Dead New World Blog Tour: Creating the characters of DEAD NEW WORLD

Creating characters, in general, is a long process that requires a great deal of thought and detail. Nailing the tiniest of details is what really helps flesh a character out and make them three-dimensional. This is even more important when you're also creating a world for these characters to live in, like I did with DEAD NEW WORLD.
Holt, the main character, is the eyes and ears of the story. What he sees, the reader sees. I wanted someone who not only came with their own sets of hopes, desires, and problems, but could serve as a sort of every man for the story. Of all the characters in DNW, Holt is probably the most relatable. His main goal, save the nurse he loves, propels the entire story forward. Holt is also dealing with all kinds of guilt over what happened to his best friend, Ambrose. 
The biggest idea I had for DNW was to have some people survive the zombie virus, since no virus is 100% lethal. I wanted to explore what that would be like for someone. How would humans threat them? How would he feel about himself, trapped between two worlds? Would he prefer the company of humans, or zombies? Does he even want to live? Those conflicts rage within Ambrose, and his main goal is to figure out exactly who he is, and where he belongs. 
Holt and Ambrose are both 17. This is the only world they've known. So, creating the adult characters, I tried to think about how this zombie-infested world would have shaped their point-of-view. I also wanted to focus on the religious aspect of the zombie apocalypse. I figured if the dead started rising from the grave, a lot of people would take that as irrefutable proof God existed, so every character is spiritual in some way, especially DNW's villain, The Reverend. 
Like Ambrose, he's survived infection, and instead of choosing one side or the other, he's decided to go his own way. Not only does he want to destroy the government that turned their back on his, he feels that zombies are God's children, and that everyone deserves a chance to become one of His chosen. He's won countless thousands to his cause. Since, like Ambrose, he can communicate with zombies, he's been able to build a massive army full of both humans and zombies. 
How will it all turn out? Read DEAD NEW WORLD to find out!

About Ryan Hill:Growing up, Ryan Hill used to spend his time reading and writing instead of doing homework. This resulted in an obsession with becoming a writer, but also a gross incompetence in the fields of science and mathematics. A graduate of North Carolina State University, Ryan has been a film critic for over five years. He lives in Raleigh, NC, with his dog/shadow Maggie. Ryan also feels strange about referring to himself in the third person.

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