Character Driven Books

Years and years ago I had all sorts of appreciation for science fiction and fantasy. I had tons of ideas and things I wanted to do and share with regards to it, but it turned out I had a rough time staying focused. Forget about writing, just narrowing down something so I could write about it was virtually impossible. I managed a few crappy pieces here and there, but that' exactly what they were, crap.

I read something written by R.A. Heinlein that changed all of that. It wasn't one of his books, but a letter to somebody who was a fan of his and wanted to become a writer themselves. I might be wrong, but I think it was Spider Robinson that he was corresponding with. Regardless, what he told him stuck with me and changed the way I started writing. It was about making stories about characters, not about worlds or ideas. Those are just details and plot devices, it's the characters that people want to read about. Characters are what people identify with. If that wasn't the case we'd be happy watching paint dry!

Ever since I've had no problem writing. The trick is creating characters that are flawed and interesting. Characters that need to learn and evolve throughout the course of a book. And, of course, characters I can toss into a meat grinder to force a little extra fun out of them.

My favorite characters are women. Not because I've got any disturbing emotional issues or because I had an awkward relationship with my parents when I was younger. No, I think I prefer writing about female characters because society expects them to be more vulnerable and weak. Anybody who's read any of my books knows that my chicks are never weak. Sure, maybe they have troubled times but who doesn't? By the end they've all become strong characters that generally kick a little proverbial ass along the way.

I can't help it, I like to show that even some of the most troubled and screwed up women out there can find their niche and do some damage. Take Jessie from my books Wanted and Ice Princess as an example. She starts out as a serious mess and has her share of relapses and roadblocks along the way, but life's about fighting, not about giving up. Once she learns that it's only a matter of time until she shows signs of being worthy of the air she's been breathing.

Or there's Katalina, the upcoming star in a soon to be released book called The Lost Girls. She's police detective with a chip on her shoulder and an overstuffed set of luggage full of issues. She's a great female lead, my only problem was trying to keep her self-destructive from doing her in long enough so that she'd have a chance to show just how incredible she really is. The Lost Girls is coming out soon, a few weeks at the outset, so I won't share any spoilers about her or it. Nonetheless, I feel pretty confident it's going to be a great book and I'm very proud of it and her. So proud I wrote two follow up sequels to it before even releasing the first one!

Until then, go check out Wanted and Ice Princess – they're doing great for a writer like me who came out of nowhere and insisted that even an everyday guy like me can put something worth reading out there. Wanted's been floating between the 10,000 and 20,000 rating marks on Amazon, this is a great opportunity to stick it to the man and join the team of the peasant hero, admission is only $.99 on Amazon to pick up a copy of Wanted!

Wanted, on Amazon

Ice Princess, on Amazon