE! 

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Flaws Make Character

When I think of characters who I love, I find myself drawn to characters that have some kind of major flaw.  To me a character that has doubts and insecurities to overcome is a character I can get behind.

These characters, despite their flaw, are not necessarily weak.  They simply lack in some area that feels insurmountable to them. When I’m reading, and I see a character bump up against their personal stumbling block time and again, I can feel myself rooting for them. When (if) they do triumph, a surge of joy rushes through me. I have been known to shout, “yes!” at these moments if the stakes in the story are high enough.

This is probably why I created the characters I have in Bookended by Beauty Queens. Angie Palmer has never quite recovered from growing up sandwiched between two beauty queen sisters. She grew up relying on her intelligence to get her through, and doesn’t make lasting friendships. She is a damaged character.

Before I began shopping Bookended by Beauty Queens, I sent the manuscript to various writer’s contests, because that’s what I was told writers have to do to get noticed. The first contest comment I got back was, “Why doesn’t this woman just grow up and move on with her life instead of being caught in high-school crap.”

I am surprised by this remark. Based on the number of women I know who refuse to go to their high-school reunions, and refuse to friend “certain people” on Facebook for reasons dating back to high-school, I think quite a few people have difficulty “growing up” and “moving on”. You know people like this too. I know you do. There is always something in the past that still affects us as adults, even if we only admit it to our therapists.

I believe Angie’s hang-ups from her past make her more human.

Angie’s major flaw, the thing she needs to overcome, is still being affected by her sister’s queen-dom. This is the springboard for her journey through the book. If she didn’t have some emotional obstacle, what would be the point?

Character flaws keep us guessing, and invested in the character’s journey. Will this person overcome? Sometimes they can’t or won’t. If the writer did their job, the choice should make sense to you as a reader.

All of the characters in Bookended by Beauty Queens have flaws of their own, some major, some minor, but to me all very human. I don’t want to read about characters who are perfect, and I sure don’t want to write them. No, for me, bring on the flaws.

 

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Interview on Babs Book Bistro!

Hi All,

Please drop by Babs Book Bistro to read her interview with me. She asked some tough questions. I was especially stumped by, what character from you book would you be? Click HERE to find out my answer!

Thank you Babs Book Bistro for hosting me today!!!!

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