Kill or be Killed

Author Insights: Some authors seem to kill characters frequently. When should a character die in a book?

L. J. Bonham: The second they deserve it (chuckle). Seriously, all characters should only live as long as needed in the story. An author shouldn’t fall too deeply in love with any character. It is good to remember a basic principle of military leadership - don’t get too close to your subordinates, you may have to order them to their deaths someday.

AI: What determines a character’s fate in your books?

LJB: When I write historical fiction, I am constrained by historical facts. If a person died at a certain place or time, you have to adhere to that, unless it’s a “what if” book. Let’s be honest, some characters are created with the sole purpose to get killed. Michael Newton calls them throw away characters. Others, such as protagonists and primary antagonists, need to stick around through most of they story.

AI: Are you deeply attached to your characters?

LJB: Some, such as Edward de Clopton in “Shield of Honor” (Sky Warrior Books, 2013), William de Clopton in “The Debt” (Sky Warrior Books, 2013), Thorolf Gierolfson in “Wolves of Valhalla” (Sky Warrior Books, 2013), plus some of the supporting characters such as Lady Claire, Lady Valeraine, Gudrid (Thorolf’s wife), and Sir Thomas Erpingham.

AI: So would you kill any primary characters in a story?

LJB: If I thought the work would benefit from it, absolutely, but I wouldn’t do it lightly. Their deaths would have to move other major characters forward or be necessary to the story’s arc. Another factor is reader expectations. You don’t kill a character readers have loyally followed for years without a rock solid reason that they will understand and accept. Perhaps that character has aged physically through a series of books and the logical moment for their departure has arrived.

AI: So who are you going to kill off next?

LJB: You’ll just have to buy my books and find out like everyone else.