Honesty and Faults in Characters with Heather Thurmeier

Honesty and Faults
Characters are people too. That means they should have faults, just like we do. No one wants to read a book about Miss/Mr. Perfect. That would be seriously boring. And annoying.
Readers want conflict. They want action. They want emotion. And one of the best ways to fuel that is to give your characters some faults that hinder them in some way from moving forward in their lives. Give them something internal to overcome!
Sometimes faults are what make a super 'good' character seem more real. If Mr. Perfect actually is perfect, it's hard to fall in love with him because he doesn't seem like an actual person to the reader—no one is perfect all the time in every way. But giving him a little fault—internal pain, past regrets, a scar with a story, a chip on his otherwise perfectly sculpted shoulder—makes him more realistic and therefore believable. Readers want to believe your character could exist in their life. Being honest about who your character 'really' is pulls readers in to the story.
Other times we need to use faults as a way to soften a character who may otherwise come off as unlikable. Like Tali in LOVE ON LANDING. Tali is your typical rich b*tch. Or is she? Tali's rich and privileged. She's the kind of girl who can and does fly off to Paris on her private jet for some retail therapy to get over her ex. And she has an attitude as big as her bank account—not the most likeable person. So I gave her faults—family obligations she doesn't know how to get out of, a passion in life she has to push aside, and an attitude she uses to protect herself. All of these things take her from unlikeable b*tch to someone we can cheer for.
So go ahead, be honest with your characters and give them some faults! Your readers will thank you for it.
Heather Thurmeier~Heart, humor and a happily ever after
http://heatherthurmeier.com
Heather Thurmeier Bio
Heather Thurmeier was born and raised in the Canadian prairies, but now she lives in upstate New York with her own personal romance Hero (aka her husband) and their two little princesses. When she's not busy taking care of the kids and an adventurous puppy named Indy, Heather's hard at work on her next romance novel. She loves to hear from readers. Heart, humor, and a happily ever after.
Website: http://heatherthurmeier.comEmail: heatherthurmeier@gmail.comTwitter: @hthurmeierFacebook: Heather Thurmeier, author
LOVE ON LANDING (A Meadow Ridge Romance) Blurb:

When Tali tries to recover from a recent break-up with a trip to Paris for some retail therapy, she discovers shopping isn't the only way to cure her broken heart. On route, she meets new pilot, Gavin. Tali and Gavin have instant chemistry and friction as their personalities clash at 30,000 feet.
One night in bed isn't enough to quell the fireworks between Tali and Gavin and when tempers erupt, Tali's ex-boyfriend is there to pick up the pieces. Too bad she's finally realized what she really wants in life…and it isn't her ex or the life her father has planned back home.
Now all Tali wants is the man who loved her enough to tell her what she didn't want to hear, but can she win his heart back again on the trip home and find Love on Landing?
Excerpt:
Tali Radcliff leaned her head back against the headrest and gazed out the window. Raindrops splattered onto the double-paned glass blurring her view of the runway. Not that she could look past her sad, pathetic reflection anyway.The reflection staring back at her turned the raindrops to tears on her cheeks and she instinctively wiped them away, only to find her cheeks sensitive and slightly swollen. She sighed and closed her eyes, desperately trying to block out the urge to start crying again. Instead, she focused on the white noise of the engines revving as the jet picked up speed for takeoff.Her body pushed harder into the back of the soft, cream-colored leather seat, her stomach falling as the wheels of the aircraft left the solid tarmac below. The jet crept higher and higher, increasing the distance between Tali and the life she would temporarily leave behind—the heartache she tried so hard to forget.If only it were as easy as a little distance."Don't do it," she whispered. "You left your tears in your bedroom, where they belong." A beauty queen never cries unless she's got a shiny new tiara on her head and a bouquet of fragrant flowers in her arms.It was a good rule of thumb to remember, one she'd learned long ago and tried to stick to at all cost. Of course, sometimes she had to give in and cry, but not often. Tali wasn't a crier, she was far too feisty to give into silly tears.
Heather will be giving away a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Be sure to follow the tour here.