Anne O’Connell Author Of Switched Welcome! Before you get started, why don't you tell us a little something about your newest release.
Brad has always known Kali as a vivacious Domme with an attitude.
Then one night, in the heat of passion, Kali turns completely submissive for
Brad. Looking to find out the reason behind the sudden and unexpected switch,
he and his friends begin digging into Kali's past only to discover some secrets
should be left buried. Will Kali's past come back haunt Brad and to destroy
Kali and their new relationship?
Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable.
Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable.
VAVAVAVOOMMMMM.... THAT IS ALL I CAN SAY. WOW HOT!!!
So today you wanted to discuss Characters. Please take the floor.
It’s
All About The Characters
Characters are a passion of mine. I love people watching
and finding out what makes a person tick. I think most writers are empathic in
this way. A friend of mine recently asked me how writers come up with compelling
heroes and heroines. Something Marion Zimmer Bradley once said to me in a
rejection letter years ago floated to the surface of my mind. She said, “Stories
are always about characters.” So where do our favorite writers get their
characters? Well, from those around us, of course. Most often my own characters
come from people I’ve known or met briefly. I often exaggerate their traits. So
it’s not like I can say one character in a novel equals one person I know it
real life. It’s not like that, not exactly.
No, in fact most of my characters are a mix of several people. Even my heroes and heroines. There’s also that mixture of fantasy in there; things I make up about the characters that resemble no one I know in real life. Heroes get a dash of alter-ego with characteristics I find admirable, but don’t often possess. That doesn’t always mean looks or wit or the ability to kick the bad guys’ keister while maintaining that ‘cool wind’ sex appeal, but can be about emotional strength as well. At the same time, even a hero has to cry or show weakness, otherwise (s)he is less human to the reader.
Characters are a multi-faceted thing. My mom once told me that I kind of freaked her out when I talk about my characters because she can never tell if I’m talking about a character or a friend. She even went as far as to wonder aloud, at one point, if I had multiple personalities. I imagine many jokes like that have been made at the expense of writers and their vivid and often overactive imaginations. I’m of the firm belief that characters have to become real to the writer (insofar as the writer can pretend very strongly) in order for the writer to write them and make them believable for the reader. For me this sometimes means writing pages and pages of character background, interviews, and really finding out what makes him/her tick. Of course a lot of time the characters come easily and all that pre-writing isn’t necessary. It really depends on the character and how cooperative (s)he is.
So despite the genre the thing that remains consistent through all fiction is the compelling character who draws the reader into the story. Someone the reader can relate to and cheer for (or not). It’s the characters who make or break stories and dictate whether or not the reader wants to keep reading. That isn’t to say story and plot aren’t important, but I’ve read books where the characters were so wonderful, clearly the plot holes were less noticeable to the editor, and I was certainly more forgiving toward the writer.
All of this leads to the final question. Who are your favorite characters and why?
No, in fact most of my characters are a mix of several people. Even my heroes and heroines. There’s also that mixture of fantasy in there; things I make up about the characters that resemble no one I know in real life. Heroes get a dash of alter-ego with characteristics I find admirable, but don’t often possess. That doesn’t always mean looks or wit or the ability to kick the bad guys’ keister while maintaining that ‘cool wind’ sex appeal, but can be about emotional strength as well. At the same time, even a hero has to cry or show weakness, otherwise (s)he is less human to the reader.
Characters are a multi-faceted thing. My mom once told me that I kind of freaked her out when I talk about my characters because she can never tell if I’m talking about a character or a friend. She even went as far as to wonder aloud, at one point, if I had multiple personalities. I imagine many jokes like that have been made at the expense of writers and their vivid and often overactive imaginations. I’m of the firm belief that characters have to become real to the writer (insofar as the writer can pretend very strongly) in order for the writer to write them and make them believable for the reader. For me this sometimes means writing pages and pages of character background, interviews, and really finding out what makes him/her tick. Of course a lot of time the characters come easily and all that pre-writing isn’t necessary. It really depends on the character and how cooperative (s)he is.
So despite the genre the thing that remains consistent through all fiction is the compelling character who draws the reader into the story. Someone the reader can relate to and cheer for (or not). It’s the characters who make or break stories and dictate whether or not the reader wants to keep reading. That isn’t to say story and plot aren’t important, but I’ve read books where the characters were so wonderful, clearly the plot holes were less noticeable to the editor, and I was certainly more forgiving toward the writer.
All of this leads to the final question. Who are your favorite characters and why?
Can I say Brad and Kali? HAHA!
Please share with us your future projects and upcoming
releases.
I have so many upcoming projects I can’t even list them. You
can find my upcoming releases page on www.anneoconnell.com
How can our readers find you?
www.anneoconnell.com - When you visit my site make sure you have
about 5-10 minutes to look around and get acquainted with it. There’s a lot
there including my blog, all the information about my novels, novella’s, etc….
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STOPPING BY TODAY. I HOPE EVERYONE ENJOYED IT AS MUCH AS I DID.
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