# Hey! Where did he come from?!



## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

After reading and posting on Edward's thread on Snippets, and after looking at the other threads, I see that authors seem to have one thing in common: They love their characters. I thought maybe that we should have a thread that we use to talk about our characters, you know, tell everyone about our favorite characters, the ones that make us tick and talk about how they evolved, or where they came from. I have had a number of readers ask me how I came up with so and so or such and such and I'm always just overflowing with the answers, overjoyed at the chance to talk about my knights and their ladies and my villains and other characters, especially the fairies, sorcerers (esses) and such. So what do you think? Want to say something about your leading ladies, guys, creatures or whatever? I'd say we should try to keep them sized to about the size of the posting window if possible so we don't get carried away. I can't wait to see what comes up. Happy Reading! Happy Writing! And Happy whatever else you might be doing!


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

OK, so I guess I should go first and see what happens and if no one responds then we'll let it go. 
One of my favorite characters, who comes in along in one of the later books is Sam (nickname), an elven chieftain.  He is a very wordy little fellow who always assumes that everyone knows what he is talking about.  He outs everything on everyone in general and then blinks at them in consternation when they react to his revelations negatively.  He loves using descriptive words, stringing them together like popcorn tinsel until someone, usually someone impatient like the Knight of Death makes him stop.  He is short as are most elven creatures, has long, silvery blonde hair in which he attaches all manner of things, including smaller fairy creatures, feathers, flowers, bugs, crystals, silver and gold,etc.  He wears soft, leather clothes green in color and carries a variety of weapons including spears, swords, bows and arrows and knives.  He is very nimble, can hide in trees and knows how to manipulate humans to get what he wants from them.  He can sleep almost anywhere and he, of course, has pointed ears as tradition requires.


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## Kevis Hendrickson (Feb 28, 2009)

Brendan,

My characters are often born out of an emotional curiosity. I have always been interested in the concept of "The Messiah" and thought about how interesting it would be to revisit the Biblical account of the life of Jesus and give it an alternate ending. This was the germ that led to the creation of one of my most important and interesting characters.

In the case of my character Laris Goddaya, who is half-human and half-fairy, I wondered what it would be like if a character was born with the greatest power imaginable, but had never been shown any love. Laris is a teenager who is shunned by her mother's people because she has human blood. But humans hold her in contempt as well because she is part fairy. Unbeknown to anyone, Laris is really of divine origin and has been sent by the gods to save the world. But the cruelty shown Laris affects her deeply and makes her feel reviled and alone.

Laris possesses the most beautiful soul and is fiercely loyal. But the scorn she feels when she is around others begins to awaken the darker feelings within her, setting the stage for her to be corrupted by those who would seek to control her.

In the case of Laris I wondered, What if the world turned its back on its savior? What kind of repercussions would that have for the "chosen one" and the people who allowed her to become the unwilling victim of evil? What would happen if the world's "Messiah" was never given the opportunity to fulfill her destiny? What if the cruelty and bigotry of the world transformed the Messiah into the Antichrist?

That was the thinking behind the creation of Laris and the vehicle for one of the major story arcs in my fantasy book The Legend of Witch Bane (The Witch Bane Saga).


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

_Kevis said "In the case of Laris I wondered, What if the world turned its back on its savior? What kind of repercussions would that have for the "chosen one" and the people who allowed her to become the unwilling victim of evil?"_

That's a very interesting question, Kevis. Gives us something to ponder. What if? Thanks for posting.


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Brendan Carroll said:


> OK, so I guess I should go first and see what happens and if no one responds then we'll let it go.
> One of my favorite characters, who comes in along in one of the later books is Sam (nickname), an elven chieftain. He is a very wordy little fellow who always assumes that everyone knows what he is talking about. He outs everything on everyone in general and then blinks at them in consternation when they react to his revelations negatively. He loves using descriptive words, stringing them together like popcorn tinsel until someone, usually someone impatient like the Knight of Death makes him stop. He is short as are most elven creatures, has long, silvery blonde hair in which he attaches all manner of things, including smaller fairy creatures, feathers, flowers, bugs, crystals, silver and gold,etc. He wears soft, leather clothes green in color and carries a variety of weapons including spears, swords, bows and arrows and knives. He is very nimble, can hide in trees and knows how to manipulate humans to get what he wants from them. He can sleep almost anywhere and he, of course, has pointed ears as tradition requires.
> 
> Hey! That's a SHOCK! I just knew you would talk about somebody else. SAM! Yep I like him, you are right, VERY wordy...I wish I could meet him and Paddy Puffingtowne (sorry if I spelled that wrong) I surely thought if you weren't going to mention one of the main characters, it would be Paddy or Lemarik. I like both of them.
> ...


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Kevis Hendrickson said:


> Brendan,
> 
> My characters are often born out of an emotional curiosity. I have always been interested in the concept of "The Messiah" and thought about how interesting it would be to revisit the Biblical account of the life of Jesus and give it an alternate ending. This was the germ that led to the creation of one of my most important and interesting characters.
> 
> ...


She seems pretty interesting too, you authors could enjoy each others books it seems! Do you have a series of books with her? I get sooo attached to characters that I don't want to finish the book, because I feel I will have abandonment issues! Like the ones that go on in at least one other book. But, I still love AnY good fantasy type.
Anybody know how to prevent this page from jumping while you type?


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

Brendan Carroll said:


> I thought maybe that we should have a thread that we use to talk about our characters, you know, tell everyone about our favorite characters, the ones that make us tick and talk about how they evolved, or where they came from.


This could become a most awesome thread 

One of my favorite characters has been Steven, the dead guy from It's Not About The Cookies. While I don't sit around carrying on conversations with dead people, Steven is based on someone who most certainly was real, and writing for the character forced me to take a long hard look at myself and how I was using things in my past as an excuse for things I should be doing in there here and now. Like Sam, the main character in the book, I hadn't been home to see family in nearly 15 years; if not for listening to Steven's voice, trying to understand him a little better, I might not have gone back when I did (my mother had a heart attack and a stroke at the same time...yet still, without that literary kick in the butt, I might not have gone.)


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

Kevis Hendrickson said:


> In the case of Laris I wondered, What if the world turned its back on its savior? What kind of repercussions would that have for the "chosen one" and the people who allowed her to become the unwilling victim of evil? What would happen if the world's "Messiah" was never given the opportunity to fulfill her destiny? What if the cruelty and bigotry of the world transformed the Messiah into the Antichrist?


All righty...this was enough to get me to click on Buy It Now. Those are giant What If questions... I've had the fleeting thought of a story that posed the question _What if the weight of the world crushed the person intended to save it_, but I've never had the answer...


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## Carolyn Kephart (Feb 23, 2009)

Brendan Carroll said:


> I see that authors seem to have one thing in common: They love their characters ... Want to say something about your leading ladies, guys, creatures or whatever?


Hm. Quite a few of my characters wouldn't enjoy being talked about. 

I can't say I 'love' them, because if I did I'd probably spoil them. My best creations are conflicted souls who go against their own inner nature because of forces beyond their control. A particular reader favorite is Lord Michael Essern, my hero Ryel's nemesis, whose powerful wysardry is enhanced by a demonic heritage he wants no part of; his brother, general of a queen's army, is likewise afflicted and driven to terrible acts that give him great anguish. I really enjoy writing those two.

CK


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## rho (Feb 12, 2009)

just want to say this is a fun read -- more authors come on in and tell us about your favorite character...


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Thumper said:


> This could become a most awesome thread


Thank you so much Thumper! I'm glad you stopped by and thanks to everyone else as well. I'll be looking for more tomorrow, but now the real world calls me away... 

Brendan


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## Kevis Hendrickson (Feb 28, 2009)

Meredith Sinclair said:


> She seems pretty interesting too, you authors could enjoy each others books it seems! Do you have a series of books with her? I get sooo attached to characters that I don't want to finish the book, because I feel I will have abandonment issues! Like the ones that go on in at least one other book. But, I still love AnY good fantasy type.


Meredith,

I totally intend to feature Laris in other books. Since she is my creation, I am biased. But I absolutely adore Laris! She has a rich storyline and so much built-in inner conflict that I want to find out as much about her as possible. With that said, I agree with you. When we create characters who we strongly identify with, it's really tough to simply turn the page and forget about them. Even so, I am an author who believes that sometimes too much of a good thing is a bad thing. The last thing any author wants to do is to create a character or story that gets tiresome. All things should be done in moderation, even when it comes to writing stories about our favorite characters. Hopefully, I, like all my wonderful fellow authors out there, can find the right balance between nurturing an ongoing love affair with my characters, and the need to tell a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Thumper,

I agree those are really big questions. I'm still wracking my brain over the answer as well! Considering you flirted with the same epic themes, I hope you find Witch Bane worthy of the questions it dares to ask!


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## MichaelS (May 22, 2009)

Thumper said:


> This could become a most awesome thread
> 
> One of my favorite characters has been Steven, the dead guy from It's Not About The Cookies. While I don't sit around carrying on conversations with dead people, Steven is based on someone who most certainly was real, and writing for the character forced me to take a long hard look at myself and how I was using things in my past as an excuse for things I should be doing in there here and now. Like Sam, the main character in the book, I hadn't been home to see family in nearly 15 years; if not for listening to Steven's voice, trying to understand him a little better, I might not have gone back when I did (my mother had a heart attack and a stroke at the same time...yet still, without that literary kick in the butt, I might not have gone.)


I agree.  But where are the rest of you authors?  Getting to know all these guys/characters makes me want to read more! Maybe I could call in sick tomorrow. No that would not work I am the BOSS* *


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

My reader's favorite character, hands down, is Simone DeFleurry, the unflappable drag-queen from The Jade Owl. Now we all know about drag queens, or do we? When I decided that one of the China sleuths would be a drag queen, I didn't want him to be just another stereotype, so I sat down with several drag queens of my acquaintance. I soon learned that being a drag queen had less to do with transvestism and more with "style." So Simone (Simon Geldfarb) is "just as much a man as any other, only packaged a little differently." Of course, he's coupled to the protagonist, Nick Battle and also provides most of the practical solutions to the mysteries encountered. However, Simone's character arcs, never remaining static. He learns, reacts and punctuates the novel with life lessons and a crystal clear view of a world that exists because it needs to exist. From the first time we meet Simone singing his keynote song at The Painted Lips to her trudge up the hills of San Francisco at night after a show (some 1,500 pages later in The Dragon's Pool), Simone anchors the series and gives it a unique flare. Now my favorite character is in Turning Idolater, but more of that later. The clock on the wall has just struck midnight and this gal need to go to work in the morning.

Edward C. Patterson


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## MichaelS (May 22, 2009)

edwpat said:


> My reader's favorite character, hands down, is Simone DeFleurry, the unflappable drag-queen from The Jade Owl. Now we all know about drag queens, or do we? When I decided that one of the China sleuths would be a drag queen, I didn't want him to be just another stereotype, so I sat down with several drag queens of my acquaintance. I soon learned that being a drag queen had less to do with transvestism and more with "style." So Simone (Simon Geldfarb) is "just as much a man as any other, only packaged a little differently." Of course, he's coupled to the protagonist, Nick Battle and also provides most of the practical solutions to the mysteries encountered. However, Simone's character arcs, never remaining static. He learns, reacts and punctuates the novel with life lessons and a crystal clear view of a world that exists because it needs to exist. From the first time we meet Simone singing his keynote song at The Painted Lips to her trudge up the hills of San Francisco at night after a show (some 1,500 pages later in The Dragon's Pool), Simone anchors the series and gives it a unique flare. Now my favorite character is in Turning Idolater, but more of that later. The clock on the wall has just struck midnight and this gal need to go to work in the morning.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


Just wondering... do you guys/gals "identify" with any of your characters as maybe being like an alter-ego type thing?

I worked with a guy who "performed" at night... well, that is what he called it back then, and he was this really awesome guy that no one really knew, except the Regional Director and myself, he was very discreet and he did not want anyone else to really know him. I actually felt like he may have been depriving the rest of the crew, because he really was just a really unique guy to be around. I think he probably would have "wrote" himself as the guy he was at night... strange how some people just stick in your brain... I heard years later that he passed away in the 90's. I think of him from time to time and this post brought him back to mind.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

There's a part of me in every one of my characters. I mean in the Jade Owl there's a character (Griffen Jones), who is a one-eyed Cherokee, and here I am, a half-blinded Native American - can't get closer than that. However, any one of us, for the most part would be a boring read. Part of me is interesting, and that part is infused with traits from both research and other people I know or don't know (celebrities drift into my characterizations more often than not). The reason. Tolkien once said that fantasy (he called it faerie) is a one off reality. In this way the reader is anchored to something established, and yet set off kilter by the shadowy differences. So too with characterizations. My traits bleed inside a character, and that blood is recognizable, by me and the reader - a self-realization, but then the character is shunted to some shadowing subtext that can only be guessed at - never fully stated. This makes them more real, and yet less so, but indeed more interesting and engaging. Likeability is important in character development (even with villains). I don't think readers would like a straight line depiction of "me." But that part of me - the God-part — that, on the other hand, can be brought to the heart and nurtured.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

edwpat said:


> My reader's favorite character, hands down, is Simone DeFleurry, the unflappable drag-queen from The Jade Owl. Now we all know about drag queens, or do we? Now my favorite character is in Turning Idolater, but more of that later. The clock on the wall has just struck midnight and this gal need to go to work in the morning.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


I believe that everyone has to have anchor characters if not main heroes and/or villains (esses). Personally, I like villainesses better and probably have more female villains in my stories because I think that women villains are much more appealing, more threatening and more 'villainous' than the typical bad guy (unless it's Johnny Depp!) Personally, I don't know any drag queens, but would be honored to meet a few. They have to be interesting people with great stories to tell. I've always loved it when some of my favorite movie actors play those parts like Dustin Hoffman (Ms. Doubtfire), Chris Tucker (Fifth Element). Flamboyant and very entertaining characters. Don't get me wrong. I know that real people are not actors... er, actors are not real people... er... well, shut up, Brendan!


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## Kevis Hendrickson (Feb 28, 2009)

edwpat said:


> There's a part of me in every one of my characters...My traits bleed inside a character, and that blood is recognizable, by me and the reader - a self-realization, but then the character is shunted to some shadowing subtext that can only be guessed at - never fully stated. This makes them more real, and yet less so, but indeed more interesting and engaging.
> Edward C. Patterson


Too true. I am still waiting to meet the character in one of my stories that doesn't share a semblence of sorts with me. Even the diabolical ones. He, he!


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Brendan Carroll said:


> I believe that everyone has to have anchor characters if not main heroes and/or villains (esses). Personally, I like villainesses better and probably have more female villains in my stories because I think that women villains are much more appealing, more threatening and more 'villainous' than the typical bad guy (unless it's Johnny Depp!) Personally, I don't know any drag queens, but would be honored to meet a few. They have to be interesting people with great stories to tell. I've always loved it when some of my favorite movie actors play those parts like Dustin Hoffman (Ms. Doubtfire), Chris Tucker (Fifth Element). Flamboyant and very entertaining characters. Don't get me wrong. I know that real people are not actors... er, actors are not real people... er... well, shut up, Brendan!


I Love, LoVe, LOVE, this place you guys are very entertaining, I have been lurking here and there... and I like to see how your brains are working...


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## Carolyn Kephart (Feb 23, 2009)

MichaelS said:


> Just wondering... do you guys/gals "identify" with any of your characters as maybe being like an alter-ego type thing?


I very much identify with my protagonist, Ryel Mirai. He grew up as a nomad, then left everything he knew to devote his life to learning, then returned to the world to make it better if he could. Naturally, lots of things get in his way regarding the latter. 

One of my favorite reviews notes that all my men act and sound like men, and that it's difficult to tell my gender from my writing.

As for my villains...no. Nothing at all in common with those egregious rotters.

CK


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## Kevis Hendrickson (Feb 28, 2009)

Meredith Sinclair said:


> I Love, LoVe, LOVE, this place you guys are very entertaining, I have been lurking here and there... and I like to see how your brains are working...


This is the first time I have ever publicly mentioned it anywhere. But I think women are far cooler than men. In fact, the women in my stories are far more powerful and influential than the men. I'm that guy who always wonders what this world would be like if women controlled it instead of men (not a real fan of our patriachal history). I think my stories are a blast to read because women are the dominant species, not men. Can stories really get any better than that? My opinion anyway.


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Kevis Hendrickson said:


> This is the first time I have ever publicly mentioned it anywhere. But I think women are far cooler than men. In fact, the women in my stories are far more powerful and influential than the men. I'm that guy who always wonders what this world would be like if women controlled it instead of men (not a real fan of our patriachal history). I think my stories are such a blast to read because women are the dominant species, not men. Can stories really get better than that? My opinion anyway.


WOW! I'm LoVin' ya a lot more now Kevis, of course women are powerful  We are the ones who control all the kids right? Like a great Lion tamer!


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## Kevis Hendrickson (Feb 28, 2009)

Brendan Carroll said:


> I believe that everyone has to have anchor characters if not main heroes and/or villains (esses). Personally, I like villainesses better and probably have more female villains in my stories because I think that women villains are much more appealing, more threatening and more 'villainous' than the typical bad guy (unless it's Johnny Depp!) Personally, I don't know any drag queens, but would be honored to meet a few. They have to be interesting people with great stories to tell. I've always loved it when some of my favorite movie actors play those parts like Dustin Hoffman (Ms. Doubtfire), Chris Tucker (Fifth Element). Flamboyant and very entertaining characters. Don't get me wrong. I know that real people are not actors... er, actors are not real people... er... well, shut up, Brendan!


Speaking of powerful female characters (or villianesses), the major villain in my book The Legend of Witch Bane is a woman called Queen Rhiannon Eldess. She's an amalgamation of many evil figures in history including Hitler and Stalin. But more importantly she embodies the worst characteristics of the most evil women that ever lived especially Elizabeth Bathory. If you don't know who Elizabeth Bathory is she's the 16th century Hungarian princess who murdered over 600 girls, drinking and bathing in their blood to gain the power of immortality. Bathory is easily one of the most sadistic and evil figures in history and I drew influence from her in my creation of Rhiannon. Queen Rhiannon is definitely a dastardly and malignant figure, but it is fun to come up with characters like this because they represent everything that normal people abhor.


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Kevis Hendrickson said:


> Speaking of female characters (or villianesses). The major villain in my book The Legend of Witch Bane is a woman called Queen Rhiannon Eldess. She's an amalgamation of many evil figures in history including Hitler and Stalin. But more importantly she embodies the worst characteristics of the most evil women that ever lived especially Elizabeth Batohry. Anyone of yo uwho knows who Elizabeth Bathory is she's the hungarina princess who murdered over 600 girls, drinking and bathing in thier blood to gain the power of immortality. bathory is easily one of the most sadistic and evil figures in history and I drew influence from her in my creation of Rhiannon. Queen Rhiannon is defintely a dastardly and malignant figure, but it is fun to come up with characters like this becuause they represent everything that normal people abhor.


    Ok....now you're *scaring* me... she was pure evil... and I notice you use lots of big words like Brendan... Aaaaaaaahhhh!


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## Kevis Hendrickson (Feb 28, 2009)

Meredith Sinclair said:


> WOW! I'm LoVin' ya a lot more now Kevis, of course women are powerful  We are the ones who control all the kids right? Like a great Lion tamer!


Exactly Meredith,

I'm a historian and am constantly wondering how the heck did men get to control the world. Women outnumber men and not by a little bit (I believe the current ratio is 6 1/2 women to every 1 male.) And as much as I love the old fairy tales like Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, I think there has been too much indoctrination going on over the centuries. I guess that's why I love the Amazons. They created a model of life that was anti-establishment and challenged the convention that men were superior to women. I am fortunate that I was raised around strong-willed women who took no crap off of the men in their lives and shattered the idea that women are the weaker vessel. Women rock and I'll go to my grave believing it!!!


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## Carolyn Kephart (Feb 23, 2009)

Kevis Hendrickson said:


> I'm a historian and am constantly wondering how the heck did men get to control the world.


I grew up around soldiers and very quickly learned. 

CK


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Kevis Hendrickson said:


> Exactly Meredith,
> 
> I'm a historian and am constantly wondering how the heck did men get to control the world. Women outnumber men and not by a little bit (I believe the current ratio is 6 1/2 women to every 1 male.) And as much as I love the old fairy tales like Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, I think there has been too much indoctrination going on over the centuries. I guess that's why I love the Amazons. They created the a model of life that was anti-establishment and challenged the convention that men were superior to women. I am fortunate that I was raised around strong-willed women who took no crap off of the men in their lives and shattered the idea the idea that women are the weaker vessel. Women rock and I'll go to my grave believing it!!!


Thanks for being ... WISE.... Kevis! Besides I did not _know_ it until I experienced this myself, but baby girls are *born * the stronger gender as well. BTW... I'm not really scared... I'm BRAVE & STRONG!  & & Kevis, I am already becoming a fan.


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## Kevis Hendrickson (Feb 28, 2009)

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Ok....now you're *scaring* me... she was pure evil... and I notice you use lots of big words like Brendan... Aaaaaaaahhhh!


Meredith,

I agree Elizabeth Bathory is quite the frightening figure. Probably the most scary I've ever heard about. With that said, you must admit. It is quite intriguing to learn about figures like her. Especially since it goes very far to reaffirm the normalcy of the average folk. You and I would have a lot to worry about if we spent our nights trying to figure out new ways to kill young girls like Bathory did. Nothing normal about that.


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## Kevis Hendrickson (Feb 28, 2009)

Carolyn Kephart said:


> I grew up around soldiers and very quickly learned.
> 
> CK


Unfortunately, CK you hit the nail right on the head! I can't shake the feeling that this world would be better off if it were the other way around.


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Kevis Hendrickson said:


> Speaking of female characters (or villianesses). The major villain in my book The Legend of Witch Bane is a woman called Queen Rhiannon Eldess.


Oh, yeah, I know this Bathory chic. She lived two blocks over in a former incarnation of mine as a chimney sweep in Hungary. Let me tell you! I wouldn't clean her chimney!! I, too, have a Queen of most evilness, she lives in the Abyss and gives everyone a fit after the Templars inadvertantly wake her up. Coincidentally, she is the main adversary in Book IX (that's 9 or nine for non-Romans out there). Yeppers, the very same IX that somehow got confused with VI (6 or six). I have this problem with numbers... anyway as I have said. I love evil women... I mean characters, FGS!


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## Carol Hanrahan (Mar 31, 2009)

One of the characters in Baling is Lainey, a mischievous 15 year old, who is introduced to the story by sneaking a ride on one of the dairy cows on her farm.  As she goes bounding across the field on the bucking cow, Nick (main character) is enthralled with her, and is determined to see her again.  Lainey keeps Nick and his brother busy all summer, usually getting them into scrapes of one sort or another......
I do have one bad word in the book.  HE- "double toothpicks"

Other than that, it's rather clean.


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Carol Hanrahan said:


> One of the characters in Baling is Lainey, a mischievous 15 year old, who is introduced to the story by sneaking a ride on one of the dairy cows on her farm. As she goes bounding across the field on the bucking cow, Nick (main character) is enthralled with her, and is determined to see her again. Lainey keeps Nick and his brother busy all summer, usually getting them into scrapes of one sort or another......
> I do have one bad word in the book. HE- "double toothpicks"
> 
> Other than that, it's rather clean.


I like that name, Lainey (I'm assuming is a nickname?). _A good, clean book_. I've always admired authors who could write for younger audiences and tried my hand at it. I've bounced my children's book off of several children... not literally! ... and they've been very pleased with them. The main character is a little girl and her friend who happens to be a hamster. Yeppers, a hamster. I happen to like hamsters. I like them with a bit of cream cheese and wheat thins... just kidding!  I know some of you think I'm crazy and you're right. Bear with me, please, I'm just happy to be alive. If you were me, you'd know what that means. Love you!


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## Carol Hanrahan (Mar 31, 2009)

Yes, Lainey is a nickname, although I guess I never elaborate on that.  I knew a girl in college with that name and always liked it.
Your hamster joke had me going!  Which book has the little girl and her hamster?


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## Kevis Hendrickson (Feb 28, 2009)

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Thanks for being ... WISE.... Kevis! Besides I did not _know_ it until I experienced this myself, but baby girls are *born * the stronger gender as well. BTW... I'm not really scared... I'm BRAVE & STRONG!  & & Kevis, I am already becoming a fan.


Since I am a big fan of women (maybe the biggest male fan there is), I guess that makes us even. Ha, ha! I'm loving this conversation!

If I can let the cat out of the bag, I wanted Hillary Clinton to win the Presidential Election simply because I'm sick and tired of men imposing their will on the rest of the human race. It's time for women to put the universe back in order. Heck, I don't even like Sarah Palin, but if she were running for President, I'd vote for her just to upset the status quo. I know my politics will upset some people. But after 6 million years of men ruling the world, I'm ready for a coup d'état!


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Carol Hanrahan said:


> Yes, Lainey is a nickname, although I guess I never elaborate on that. I knew a girl in college with that name and always liked it.
> Your hamster joke had me going! Which book has the little girl and her hamster?


I love making people laugh and I love laughing though my humor is sometimes... a bit dark.  I haven't published the children's book on Kindle or anywhere. Mayhap, I should, but it needs illustrations because it's for nine/ten year olds. They need lots of pictures.


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## Kevis Hendrickson (Feb 28, 2009)

Dude, I love your humor. I've got a long list of authors whose books I HAVE-TO-READ. Rest assured, you are on that list. If your books are half as entertaining as your posts, I'm in for a treat!


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Kevis Hendrickson said:


> Dude, I love your humor. I've got a long list of authors whose books I HAVE-TO-READ. Rest assured, you are on that list. If your books are half as entertaining as your posts, I'm in for a treat!


Kevis, I really appreciate the boost and I do hope that you find my books entertaining. They may not be rip-roaring funny... but they are rip-roaring (I think, but I'm jaded) and they do have their moments. Strangely enough, my leading male character whom everyone automatically assumes is modeled on me, is actually someone I might hope to be and am not. In fact, if I were to meet him on the street, I might turn and run the other way... strange, but I had someone ask if I'd like to actually meet any of my characters and I said "Absolutely not!" without even thinking. I honestly believe that I am intimidated by them if that is possible. Again, I am truly pleased to be on your list. Brendan


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## Carol Hanrahan (Mar 31, 2009)

Brendan Carroll said:


> I love making people laugh and I love laughing though my humor is sometimes... a bit dark.  I haven't published the children's book on Kindle or anywhere. Mayhap, I should, but it needs illustrations because it's for nine/ten year olds. They need lots of pictures.


Give it a go, Brendan! Put it on Kindle without pictures, then start thinking about the pictures. Who knows, sometimes your imagination comes up with the best pictures! If nothing else, you'll be forging into new territory. Just my opinion.....  Kindle offerings need to appeal to all ages


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## vikingwarrior22 (May 25, 2009)

Brendan Carroll said:


> Oh, yeah, I know this Bathory chic. She lived two blocks over in a former incarnation of mine as a chimney sweep in Hungary. Let me tell you! I wouldn't clean her chimney!! I, too, have a Queen of most evilness, she lives in the Abyss and gives everyone a fit after the Templars inadvertantly wake her up. Coincidentally, she is the main adversary in Book IX (that's 9 or nine for non-Romans out there). Yeppers, the very same IX that somehow got confused with VI (6 or six). I have this problem with numbers... anyway as I have said. I love evil women... I mean characters, FGS!


 MAN I go to work and all h--l breaks loose, an everyones having fun wait, to much fun at least I can read it today...you folks have alot of pentup emotions that you really need to work on releasing ha hah ha...I love lurking on the edges of the pages it makes me feel hungry... no makes me feel intellgenta (sp) er smart...I am enjoying being a part of the kb board and being given an opportunity to be in the "presence" of so many "thinkin" people...keep this one up!


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

vikingwarrior22 said:


> MAN I go to work and all h--l breaks loose, an everyones having fun wait, to much fun at least I can read it today...you folks have alot of pentup emotions that you really need to work on releasing ha hah ha...I love lurking on the edges of the pages it makes me feel hungry... no makes me feel intellgenta (sp) er smart...I am enjoying being a part of the kb board and being given an opportunity to be in the "presence" of so many "thinkin" people...keep this one up!


Thanks for the up-lifting comment. Had a really bad day at my hobby (full-time job). Please keep on lurking and maybe something good to eat will come by and you can pillage, flay and burn it on the grill. 
I'll just keep on thinking in the meantime (thinking that I wouldn't want to make you mad at me! ) Everyone needs a good Viking Warrior on their side. Maybe more than one, eh?  Hope you're still enjoying the misadventures of my poor Knight. He could probably use your help as well. Brendan


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## Greg Banks (May 2, 2009)

Because I am a short story writer, primarily (at least up to now) I have a lot of stories and a lot of characters, so I have different favorites for different reasons. One of my favorite is Molly, a secondary character from the short story "Touched," from my _Phoenix Tales_ short story collection. She's just so cute and blunt and sincere and real that I just want to rip her out of the pages and adopt her.


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Greg Banks said:


> Because I am a short story writer, primarily (at least up to now) I have a lot of stories and a lot of characters, so I have different favorites for different reasons. One of my favorite is Molly, a secondary character from the short story "Touched," from my _Phoenix Tales_ short story collection. She's just so cute and blunt and sincere and real that I just want to rip her out of the pages and adopt her.


Really, and you wrote her?  Hmmmmmmm.... seems like you _should_ adopt her! I mean it's pretty sad that you created her and leave her all closed-up in a book all day!


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Really, and you wrote her?  Hmmmmmmm.... seems like you _should_ adopt her! I mean it's pretty sad that you created her and leave her all closed-up in a book all day!


I know what you and Greg are talking about concerning this topic. I, too, have had the desire to rip some of my characters from the pages of my books... but not to adopt them... just rip them out. 
Thanks for posting Greg! I'm honored to have you in my humble little thread. Brendan


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

My favorite character is Philp Flaxen, the protagonist in Turning Idolater. He's somewhat of an Oliver Twist character. I fact, Turning Idolater owes a great deal to Dickens and Melville. Philip has been disowned by his Brooklyn family for being gay, and is rooming in a tenement in Manhattan with his friend, Sprakie, who has showed Philip how to earn his living stripping on the Internet. However, Philip is smitten, by a book — Melville's Moby Dick, a volume that a trick gave in lieu of payment, and Philip now yearns for something better. And he finds it in an older man - a writer, and throughout the story this tainted innocent is drawn though the needs and wants of others and through serial murder mysteries and the ups and downs of love, until he realizes his jounrney has elevated him along the heroes' path and he joins the world of the survivng and the saved. No other character in my canon has ever sat beside me, whispered in my ear or touched my soul like Philip Flaxen. He lives in me and in all of us. I hope that each reader of Turning Idolater takes Philip's special voyage, because "it's time to go to sea," and whaling is a bloody business.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

edwpat said:


> My favorite character is Philp Flaxen, the protagonist in Turning Idolater.


Ok, now I have high expectations...I started reading this last night.
High. Very high.


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

edwpat said:


> My favorite character is Philp Flaxen, the protagonist in Turning Idolater. He's somewhat of an Oliver Twist character. I fact, Turning Idolater owes a great deal to Dickens and Melville. Philip has been disowned by his Brooklyn family for being gay, and is rooming in a tenement in Manhattan with his friend, Sprakie, who has showed Philip how to earn his living stripping on the Internet. However, Philip is smitten, by a book - Melville's Moby Dick, a volume that a trick gave in lieu of payment, and Philip now yearns for something better.
> Edward C. Patterson


Thankyou for posting. I have a wierd childhood memory of Moby Dick. I saw the classic movie when I was about six years old and I had nightmares about it for years. I can still see poor Captain Ahab's arm waving back and forth as the whale swam off into the distance . I was horrified.  So when I got older I read the book several times. Was it Gregory Peck? Certainly, I have been smitten by a number of Books capitol B for classic.  Particularly Tom Jones by Henry Fielding and the works of Wolfgang von Geothe.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Moby Dick is really misunderstood. Most people regard it as a literary dinosaur, but it is a literary classic and unique. Melville had no formal training, except to be a whaler, and his acclaim to fame was in his travel novels Typee and Omoo, which both detailed his own experiences. He strove to write brilliantly and worshiped the ground that Nathaniel Hawthorne waled on, and even showed up in Salem to see the man (who refused to see him). Moby Dick has been called "The Great American Novel," but it was never successful in Melville's lifetime. It's prose has a poetic sweep that is incredible, but it is uniquely indulgent. Where else can you find a chapter in the literary cannon devoted to a description of the color "white." Melville ended his life selling tickets on the New York Central Railway. He was estranged from his family. (He was homosexual, somewhat in the closet, but certainly came out in his books, particularly in Moby Dick, explicitly in Redburn and wonderfully in Billy Budd). Moby Dick finally became "The Great American Novel," when his wife needed money and sold the rights posthumously. The ironic thing is, it is one of the greatest novels of any age in the English language because it invents itself as it spills over the margins. Moby Dick's importance lies less in the retribution theme of Ahab and the salvation theme of Ismael. It lies in the groundbreaking use of language — leading edge and universal.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

edwpat said:


> Moby Dick is really misunderstood. Most people regard it as a literary dinosaur, but it is a literary classic and unique. Moby Dick's importance lies less in the retribution theme of Ahab and the salvation theme of Ismael. It lies in the groundbreaking use of language - leading edge and universal.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


Thanks for the insight on Moby Dick. I never knew any of that and it's quite fascinating. I liked reading from the perspective of a whaler, which I will never actually be, of course. It's like watching Ice Road Truckers or Deadliest Catch. Fascinating viewpoints. Brendan


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Speaking of characters... BRENDON! WHY  do you make your fairy creatures


Spoiler



sooooo....DUMB.... you are actually making me MAD! Bart is NOT that STOOPID.... seriously, you continue to have them tricked by people! Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! I want to throw.... no, I can't do that but still, please tell me that you WILL make them PREVAIL.... eventually


...  I like fairies, my daughter writes about them, does her research on them, and she would be VERY upset that her _friends_ are portrayed as


Spoiler



IDIOTS


! But seriously, I DO love the book, just not RIGHT THIS MINUTE!! Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!  By the way, I am on book 10 I think, "Genesis 6.5" so don't tell me anything that will mess this up for me... just....


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## Carolyn Kephart (Feb 23, 2009)

edwpat said:


> Moby Dick is really misunderstood. Most people regard it as a literary dinosaur, but it is a literary classic and unique.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


I can't count the times I've tried to read MD and set it aside. Just no patience for it yet; it's the Finnegans Wake of its day. I'm saving it for my old age, when I can give it the time it deserves, along with the later works of Henry James (it floored me to learn that HJ _dictated_ 'The Golden Bowl')...and, when my brain cells are giving their last twitches, Finnegans Wake.

CK


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## HollyChristine (May 30, 2009)

I'm really enjoying this thread! My novel is The Nine Lives of Clemenza.

Clemenza is my protagonist and the inspiration for her came from my dog. Seriously. She's crazy, manipulative, sweet, selfish, affectionate, loud, angry and soft. She amazes us and we constantly say to each other, "Now why on EARTH would she do that?" She ate through the wall in our bedroom when she was a puppy, completely consuming the cable cord and all of its components. For awhile, we were terrified that she would turn Terminator on us. My husband and I are TERRIBLE dog trainers. She runs our house, but I really wouldn't have it any other way! In the book, Clemenza has nine lives and takes the form of air, the Northern Lights, cancer, etc, so all of these characteristics were able to come to life in the book. I had to do a chapter where she chooses to become a dog... it's one of the last chapters, so I think that was my way of answering our questions regarding her behavior. She was also the cause of the creation of the book. She likes to stick her head over every book that I read, sticking the pages in between her teeth like floss, so I was forced to read in the tub for sometime... and that was where the idea began. The sink faucet was dripping and I thought, how terrible it would be to be that one drop of water and your only glimpse of human life was me in the tub and a dog with a staring problem! I'm still waiting for Clemenza to ask for royalties...


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

HollyChristine said:


> I'm really enjoying this thread! My novel is The Nine Lives of Clemenza.
> 
> so I was forced to read in the tub for sometime... and that was where the idea began. The sink faucet was dripping and I thought, how terrible it would be to be that one drop of water and your only glimpse of human life was me in the tub and a dog with a staring problem! I'm still waiting for Clemenza to ask for royalties...


HEY! I read in the tub too... but it is to get away from the world altogether ... I think your book sounds VERY intriguing, I love stuff like this! I've read a lot of NDE books including the one where the children talk about their glimpses of Heaven... wonderful read. I do love fiction and Love to hear how others come up with their ideas for their books. Great Post! And Welcome to KB!


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Speaking of characters... BRENDON! WHY  do you make your fairy creatures
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


Alrighty, then. Well, not all of them are


Spoiler



dummies


. In fact, many of them


Spoiler



know everything


... or much more than the humans do. Bart is not


Spoiler



dumb


, he's just


Spoiler



cautious and slow


.  I mean, he practices winking for twenty years. What do you think about that? I love writing for him. Bart's a fun character to write for.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I do believe in Fairies. I do believe in faiies."

Edward C. Patterson
aka Tinkerbelle


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

edwpat said:


> I do believe in Fairies. I do believe in faiies."
> 
> Edward C. Patterson
> aka Tinkerbelle


Looks like you were typing fast and on the fly (pardon the pun). I actually spell the word faery or faeries in my books using the lesser known spelling used by Wise Women, Wiccans and students of the occult sciences... i.e. sorcerers, warlocks and suchlike. Faeries or creatures of the Fae Folk or Wee Folk as they are called in the Celtic countries refer to a number of fascinating creatures that I never tire of writing for.  They come in two basic flavors called the "Seelie Court"  and the "Unseelie Court" . Evil faeries make up the Unseelie Court and include baneful creatures, who are best left alone if encountered in the wild. The Seelie Court is comprised of human-friendly faeries like the common Leprechaun or House Brownie. I have a prominent character in the later novels called Paddy Puffingtowne who is a Clurichaun, which is a distant relative of the Leprechaun fae. Just don't make a mistake and call Paddy a Leprechaun or else you might hurt his feelings and he'll chase after you with his walking stick!


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Why sir, when it comes to a literary referenc, I believe in Faerie, as in Tolkien's theory of fantasy writing.  

Sometime I miss a letter. Fat fingers and blind in one eye.

Edward C. Patterson


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## mamiller (Apr 28, 2009)

I actually enjoy writing about a _pair_ of characters. Cooper Littlefield and Harriet Morgan--the proverbial 'bookends' at O'Flanagan's Inn. Their verbal jousting amused me enough to write a sequel to WIDOW'S TALE just so I could revisit the eccentric duo.

And Tinkerbell, you have some of the most unique characters....


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

edwpat said:


> Why sir, when it comes to a literary referenc, I believe in Faerie, as in Tolkien's theory of fantasy writing.
> 
> Sometime I miss a letter. Fat fingers and blind in one eye.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


OMG! Are you really? I'm legally blind in one eye and have often considered how dashing I might be if I wore a patch over it. In fact, I just wrote to Mamiller about it! LOL.  Rocky coast, stormy night, dark beer... you know?  Uh, oh look down there... speak of the devil!


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

It's the Glaucoma, my friend. In The Jade Owl I have a charcter who is a one eyed Cherokee Indian (I'm Cherokee too).   He's a landscape painter, what else.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

edwpat said:


> It's the Glaucoma, my friend. In The Jade Owl I have a charcter who is a one eyed Cherokee Indian (I'm Cherokee too).  He's a landscape painter, what else.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


Seriously, Edward, I was thinking that our native Americans are really descended from the Chinese or Mongolian races that migrated across the Bering Strait, so maybe it is your distant Chinese connection that caused you to write about China? One of the best novels I ever read was about a minor Chinese diplomat set in one of the historical dynasties. Of course, I don't remember the name of it...  I loved that book. I should like your book as well. I'm fascinated with ancient history. My dad says he has a Cherokee connection somewhere in his history. They are the "Civilized People", right?


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I believe my China connection came from my Mom (rest her soul), who always wanted to go there. She did, with me, and walked on the great Wall, her lifelong dream. Her tales of China (mostly from reading) led me through a Master in Chinese History (Sinology) and part of a Ph. D. However I spent my life as a Director of Marketing. I have been writing all my life, but it wasn't until I was downsized in 2002 did I have the free time to get my Cherokee ash in gear and begin to finish my 22 writing projects (of which 12 are finished and published - 10 to go). BUT The Jade Owl was born out of a regret that I never pursued the original career as a Professor. But that's the beauty of fiction. You can pursue it and share it. I now walk the road not taken, and loving every minute of it.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

edwpat said:


> I believe my China connection came from my Mom (rest her soul), who always wanted to go there. She did, with me, and walked on the great Wall, her lifelong dream. Her tales of China (mostly from reading) led me through a Master in Chinese History (Sinology) and part of a Ph. D. However I spent my life as a Director of Marketing. I have been writing all my life, but it wasn't until I was downsized in 2002 did I have the free time to get my Cherokee ash in gear and begin to finish my 22 writing projects (of which 12 are finished and published - 10 to go). BUT The Jade Owl was born out of a regret that I never pursued the original career as a Professor. But that's the beauty of fiction. You can pursue it and share it. I now walk the road not taken, and loving every minute of it.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


Well said. Well said. I do enjoy putting tidbits of my life in here and there where I need to. Funny thing is that I used to want to be a professor of psychology. Wow! That would have been a different path for me, but all in all, I have only one... nay, two... major regrets: not staying in the Navy and retiring and not accepting a job offer I had to write for Southern Living magazine. Who knows? I may have already had my Nobel Prize by now.


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## mamiller (Apr 28, 2009)

Brendan Carroll said:


> I'm legally blind in one eye and have often considered how dashing I might be if I wore a patch over it. In fact, I just wrote to Mamiller about it!


Now where is that pirate emoticon when I need one? Brendan, you'd make an excellent character in a book!


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

mamiller said:


> Now where is that pirate emoticon when I need one? Brendan, you'd make an excellent character in a book!


Why, thank you, little Miss Miller, I really mean that.  As a matter of fact I am a character in a few books.  In retrospect, I am a number of characters in a number of books.  (Worse yet, there is another poster on these boards somewhere that claims to be me and I'm wondering if it's true?) Will that poster please give a shout and let me know what the hey I'm supposed to be doing right now?


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Time to talk about another character that plays a leading role in _The Red Cross of Gold Series_. Simon of Grenoble, AKA Simon d'Ornan, AKA Mystic Healer, AKA _Chevalier du Serpent_, AKA the Knight of the Serpent. Simon is a little fellow, relatively speaking, blonde with large blue eyes, soft-spoken and very priestly... ahem... he is a priest. A priest for the Order, father confessor, that sort of thing, but never-the-less, he is a warrior monk who was made immortal after an unfortunate run-in with the Inquisition  in the 14th Century that left him able to follow the rules concerning abstinence with no problem  until Miss Sinclair accidentally 'heals' him. The outcome of his miraculous recovery in the 21st century remains to be seen. He is fun to write for because he always trying to mend fences between his... yes, I'm going to borrow a word here  'truculent' Brothers of the Order. In the meantime, he's having a very hard time dealing with his new lease on life as it were.  Oh and his sword is quite impressive: silver entwined serpents with sapphire eyes made for him by none other than the Scottish alchemist himself.


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## vwkitten (Apr 10, 2009)

What a fun thread...

I'm playing around with the new book and I had intended to have the nosy neighbor be the typical elderly woman or possibly even a mother and child combination, but I ended up with an ex-stripper instead.  The setting is Las Vegas (where I live) and I've known a few ex-strippers but this one just jumped into the book.  It's disconcerting but ever so fun to deal with characters that just jump into the book and make something of themselves.  I'm starting to like it.

Trish


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

vwkitten said:


> What a fun thread...
> 
> I'm playing around with the new book and I had intended to have the nosy neighbor be the typical elderly woman or possibly even a mother and child combination, but I ended up with an ex-stripper instead. The setting is Las Vegas (where I live) and I've known a few ex-strippers but this one just jumped into the book. It's disconcerting but ever so fun to deal with characters that just jump into the book and make something of themselves. I'm starting to like it.
> 
> Trish


Thanks for the post, Trish.  I know you probably 'told it' somewhere else, but what is the name of your new book or do you have one yet? What is your ex-stripper's name? I used to be a stripper myself, until my doctor said "Hey! Behind the screen, puh-lease!" and handed me a paper gown with extra long tie strings.


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## vikingwarrior22 (May 25, 2009)

Brendan Carroll said:


> Time to talk about another character that plays a leading role in _The Red Cross of Gold Series_. Simon of Grenoble, AKA Simon d'Ornan, AKA Mystic Healer, AKA _Chevalier du Serpent_, AKA the Knight of the Serpent. Simon is a little fellow, relatively speaking, blonde with large blue eyes, soft-spoken and very priestly... ahem... he is a priest. A


I'm bout halfway thru book 1 and i really like all th e charactrs... the way they seem 2 be at each others throats and their backs... ha, ha. I enjoy the way Mark handles his buisness and I really HATE cecile and her group. I'm gonna go out on a limb and spring for book for Book 2 while its on sale. Ha! I'll keep you posted on how it goes like you don't already know.  Have a good week. vw


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## TiffanyTurner (Jun 8, 2009)

Well, this thread got me thinking about my favorite kind of characters-villians. They are the ones we love to hate.
But sometimes we just like them, because they do bad things that we just don't, or wish we could.
I guess this has come up since I'm having my class read Charlotte's Web. The one thing that is cool as a children's author, is that as as teacher, I do lit. studies and teach literature. Nothing better for research than a good novel study.
So, back to good villians or rather change to somewhat good. Templeton-the rat we love to hate, but love in the end. He in a way, changes a bit from Charlotte's infleunce. 
But then there are those mysterious villians, that all you hear about is the badness. And then, when the character meets them, they are even more scary or tricky. Any early Disney movie screams this formula, like the Wicked Queen in Sleeping Beauty. But really, how cool is it that she turns into a dragon?
And Ursula saying, "Life is full of tough choices, isn't it?". Best line in Little Mermaid. Villians tell it how it is.

But then, this is some of the thoughts I've had in developing my Dark Sorcerer Balkazaar in my Crystal Keeper series. He is just mentioned in the first book, badder than bad. We hear how bad he is, looming as the ultimate bad.
In Book 2, he appears. And like most villians, claims to play by the rules. Humph. You can guess how that turns out.


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

TiffanyTurner said:


> Well, this thread got me thinking about my favorite kind of characters-villians. They are the ones we love to hate.


Hi, Tiffany! Thank you for posting. You know, as hard as it is to believe, I was once a child and loved 'Snow White' and 'Sleeping Beauty'... I know, not very macho, eh?  My own books are as far from children's books as possible, but you got me to thinking if maybe that those childhood influences are more deeply embedded in us than we care to believe. I have a character in my current series who is a minor character as a woman, but then she turns into a dragon and becomes a major star later on in the series.  Strange, isn't it? Glad to have you here. Brendan


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Funny you talk about the old Children's stories. I have a novel up my sleeves (2nd revision, to be attended to in the Fall for pre-publication work) called *The Road to Grafenwoehr*, which is a slam up of Stephen King and Jane Austen. It tells the tale of a service man (a gay one, of course) station in Germany in 1968 (when I was stationed there, go figure) and his vivid imagination, which conjures up a host of Grimm fairy tale characters, which we all know are some of the scariest things ever created. It should be an interesting dust-up if I bring it off.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

TiffanyTurner said:


> But sometimes we just like them, because they do bad things that we just don't, or wish we could.
> I guess this has come up since I'm having my class read Charlotte's Web. The one thing that is cool as a children's author, is that as as teacher, I do lit. studies and teach literature. Nothing better for research than a good novel study.


What grade do you teach? I teach pre-K and children with special needs. I love my job, sincerely. I also am a big Disney fan. We, my family and I, go or try to go at least twice a year if all goes well (hurricanes not withstanding). Charlotte's Web is of my DD's (nine-year-old's) favorite books. Please tell us more about your books on the snippet thread!


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

edwpat said:


> Funny you talk about the old Children's stories. I have a novel up my sleeves (2nd revision, to be attended to in the Fall for pre-publication work) called *The Road to Grafenwoehr*, which is a slam up of Stephen King and Jane Austen. It tells the tale of a service man (a gay one, of course) station in Germany in 1968 (when I was stationed there, go figure) and his vivid imagination, which conjures up a host of Grimm fairy tale characters, which we all know are some of the scariest things ever created. It should be an interesting dust-up if I bring it off.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


You're right about Grimm's fairy tales, scary, but maybe that's what made some of the great horror/thriller writers come up with such good stories. I like to take current issues or mysteries that I see or read about and incorporate them into my stories and give my own twisted explanations for them, like a sort of alternative perspective.


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## vwkitten (Apr 10, 2009)

I love the Grimms and Anderson fairy tales and studied them in college.  I'm also just bonkers for fables, but not just updating them.  I think we need new fables for our times.  Has anyone seen some fables that teach about computers?  What about a fable that deals with pirating software, dvds, or music?  Real fables that have animals and morals at the end.  They're about our times and yet they're timeless.  I miss those.  You can only read the complete works of Anderson and Grimms so many times before you're sick of bread filchers and liars.  Am I missing the modern fable writers?  Can anyone name a few (and no, I don't count)?

Trish


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Well we'll try in A_* Road to Grafenwoehr*_. Now ready to finish that one, although the Northanger Abbeyesque protagonist is pretty well drawn, he hasn't really woke up yet in my neck of the Zone. The two Roman ghosts what guard the Rastibon gate at Regensburg, however, have come alive, and there's a wicked little gnome that has possibilities. But this will not be your YA children's stories. I'm not sure what genre you could place it. But I'm not a good one to ask about that, because I always try to transcend whatever genre I'm in. So murder stories become literary discourses and history tales wend their way into fantasy, and as any of my readers can tell you, I can never tell a gay story that stays the course of the stereotype . . . except one, and that one is about evils of stereotyping.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Carolyn Kephart (Feb 23, 2009)

vwkitten said:


> I love the Grimms and Anderson fairy tales and studied them in college. I'm also just bonkers for fables, but not just updating them. I think we need new fables for our times.


All of my fables deal with what it really means to be human. The subject seems more timely now than ever.

CK


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

vwkitten said:


> Am I missing the modern fable writers? Can anyone name a few (and no, I don't count)?
> Trish


I don't know about fables as to style or form. Do they have to be short? I think my stuff is more akin to 'mythology' rather than 'fable'. Since technology and knowledge are now growing exponentially, it would be hard to write a modern fable that wouldn't be obsolete before you typed the last period.


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

New Character: Abdul al Hafiz al Sajek. The arch villain who comes into the series in book III:. the Head of the Crow. He has an Islamic name, but he's not quite the religious type, nor is he exactly of true Islamic descent, though he did and does frequent that part of the globe. He is much worse than a terrorist, but rather more like the mad, power-hungry evil dude that wants to take over the world. I dug him out of the _Necronomicon_ for all of you C'thulu fans out there. He kind of sneaks in and before you know it, he's taken center stage in the tale. Hard to find, hard to fathom, hard to kill. Brought down by Cupid's Arrow and the Cherubim's sword. That is all I can say about him except that he is very easy to write for because you can't put anything past him.


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## mamiller (Apr 28, 2009)

Abdulhajafazek.  No...Abdul owl hoffenpepper.  No, Abdul owl happydaysarehereagain.  NOOOOOOOOO.  Abdul al Hoffa geraldo rivera ......  bahhhhh.  I can't pronounce his name, but he sounds real cool though!


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

mamiller said:


> Abdulhajafazek. No...Abdul owl hoffenpepper. No, Abdul owl happydaysarehereagain. NOOOOOOOOO. Abdul al Hoffa geraldo rivera ...... bahhhhh. I can't pronounce his name, but he sounds real cool though!


Did you miss me while I was gone?  I had an exciting trip and posted a blog about it on Author's Den, if you care to read about it . You know I missed all of you. My editor has trouble pronouncing the names in my book, so don't feel alone. In fact, you probably pronounced him better than she does.  She calls him Kojak. He doesn't really like tootsie roll pops, but he does have that (wink, wink) eye patch.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Hey, leave my "owl" out of this. Hoot!

Edward C. Patterson


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

edwpat said:


> Hey, leave my "owl" out of this. Hoot!
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


Hoot? Did you say Hoot?  That reminds me of a rhyme and oh, yeah, oh, yeah,  you're going to get it whether you like it or not, Mister Patterson!


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## mamiller (Apr 28, 2009)

Oh my.  It's good to see you two at it again  

"What type of books do owls like to read?"  hooooooo-dunnits

  Okay, I'm crawling back in my hole now.


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

mamiller said:


> Oh my. It's good to see you two at it again
> 
> "What type of books do owls like to read?" hooooooo-dunnits
> 
> Okay, I'm crawling back in my hole now.


No, wait, you have to read my latest limerick (not really mine, but remembered from some drunken stupor) before you go so you can get really, really scared.


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## mamiller (Apr 28, 2009)

I came back for the limerick.  

I'm scared


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## RJ Keller (Mar 9, 2009)

I can't believe I missed this thread. It's so easy for me to get overwhelmed with "show new replies to your posts" that I completely miss the "show unread posts since last visit." That'll teach me.

I think the most fun I've had (so far!) creating a character was Zeke from Waiting For Spring. I needed a friend for my protagonist, Tess, to confide in, someone who would ultimately serve as a confessor (lots of Catholic imagery in the book.) It was a challenge, because she doesn't trust women and she looks at most men as either father figures or sexual conquests.

The only way to solve the predicament was to make Tess's confidante a man whom she knew was gay before she even met him - through smalltown grapevine - and so would not immediately try to seduce upon meeting. Thus Zeke was born, not as 'the gay best friend,' but rather as the only possible friend Tess could have had at that point in her life.

Because of that, it was very important to me that his being gay was not his main "struggle" in the present. Although we learn that coming out in his small town in the past was a difficult thing for him to do - that there were serious repercussions in him doing so, and that there is still a certain amount of cordial standoffishness towards him on the part of many of the town's residents - it isn't his present story arc. Rather, it's that of not living his life to the fullest because of residual guilt unintentionally left behind by his mother's sacrificing her own happiness for his - a parallel of my main male protagonists' struggle.

All that being said, once Zeke was born, I _absolutely _ used the opportunity to shine a spotlight on the kinds of hardships gay men (and women) experience in rural communities, something I see far too much of in my neck of the woods.


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

rjkeller said:


> All that being said, once Zeke was born, I _absolutely _ used the opportunity to shine a spotlight on the kinds of hardships gay men (and women) experience in rural communities, something I see far too much of in my neck of the woods.


Zeke sounds like a very interesting character, indeed. I like the way you say he was "born". I guess that is how our characters get here, right? Thanks for posting and glad you like the thread. I guess we want our threads to live on because we sort of think of them as our children, which they are, with a life of their own, which they have and that it's sad when they go away, which they do. Brendan


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## mamiller (Apr 28, 2009)

I'd like to introduce you to Serena O'Flanagan Murphy---proprietor of O'Flanagans Inn in Victory Cove, Maine.

Recently widowed (WIDOW'S TALE ), Serena finds it hard to believe that persecution from her husband has ended with his death. The ambiguity of 'death at sea' has her searching the cliffs for his body. Hearing his footsteps cross her living room floor at night when no one is there makes Serena suspect she has finally gone mad. 
Serena is no frail widow, though. She is loyal to her patrons and will fight to protect those she loves. 
Even if she _is_ losing her mind...


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

mamiller said:


> I'd like to introduce you to Serena O'Flanagan Murphy---proprietor of O'Flanagans Inn in Victory Cove, Maine.
> 
> Recently widowed (WIDOW'S TALE ), Serena finds it hard to believe that persecution from her husband has ended with his death. The ambiguity of 'death at sea' has her searching the cliffs for his body. Hearing his footsteps cross her living room floor at night when no one is there makes Serena suspect she has finally gone mad.
> Serena is no frail widow, though. She is loyal to her patrons and will fight to protect those she loves.
> Even if she _is_ losing her mind...


This book sounds really good! I am a HUGE Mary Higgins Clark fan (it's a weakness ) mostly because I love the settings of my faves... I know I will love this as much, does everyone dream of B&Bs in Maine?


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## mamiller (Apr 28, 2009)

Thanks Meredith.  Yes, I think when I die, I'll find that heaven is a bed and breakfast in Maine.      And of course, my host will serve lobster with a big pot of melted butter.  If it was up to me, I'd take everything on my plate and dip it in that vat of butter.    Of course, that might be why I made it to heaven so early...


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

mamiller said:


> Thanks Meredith. Yes, I think when I die, I'll find that heaven is a bed and breakfast in Maine.  And of course, my host will serve lobster with a big pot of melted butter. If it was up to me, I'd take everything on my plate and dip it in that vat of butter. Of course, that might be why I made it to heaven so early...


Well, I have had several dreams wherein I was in Heaven and each time it is explained that Heaven is different for everyone... what ever is your Heaven on Earth, so be it FOREVER! Sooooo mine would be somewhere in New England eating crabcakes (my mother was from Maryland) and lobster and Turtle Cheesecake!  Oh, and something with Tequila & Triple sec... (well I am Catholic! )


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Be careful, Maureen, as I may be reincarnated as a Lobster (botom feeer and all that), and as much as I love drawn butter, I don't relish being cut up and bathed in it. I can think of better ways o be "potted." I plead the insanity claws.

Edward C. Potted-son


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

edwpat said:


> Be careful, Maureen, as I may be reincarnated as a Lobster (botom feeer and all that), and as much as I love drawn butter, I don't relish being cut up and bathed in it. I can think of better ways o be "potted." I plead the insanity claws.
> 
> Edward C. Potted-son


Methinks thou art on the wrong thread withee waxing poetic, Sir Edward. Now there's the rub! Being from Texas, me also thinks that a good rub on a nice cut of brisket might qualify as ambrosia. Of course, it would have to be served up with a tub of tater salad and a gallon of cowboy beans. Maybe some roasted peppers and corn on the cob.... Hey! What is with you and food anyway, Monsieur Patterson? When I come back in my next life I'm going to come back as a


Spoiler



breedbull


. They only have to do two things and both of them are good. 

BTW, nice post from Miss Miller and an equally nice response from Miss Merry. B & B. Heavy on the second B for me and more Tequila. Texas Tech! Texas T! Jose Cuervo! Oh, oh, oh how I do rue the day for on the morrow I must needs return to mine hobby (working 40+ hrs as a public servant for the State of Texas!!!). How sad is that?


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## vwkitten (Apr 10, 2009)

I finally thought of a modern day fable writer.  Richard Bach.  

Trish


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Brendan Carroll said:


> What is with you and food anyway, Monsieur Patterson? When I come back in my next life I'm going to come back as a
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


And then they become Hamburger.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

edwpat said:


> And then they become Hamburger.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


Sounds like a name for a new book. What do you think? Kind of like "We Were Soldiers"? Like so "And then... We Were Hamburger?" Well, what do you think?


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Brendan Carroll said:


> Sounds like a name for a new book. What do you think? Kind of like "We Were Soldiers"? Like so "And then... We Were Hamburger?" Well, what do you think?


Just wondering, Brendan, what is your fascination with cows about? You have a ranch or something? You do mention them a bit in your books...   
Miss QMH (I kinda like that alias )


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Just wondering, Brendan, what is your fascination with cows about? You have a ranch or something? You do mention them a bit in your books...
> Miss QMH (I kinda like that alias )


Bulls, dahling, bulls, not cows... though cows would certainly be fascinating to bulls, no doubt, or else there would be no baby bulls.  No, I do not have a ranch, though if someone would wish to donate one, I'll consider taking it over. It is as I said before, I love studying God's creatures in all their magnificence, birds, bulls, whales, worms, bugs... you name it, I'm fascinated by it. I did put in a rather disturbing run-in with some longhorns in book II that was based in actual fact on two very memorable personal experiences I suffered in my life. It's sort of a combination of both run-ins, though I've had many encounters (quite scary ) with livestock over the years. I once had a mare commit suicide to keep me from riding her. Interesting, no? _Bestia del diavolo!_


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

How about Buffalo and their wings?

Ed P


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

edwpat said:


> How about Buffalo and their wings?
> 
> Ed P


Am I to believe that you indulge in a wing or two? I just don't know. I ate some once and that was enough. I was surprised to see that they actually have exclusive fast food restaurants devoted to them. I thought about opening up a restaurant that serves only baked salmon, poached salmon, smoked salmon and salmon croquettes in honor of my leading male character in the Red Cross of Gold series, the Scottish alchemist. His favorite food is salmon. He also likes oatmeal and neaps and tatties.  Mostly, he drinks more than he eats, I'm afraid, but he drinks 'spensive Scotch. His brogue is normally under control until he starts drinking straight from the bottle.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

That's a reat idea. Barbeques Scottish salmon. We could call the China - Fiery MacFlippers.

Ed Patterson


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

edwpat said:


> That's a reat idea. Barbeques Scottish salmon. We could call the China - Fiery MacFlippers.
> 
> Ed Patterson


Sino-Scoti Cuisine. Sound's volatile. We could serve MacTea and Chop Suey Drambuie... hey that's not Scottish is it?  I like it anyway. In fact, I love Chinese cuisine, but the Scot? He loves taters and mutton.


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

I thought I might give this thread one more chance to get back on track.  I'd really like to hear about more characters from more authors. Surely you all have favorite characters you want people to know about...  

My lead male character has had a love/hate relationship with a fellow Knight for over eight hundred years.  They have been through a lot and still managed to hang onto their odd friendship.  The Knight of the Golden Eagle is a rather arrogant, yet romantic Italian with dark curly hair and a grandiose ego built on the shakey foundation of self-recrimination and insecurity.  He saved the lead character from a well in Jerusalem in 1187 during Saladin's seige and became first his servant, then his squire, then his apprentice as the years went by and finally landed a position on the Immortal Council when he was about 37 years old.  He, of course, is worshipful of his hero, but in competition with him at the same time and this is where the fun comes in.  He over-protects his mentor to the extant that he personally sets out to destroy every love interest the lead character falls into simply out of jealousy.  In Book I, he makes an almost fatal mistake when he uses his charms on the latest love in the Knight of Death's long life.


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Ok, Brendan...

After your last blog on Blogspot I gotta ask... Do your characters get their personalities from you or do you get yours from them? You are really quite funny... yet your characters... now that I think of them... are kinda funny as well. I liked your dog photo. Is he really your dog? What about the others are they your kiddos/grandkids... or WHAT?! Ya gotta tell me!


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Ok, Brendan...
> After your last blog on Blogspot I gotta ask... Do your characters get their personalities from you or do you get yours from them? You are really quite funny... yet your characters... now that I think of them... are kinda funny as well. I liked your dog photo. Is he really your dog? What about the others are they your kiddos/grandkids... or WHAT?! Ya gotta tell me!


I think that my characters are not me at all or at least not the part that everybody sees. I'm more of the class clown type and I like to make people laugh, but my main character, as you well know, rarely ever makes a joke, but he does say some funny things... at least they are funny coming from him simply because he doesn't make jokes. He's a very serious fellow with some very serious issues, but he has good reason for that.  
As far as the pictures, I just collect pictures of odds and ends, kids and dogs... that is actually my dog. I call her Puglett, but that's not her real name (she has a pedrigree, dahling). She's my buddy. I tried to post a picture of her on the doggie thread and couldn't get it done. (Technically challenged, I am) The kids are very dear to me... precious even. Children are what its all about, right?  Thanks for asking, Miss Merry and thanks for reading my blog. Yours, Brendan


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Brendan Carroll said:


> I think that my characters are not me at all or at least not the part that everybody sees. I'm more of the class clown type and I like to make people laugh, but my main character, as you well know, rarely ever makes a joke, but he does say some funny things... at least they are funny coming from him simply because he doesn't make jokes. He's a very serious fellow with some very serious issues, but he has good reason for that.
> As far as the pictures, I just collect pictures of odds and ends, kids and dogs... that is actually my dog. I call her Puglett, but that's not her real name (she has a pedrigree, dahling). She's my buddy. I tried to post a picture of her on the doggie thread and couldn't get it done. (Technically challenged, I am) The kids are very dear to me... precious even. Children are what its all about, right?  Thanks for asking, Miss Merry and thanks for reading my blog. Yours, Brendan


HEY! You just don't know how long I have been looking for this thread... I KNEW you had a post somewhere about your doggie, I saw your pug picture just the other day and I started thinking about this post and wanted to tell you that I saw the picture...I saw him! or is it a her? did you say? Well, I was wondering what happened to this character thread as I do love to hear about all of the different characters from all of you authors... So hopefully this will give ya a bump!


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

I'll have to think about this one before getting into it fully. While I adore whichever character is leading the novel in my series for Celtic Evil, it's hard for me this time to dispute that Roarke's will probably always be the one that pops out at me. I suppose it's because unlike his brothers he has the most complexed issues to deal with. I mean, mos people with many siblings probably understand what it's like being in the middle. Roarke is the fourth son out of five and never had much in common as a kid. Of course, seeing some ancient witch kill his parents while trying to kill him didn't help much and then things went downhill from there.


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## Tanner Artesz (Feb 2, 2009)

After reading this rather entertaining thread, I guess I have to contribute to the cause. The character I'll start with is Ky, Lord of Chaos, AKA The Ghost. This young elf was created long, long ago as a Dungeons and Dragons character. D&D at the time consisted of a 9 x 12 box with a couple paperback guides, some dice, and a module. As the game grew, so did Ky. He started out as an elf and remained one over the years, though his elven race changed a few times. He was my first (of many) character and I've always enjoyed playing him.

Now I'm writing him. In the trilogy, he's a young Eldar Elf. He is trapped in childhood because he was refused his acceptance into society, being considered more than a freak than an elf. He was expected to die, but he didn't. He has four magically conceived children. The first was conceived with a young human ghost. The other three, which were supposed to be one, were conceived after he became Lord of Chaos to clear up a twin thing. Ky is truly chaotic. He has no conscious to speak of. He is extremely shy and despises attention. He will avoid crowds and such whenever possible. His most redeeming quality is that he is loyal to a fault to his family and friends, regardless of how much they irritate him.

I enjoy writing Ky. I still use my D&D dice to make decisions for him. If you have questions, I'd love to answer them.
Shadow of the Ghost: Book 1: Lord of Chaos Trilogy
Legacy of the Ghost: Book 2: Lord of Chaos Trilogy

Tanner


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Tanner Artesz said:


> This young elf was created long, long ago as a Dungeons and Dragons character.crowds and such whenever possible. His most redeeming quality is that he is loyal to a fault to his family and friends, regardless of how much they irritate him.
> Tanner


Fantastic!  Pardon me, if I might become redun-dun-dundant because I might have posted something about this elsewhere, but I have to say it again because this kind of thing really thrills me. My main lead character, the Knight of Death was also a D & D character, but kind of reverse. I had already written the first book in which he was created and then about that time, there was a huge D & D game running at work. Fortunately, the Dungeon Master worked for me and so I turned the Chevalier du Morte into a character. He was a mystic cleric monk and assassin, but he wasn't chaotic, I forget now because it's been so long since I played the game. Anyhoo, I played him until he was more or less forced into retirement because he was kicking too many


Spoiler



butts.


  He had a thing going with a half-elf, half-ogre female warrior with green and purple hair.  She had a literal and physical crush on him every time she got the chance. He never killed her if I remember correctly, but he wanted to.


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

sierra09 said:


> While I adore whichever character is leading the novel in my series for Celtic Evil, it's hard for me this time to dispute that Roarke's will probably always be the one that pops out at me.


Great post! You don't have to just put one character here, Sierra. This tread is to introduce your characters, whomever you choose. Let everyone know where they came from, etc. I don't have much in common with Roarke since I only had one measley little sister growing up, but she could always kick my


Spoiler



butt.


 Thanks for posting and let us hear more from you. Brendan


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

I don't have much in common with my characters either.    I've heard of authors who base characters on people they know or have known but if I did that they would be the most boring characters around. Mine build themselves it seems from the time I start on the character biographies for whatever I'm working on it's like that character is over my shoulder saying this or that about their lives, habits, etc.

For the Celtic Evil series, when dealing with five brothers with completely different styles that biography binder is a blessing or else I'd be lost before I started. I mean, aside from having their use of magics in common and the brief time they had in show business before their folks were killed, they're totally different.
 Ian's the baby(and the very vocal star of the sequel) and probably the most grounded. He goes to school at Trinity University and is an acting major (his one brother hates that idea) yet he studies geology to fall back on. He's also the one with the most power yet he doesn't know it.
 Kerry's the oldest with the most responsibility and doesn't show much emotion. People, and his brothers, seem to think he's cold. I like to think he's just building up. Because he was older he never left the family home in Fitzgaren, Ireland and still holds himself part responsible for the lives of his brothers....when he doesn't think they should be shot.
 Mac likes to think he's the calm one and also the most normal but his ability to pick up various occupations at a whim still cause people to eye him with wariness. Mac's fun because he has no expectations except to do what he wants, when he wants. Now he's got a pretty reporter asking questions and getting under his skin. He's the healer mainly since that's his strongest power.
 Ryan is much like Roarke in temperment. He's totally unpredictable. Half the time I don't know what he'll do, say or think until he does it. He loves to gamble, he loves women but won't make a firm commitment due to his past. I love writing him, or when he writes himself, because the scenes will change. In the first book, I honestly didn't know if he wouldn't do something more....dangerous given the bitterness he and Roarke had between them.
 So, for this series, I have five totally different personalities writing or giving 'advice' on what should happen in this scene or not. If I meshed that with their supporters I'd probably pull my hair out half the time.

I love this thread. I just have a problem with describing things when not writing the book because I never know what's too much or not enough. 
They really are more complex and interesting than I just made them sound. But I didn't want to make the post too long.


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

I think this is what readers want to see, Sierra.  This is the place where authors get to talk about how they come to be authors and how their ideas come and go and so on and so forth.  Great post!  Thanx.  Brendan


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

Thanks, Brendan.  I enjoy this thread. It's nice to read about other people's characters and to talk about your own without people rolling their eyes and humoring you. Lol, I have binders with characters that started in stories then just clammed up. That is such a pain. Or to be in the middle of a book and a character from something else suddenly pops up. I have that issue now and I've been like 'no, must stick to one story or nothing will get done.'


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## Tanner Artesz (Feb 2, 2009)

Brendan Carroll said:



> Fantastic!  Pardon me, if I might become redun-dun-dundant because I might have posted something about this elsewhere, but I have to say it again because this kind of thing really thrills me. My main lead character, the Knight of Death was also a D & D character, but kind of reverse. I had already written the first book in which he was created and then about that time, there was a huge D & D game running at work. Fortunately, the Dungeon Master worked for me and so I turned the Chevalier du Morte into a character. He was a mystic cleric monk and assassin, but he wasn't chaotic, I forget now because it's been so long since I played the game. Anyhoo, I played him until he was more or less forced into retirement because he was kicking too many
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


Thanks for the comment, Brendan. Ky, and a couple other of the characters in Shadow became very powerful over the years. When we (my friends that I played D&D with) could no longer find challenges in the D&D manuals, we started creating our own modules so we wouldn't have to retire them. The dismemberers, Rachk'sha's hit men in Shadow, were one of the creatures I created during that time. I think the thantors would have been fun to play against, but they were created while writing the book. They may show up in a future dungeon though. 

I imagine taking an established character like Chevalier du Morte into a campaign would be difficult. Did you create him for a low level dungeon or incorporate him into a mid-high level campaign?

Tanner


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Tanner Artesz said:


> I imagine taking an established character like Chevalier du Morte into a campaign would be difficult. Did you create him for a low level dungeon or incorporate him into a mid-high level campaign?
> Tanner


Well, to be quite honest I don't really remember, but it was fun. I never had the time to devote to it that I would have liked at the time and now I don't know anyone playing. I would venture to say that around here D & D is not as popular as Boot Scoot Boogie and the local auction barn on Friday night!  I just know he did really well on about six campaigns before the other players presented a petition to the dungeon master asking that he not be allowed to play or else they would all quit. I just don't know...


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

So Book Eleven in the Red Cross of Gold series is centered around one of my favorite characters.  If ever I could become one of my characters, this would be the one.  He is a self-proclaimed "Mighty Djinn, of the Marid Tribe".  He is very powerful, loves purple, eats people on occasion and has a wonderful sense of humor.  He has been imprisoned for a very, very long time and is eager to make up for lost time.  Also, ladies, watch out because he is quite the charmer.  He doesn't mean any harm... at least, he is very mannerly and a wonderful host if you care to visit with him, though his palace is a bit hard to find being in the midst of the Moutains of the Moon in Arabia.  He's heavily into magick, has plenty of tricks up his voluminous sleeves and is about to give the Order of the Red Cross of Gold a hard time.


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

sierra09 said:


> Thanks, Brendan. I enjoy this thread. It's nice to read about other people's characters and to talk about your own without people rolling their eyes and humoring you. Lol, I have binders with characters that started in stories then just clammed up. That is such a pain. Or to be in the middle of a book and a character from something else suddenly pops up. I have that issue now and I've been like 'no, must stick to one story or nothing will get done.'


Sorry I missed your post, Miss Sierra.  Yeah, I have lots of characters and most people ask me how I keep up with them.  Actually, I have just two pages of notes about them and the rest... well, it's in my head, I'm afraid, so I don't have stuff pinned up on the wall everywhere and my living room doesn't look like the room shown at the beginning of the old Ray Bradbury show even though I loved that shot and always wanted a room like that.  The Ray Bradbury show probably is before your time... just saying. But anyhow, have you posted a snippet in the snippet thread? I'd like to see some of your work... just saying.


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

Yes, I did post in the snippest thread. Sometime this week I believe I can post again. I just need to find a good section that fits in the word count.


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

sierra09 said:


> Yes, I did post in the snippest thread. Sometime this week I believe I can post again. I just need to find a good section that fits in the word count.


Where oh, where have all the characters gone...


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

Well, I'm about ready to smack mine in the proverbial head.   I've been told by many that the youngest of my characters in my series, Ian, seems to be the most laidback and certainly when I was writing the first book it seemed like it. I mean, for an 18 year who can rearrange things at will with magic he seemed very mellow to me. Until he took over the second book now he's switching things in his own until I had to redo the prologue and first chapter because things happened in the third chapter that didn't mesh. He keeps it up I'm going to let those demon dogs do more than I planned.


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## Kevis Hendrickson (Feb 28, 2009)

sierra09 said:


> Well, I'm about ready to smack mine in the proverbial head.  I've been told by many that the youngest of my characters in my series, Ian, seems to be the most laidback and certainly when I was writing the first book it seemed like it. I mean, for an 18 year who can rearrange things at will with magic he seemed very mellow to me. Until he took over the second book now he's switching things in his own until I had to redo the prologue and first chapter because things happened in the third chapter that didn't mesh. He keeps it up I'm going to let those demon dogs do more than I planned.


I certainly understand Sierra's frustration. The sequels to both of my books have undergone a serious transformation from what I originally intended because either the characters hate me (can't really blame them since I am a bit of a sadist when I write) or they don't care about what my intentions are. The main character of


Spoiler



_Rogue Hunter_


 is telling me that she is more


Spoiler



sexually


 ambiguous than I intended for her to be. This has thrown a huge monkey wrench into my plans for the sequel (which has turned into a romantic science fiction novel) since now I don't know who her love interest is going to be. Meanwhile, the sequel to


Spoiler



_The Legend of Witch Bane_


 has suddenly turned into this monster epic that has far too much adult content in it to be a children's book (some truly wicked things happen to the characters in this one). Now I'm faced with the prospect of canceling the series and publishing the new book under another name since it's no longer PG-13. What the heck happened to my children's story? Where did it go? What is an author to do when his characters do whatever they want in spite of his objections? I need to find an easier line of work.


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

Now those are some truely stubborn characters when they can turn a children's series upside down.   I think I'm glad I don't even try to write below PG and at least these characters have stayed away from anything too series to take them above PG-13....so far at least. I honestly dread when Ryan gets control of a story.


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## Kevis Hendrickson (Feb 28, 2009)

sierra09 said:


> Now those are some truely stubborn characters when they can turn a children's series upside down.  I think I'm glad I don't even try to write below PG and at least these characters have stayed away from anything too series to take them above PG-13....so far at least. I honestly dread when Ryan gets control of a story.


Sierra,

I have an idea. I'll let you write my sequels and I'll put Ryan in line for you! Aw, that won't work either, will it? Where's my bottle of whiskey and a gun with one bullet? Better yet, you can send those demon dogs my way. Who wants to live forever anyway?


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

I always have spare demon dogs around, Kevis. They also tend to appear when I'm not ready for them to. In fact, they wrote themselves into the first story without even an idea from me. Also, since I have a wonderful mercenary leader playing support in my books I think he'd lend out his .357 Magnum. Can't help with the whiskey though....Ian's too young to drink....I think. I need to check that out.


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## Kevis Hendrickson (Feb 28, 2009)

sierra09 said:


> I always have spare demon dogs around, Kevis. They also tend to appear when I'm not ready for them to.


Randomly appearing demon dogs. That can't be good for your characters. No wonder they're misbehaving, lol!


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

Good point. Though they're better than their master....unless they bite you.


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

I haven't used this thread in a while and thought I would write about one of my female characters for a change of pace.  Miss Ruth Carlotti is one in a long line of Sicilian ladies with whom one of the immortal Knights is involved.  The Knight of the Golden Eagle, Lucio Dambretti, always has at least one young lady waiting somewhere in the shadows for him.  Miss Carlotti is devoted to him far more than he might have ever dreamed.  Even though, he is married at one point during their relationship, it is no deterrant for this dark beauty.  She intends to have her "Bambino" at any price; however, what she did not anticipate was that someone in his life would take an interest her and lead her on the adventure of a lifetime... or two.  
Here is a short scene wherein Mark overhears Lucio on the phone with Ruth, whom he disapproves of:

He cut around the stairs, intending to make use of the bathroom under the risers.  He put his hand on the knob and heard the sound of someone talking in a low voice from within.  He glanced up and down the hall and then deliberately decided to eavesdrop on the voice which he recognized. Lucio Dambretti.

"But Ruth!” he was whining in Italian.  “I will be home next week.”

“I know I’ve been gone for three months....  Of course I haven’t forgotten about you, my sugar plum faery.... No, no, it’s nothing like that... Not at all....  Of course I do....  But I wouldn’t be able to.... It would not be a good.... I’ll see what I can do.... I love you, too.... Nothing in the world....  Of course!  Ciao.”
A brief silence and then the toilet flushed.

“Santa Maria!”  Lucio said more loudly as he opened the door and then drew up short at the sight of the Grand Master standing in the hall.   “Your a’plumbing needs attention, your a’Grace.  It takes a’too longa to a’flush the toilet and the a’paper keepsa going round and around.”  He wiggled one index finger in the air to demonstrate the motion before vacating the area in a hurry.

Mark Andrew watched him as he walked away toward the front doors.  He reached for the phone that Lucio had inadvertently abandoned on the lavatory and stepped back into the hall and put the phone to his ear.
“Si, si,” he said and cut his eyes toward the Italian’s back as he opened the front door.  “Un momento, per favore, Ruth.”  He turned an evil smile on the Italian.  “Lucio, my a’sweet sugar plum’a faery.  Telefono.”


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Konrad von Hetz... Junior? His mother is the Queen of the Abyss. His father is the formidable Knight of the Apocalypse, who _sees_. So he's a little mixed up from the get-go when he is farmed out to adoptive parents in the Swiss Alps. He's a little overbearing, obnoxious, mean and oh... did I mention... immortal? Life is joke to him until he ends up following his father into the service of the Red Cross of Gold, poor Knights of Solomon's Temple and ends up as the Assassin's apprentice, fighting the war in Afghanistan. No, not our war, but a different war. He has a number of special abilities that surface as he grows up and learns that perhaps the joke was on him.


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## mamiller (Apr 28, 2009)

Brendan Carroll said:


> His mother is the Queen of the Abyss. His father is the formidable Knight of the Apocalypse...


...and all he wanted to do was grow up to play on the rugby team.  Sheeesh parental pressure!
How can you not be intrigued by a character with these genes.


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## vwkitten (Apr 10, 2009)

mamiller said:


> ...and all he wanted to do was grow up to play on the rugby team.  Sheeesh parental pressure!
> How can you not be intrigued by a character with these genes.


I was intrigued by the genes until that


Spoiler



tight tush


 walked by in the jeans... j/k


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

vwkitten said:


> I was intrigued by the genes until that
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


Well, Miss Kitten, you might find some of those sorts of jeans in the Order. Just cause the Queen of the Abyss is his mother and he has a nasty disposition, doesn't mean he can't have one of those


Spoiler



tushes


 of which ye speak.


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## vwkitten (Apr 10, 2009)

Brendan Carroll said:


> Well, Miss Kitten, you might find some of those sorts of jeans in the Order. Just cause the Queen of the Abyss is his mother and he has a nasty disposition, doesn't mean he can't have one of those
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


Woot -- bring on the cute


Spoiler



tushes


!


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Hey, if you want an idea of what some readers might think my characters look like, cruise on over to the Kindleboards Photo gallery and have a look at what they did for little old me... gotta love it!!


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Brendan Carroll said:


> Hey, if you want an idea of what some readers might think my characters look like, cruise on over to the Kindleboards Photo gallery and have a look at what they did for little old me... gotta love it!!


And... do you agree, 'cause I think Miss Trish would fall for your knights... even if they aren't wearing jeans... I meeeeean, uh, ya know, well cargo pants are more their style...


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Seems like nothing much is happening on the boards lately even though we seem to have plenty of visitors. I haven't posted much about any of my antagonistic/evil characters. So here goes one:

In the second book of the _Red Cross of Gold Series:. the King of Terrors_, we have James Argonne, Knight of the Throne. He is the Order's historian and has been around since the crusades, cataloging and recording everything to do with everything: meeting minutes, historical records, military engagements, organizational data, prophecies, letters, anything at all worth keeping that has to do with the Templar Order's activities. Argonne is French and is extremely prejudicial against anything non-French. He is completely convinced that the non-French elements of the Council of Twelve including the Scot, the Italian, the English and the German Knights are planning the overthrow of the Order. It is this growing suspicion coupled with the fact that the Knight of the Throne carries no divine mystery that eventually causes him to snap and go after the lead Character, the Knight of Death, blaming him for plotting the downfall of the Order. Argonne enlists the aide of his best friend, the Knight of the Wisdom of Solomon, Hugh de Champagne, who is in possession of the Angelic Magick of King Solomon, to help him rid the Order of what he calls 'wicked sheep'. In his words, he must set things right:

"Mark Ramsay... will go too far one day and I will be forced to kill him for the good of the Order. I will kill him and I will kill that damnable Italian as well. The Lord said that we must separate the chaff from the wheat. The Council must be made pure again. It must be so!" (The Red Cross of Gold II:. the King of Terrors)


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## AnnaM (Jul 15, 2009)

I just bought Brendan's first book (Seriously, who can resist "corrupt quagmires"?). Thanks Brendan, it looks great and I can't wait to dig in.

Inspiration comes in strange ways. I started writing my first book in my head after reading a story in a Wyoming historical journal. It was a simple monograph about an old west boom town. I was riding my bike at the time (on my way to losing 60 pounds), forming a vision of the town's brothel, and I began to wonder about the women who worked in those establishments. Where did they come from? Were they widows or orphans? Or just seeking a life that was easier than the harsh reality of the pioneer existence?

I put a name and a face to these women, and Sarah, the heroine in _Unbroken Hearts_, began to evolve. Sarah is a victim of the turbulent times -- disease, civil war, poverty -- and she puts duty ahead of self interests because she is the guardian to her young sister. With the support of the hero, Sarah grows to take control of her destiny.


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## mamiller (Apr 28, 2009)

As Brendan was kind enough to let us introduce our characters  ...allow me to introduce you to Harriet Morgan, the owner of a Bait and Tackle shop in Victory Cove, Maine where _WIDOW'S TALE _ is based.

"You again." The disheveled woman raked her glance up and down Brett's body, feigning contempt. Harriet shook her head and then stepped back to allow Brett full entry.
"Got a yearn to head out fishing this morning?" She barked.
"Not exactly." 
"You better damn well buy something before you leave this store."
Harriet's face was puffed up with scorn, her chapped hands resting on wide hips. But Brett was on to her. Beneath this façade he witnessed the first hints of a derisive grin. 
Automatically, Brett reached for the closest item at hand, which ended up being the replica of a wriggling black eel intended to lure some innocent creature into captivity. Holding the item in the air for Harriet's inspection, he heard her snort.
"Five bucks." Harriet turned her back to him and shuffled behind the cash register.
Brett studied the twisted bait incredulously. "Five bucks for this?"
Harriet arched a gray eyebrow and crossed her bulky arms. "Five bucks." She repeated. "Do you even know what to do with that thing?" She challenged, ringing up the sale.
_I have some ideas_, Brett thought, but refused to take the bait.


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

mamiller said:


> As Brendan was kind enough to let us introduce our characters  ...allow me to introduce you to Harriet Morgan, the owner of a Bait and Tackle shop in Victory Cove, Maine where _WIDOW'S TALE _ is based.
> 
> "You again." The disheveled woman raked her glance up and down Brett's body, feigning contempt. Harriet shook her head and then stepped back to allow Brett full entry.
> "Got a yearn to head out fishing this morning?" She barked.
> ...


Well, Ms. Miller she sounds like a tough old broad! I would be asceered to go into that shop!  Guess I'd have to dig up some ol' worms outta me backyard and go to the ol' fishin' hole instead of doing that big fish stuffesses!  I know... I've been around MARK Ramsay too long, huh?


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Well, Ms. Miller she sounds like a tough old broad! I would be asceered to go into that shop!  Guess I'd have to dig up some ol' worms outta me backyard and go to the ol' fishin' hole instead of doing that big fish stuffesses!  I know... I've been around MARK Ramsay too long, huh?


You bet your knickers, Miss Merry, if Mark Ramsay owned a bait and tackle shop, you'd better believe that you'd be buying something before you left... if you dared to enter in the first place.


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Brendan Carroll said:


> You bet your knickers, Miss Merry, if Mark Ramsay owned a bait and tackle shop, you'd better believe that you'd be buying something before you left... if you dared to enter in the first place.


Now HIM... I am NOT ASCEERED of! I so loved him in book 13....had a whole deja vu thing going on in it. Mmmmmmm.... he is soooo awesome.


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

In Book II: the King of Terrors, Mark is confronted by two pairs of evil characters.  Each has his own agenda and all four seeme bent on self-destruction as they take on the indomitable Knight of Death and try to force him to give up his mysteries, his one true love and the son that he only recently learned about.  Here's a little blurb involving a certain German pharmacist who wants the formular for the Tree of Life elixir that makes the Immortal Knights immortal:

“I would ask first what has happened to my Brother?”  Mark looked directly at Gavin.

“What brother?”  He looked surprised by the question.

“Another like myself.  A tall man, dressed like me.  Long hair.  Dark,”  Ramsay described von Hetz to them.  “I am no fool.  I know that you left the mansion with him, Mr. Nash.”

“Oh, him,”  Gavin waved the pistol carelessly.  “He came snooping around here trying to frighten us, but we convinced him that he had the wrong information.  He left.”

“I see,”  Mark nodded.  He knew the man was lying.  These two were as pathetic as Valentino’s John Tellman had been.  “Very clever.”

Both of them nodded proudly.

“Oll roighty then,”  Mark leaned forward and looked around as if to see that no one else would hear him before he gave the list of secret ingredients.  The two idiots looked around as well and then leaned toward him in turn.

“I will need a liter of Laudemio Extra Virgin Olive Oil,” he said.  Lucio had expounded upon the proper brand of olive oil while lamenting its high price only the night before.  Merry’s had apparently been too cheap for the Italian’s tastes.

“Don’t skimp on the price,”  Mark told them grimly.  “Two liters of Effen Vodka, 80 proof.”

“What kind of F’ing vodka do you want?” Gavin frowned at him.

“Not F’ing vodka… Effen!  Effen is the brand name, imbecile,”  Mark shook his head at the man’s ignorance.


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

A new old character or two show up in _The Red Cross of Gold XIV:. the Skull of Sidon_. One of them is the Chevalier du Morte's twin brother, Luke Matthew. He is a more laid-back version of his brother and a bit simpler, more like everything Sir Ramsay always wanted to be. Here they are on their way to see Miss Meredith Sinclair in Texas.

"Remember what I told you about the one called Maxie," he warned his brother again. Luke Matthew sat in the passenger seat of the black El Dorado, staring out at the rocky terrain and open fields of the countryside.

"Aye," Luke answered him rotely. They had been over this a thousand times. "He carries a shotgun. Aye."

"And remember, above all, the company of women is a dangerous thing!" Mark Andrew warned him yet again.

"Aye, fur pity's sake, mon!" Luke turned a baleful glance on the Knight of Death. "I'll keep th' women off ye! Wot's th' mattar withee? Do I not always keep ye free from sin?"

"But this is different, brother," Mark Andrew answered him darkly. "This is very important."

"Aye," Luke nodded. "And wot d' ye plan t' do with th' apprentice?"

"Take him home," Mark Andrew told him shortly.

"Wot if he dusna want t' go?"

"He'll go whether he wants to or not. If he doesn't go in one piece, he'll go in two," Mark Andrew told him. "I'll not take no for an answer."

"Thot's wot I thought," Luke shook his head. His long dark hair brushed the shoulders of his black suit.


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Where has _this_ one been? I had forgotten all aboot this thread... Oh, how I love discussing the characters of my favorite books! Quite a few people were posting on here a while back... what happened I am glad 'tis back never the less... 

Oh, and LUKE... Oh, what an awesome specimen of a man...  He is sooooo


Spoiler



HOT!


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

It's been awhile since this page was poked at and since it's always brought us such wonderful characters (Brendan's descriptions are always so dramatic   ) that it seemed a shame to let it die.

So, I thought I'd find it and bring it back. My newest book, Flames of Betrayal, has many interesting characters in it. So many that the poor thing needed a roster for the main team   and I decided to introduce you to one of them or so. 
In this scene below, you'll catch the humor and often times odd side to Machinist Mate First Class and Lead Petty Officer Kendall Chase 'Casey' Gibson. A 28 year old, 6' native to Idaho, he has some strange quirks that his teammates love to tease him about.

“Hey, Cass, if we live through this, will you marry me?” Casey asked, wading through water past his ankles.
Brookes started to tell his man to quit joking around but he seen the girl was already grinning.

“You have too many strange habits, Case,” she laughed. “I couldn’t let any husband of mine play in poker games for four days straight or start howling at the sky after a few drinks.”

O’Brien busted out laughing from where he was laying down covering fire. “We really should have had him de-hypnotized after that.”

“No, you and Zak shouldn’t have had him hypnotized in the first bloody place.” the young woman snapped back at him, adding while she ignored the look Brookes was giving her. “Ethan and Craig should have had both you shot for that.”


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Thanks, Miss Sierra. Being a Navy veteran of the War of 1812 myself, this is an especially interesting post. I must say that using Navy Seals as characters would be a daunting task indeed since there are still a few of them around to contend if they take exception (believe me, I've known a few and they do have... how did you say? some strange quirks. My characters, on the otherhand, are most certainly not likely to read what I wrote about them.  But then, there is one character in my Red Cross of Gold  series that might actually be lurking out there somewhere, but let us hope that _he_ doesn't show up here...

*Omar Adam Ajax Kadiff*: son of the Mighty Djinni, Adalune Kadif and the golden Orisha, Oshun. Physically, he is molded after Mark Ramsay's long, lost twin brother, Luke Matthew, but he is the product of an alchemical union rather than a normal maternity/paternity. He looks like Luke, but he doesn't think like him. He is a very powerful, mystical creature, yet his interest in mankind is profound. He loves his father, but he, like many children, thinks that his Ancient Father is a little silly and naive and he believes that he has a better plan for mankind than mankind can do for themselves. Unfortunately, his youth and lack of experience with the powers of darkness, leads him astray as he leaves his father's house and sets out to make the world a better place. He wants to bring the world together in the age old quest for world peace, but his grand design is quickly altered when he attracts a number of undesirable minions to his cause. His complete confidence in himself causes him to believe that he is infallible, that none can oppose and that none would or should want to once they have heard his_ message_. Though he quickly becomes a superstar on the World Stage, he cannot fight off his own personal demons and oppose his grandfather, Mark Andrew Ramsay at the same time. His character is featured in the upcoming book: _ Omar, the Prophet  _ which is due out in January 2010.


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## mamiller (Apr 28, 2009)

Thank you, Tammy for bringing this post back from the Netherworld.... 

Megan Summers, is hiding out in VICTORY COVE







as you can tell from this...

_How the hell did Jake convince her to go out in public?_
Megan inched lower in the front seat of Jake's Wrangler, resting her head as far back as she could to mask herself within the frame of the vehicle. She studied Jake's profile to see if he caught the motion, but his unshaven jaw was set grimly and his eyes were trained on the road. Strong hands wrapped around the steering wheel to control the vehicle as it bucked and finally climbed onto the main road. 
Megan inched even lower. Curse that fickle bridge for letting them through today. She wanted to stay in her remote fortress. There would never be a place that she felt safe-not anymore, but at least in Wakefield House she had an advantage. Here, out in the open, her vulnerability left her feeling like a lobster primed for butter. 
Megan shifted her shoulders below the sightline of the door.
"If you want, you can lie across the back seat."
Megan's head jerked. "What?"
A muscle pumped along Jake's jaw. "A hat perhaps?" He didn't take his eyes off the road. "Maybe one of those fake nose and glasses?"
Megan's cheeks infused with heat. "I happen to be tired. I was just getting into a comfortable position. Maybe take a quick nap."
Jake looked at her now. On the surface there were the slight wrinkles of a smile at the corners of his eyes, but the gold flecks grew dark with concern. 
"I guess contortionists can nap."


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## matte633 (Nov 30, 2009)

Hey guys - this is a very interesting and cool thread.  Several of the threads have made me very interested in your books.

I guess I'll tell a little about the lead character in my novel, Saint Nicholas (from Saint Nicholas, the Christmas Story).  We've all heard the stories of the true Saint Nicholas (aka Santa Claus), and my desire was to stay as true to what we know of him, developing his personality out of that.  History tells us that he was compassionate, zealous for the water, and passionate about orphans and the poor.  But he was also quick tempered and would punch your lights out if you crossed him (like he did at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD when he punched out another Bishop and was expelled from the church).  I love working with such strong characteristics, so developing him was easy.  I also wanted to use his language to shape his character by using a more modern dialogue.  Most of the storyline was there from history books - I just had to connect the dots, basically, to form him.

As posted by other authors in here, YES, most of my main characters have some part of me interwoven into their personality, etc, but the one character I relate to the most from all of my stories is Saint Nicholas! I tied in a lot of my own personality.  I became totally vulnerable and revealed a lot of who I am through Saint Nicholas, and feel that those who read my novel knows me a little too well .

I guess it was just easy to write because I, too, am passionate about the same things....


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Hey, Matte! Glad you liked the posts here.  I downloaded your book and haven't had time to learn all your secrets... I thought that I'd have some time to read, but alas... well, I'll get there and then I'll sell all your secrets!  Bwahahahaha!! Good going.  I love researching my books.  Sometimes I get new ideas just from watching documentaries on the History Channel or elsewhere.


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

Brendan Carroll said:


> Thanks, Miss Sierra. Being a Navy veteran of the War of 1812 myself, this is an especially interesting post. I must say that using Navy Seals as characters would be a daunting task indeed since there are still a few of them around to contend if they take exception (believe me, I've known a few and they do have... how did you say? some strange quirks. My characters, on the otherhand, are most certainly not likely to read what I wrote about them.  But then, there is one character in my Red Cross of Gold  series that might actually be lurking out there somewhere, but let us hope that _he_ doesn't show up here...


Gee, Brendan, thanks for reminding me of that.  Something else to worry about.  Though I think I've read worse portrayals than what I wrote.


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

matte633 said:


> Hey guys - this is a very interesting and cool thread. Several of the threads have made me very interested in your books.
> 
> I guess I'll tell a little about the lead character in my novel, Saint Nicholas (from Saint Nicholas, the Christmas Story). We've all heard the stories of the true Saint Nicholas (aka Santa Claus), and my desire was to stay as true to what we know of him, developing his personality out of that. History tells us that he was compassionate, zealous for the water, and passionate about orphans and the poor. But he was also quick tempered and would punch your lights out if you crossed him (like he did at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD when he punched out another Bishop and was expelled from the church). I love working with such strong characteristics, so developing him was easy. I also wanted to use his language to shape his character by using a more modern dialogue. Most of the storyline was there from history books - I just had to connect the dots, basically, to form him.
> 
> ...


Just sold ME! Gotta one-click it!


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## vikingwarrior22 (May 25, 2009)

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Where has _this_ one been? I had forgotten all aboot this thread... Oh, how I love discussing the characters of my favorite books! Quite a few people were posting on here a while back... what happened I am glad 'tis back never the less...
> 
> Oh, and LUKE... Oh, what an awesome specimen of a man...  He is sooooo
> 
> ...


Meredith FYI :
Brendan patterened Luke after me...so he led me to believe But he does not quite catch my "vikingnus" work on that Brendan me lad...just sayting


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## OliviaD (Jul 21, 2009)

My characters, with the exception of the leading man and his lady, are loosely based on personalities that I knew while growing up in a small town. While no character is _exactly_ modeled on a particular person, each one roughly resembles someone I knew. Ms. Mary Catherine McDaniels, for example, is modeled after my great-aunt and her neighbor is modeled after one of my elementary school teachers (whom I will not name for fear of being rapped on the knuckles with a ruler! ) Mike Padgett is patterned after a dear old family friend from my childhood and Billy Johnson is everyone's worst nightmare.

Olivia Darnell, author of The Misguided Souls of Magnolia Springs


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## vikingwarrior22 (May 25, 2009)

OliviaD I have started on this book last nite and so far *wow* this is tight its a super read...I will have to keep an eye on my Kindale as if anyone sees this they might borrow it and I would have to go all Viking on them ...thanks for the book its just like I member the little town that I grew up in ...


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

vikingwarrior22 said:


> Meredith FYI :
> Brendan patterened Luke after me...so he led me to believe But he does not quite catch my "vikingnus" work on that Brendan me lad...just sayting


Viking Warrior, you are literally "all over the board" aren't you? I mean, you just say whatever you want wherever you are... and LUKE can not be patterned after you... he speaks ENGLISH... well, at least English with a Scottish accent.... 

Merry Christmas Brendan... and Viking Warrior...


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## OliviaD (Jul 21, 2009)

vikingwarrior22 said:


> OliviaD I have started on this book last nite and so far *wow* this is tight its a super read...I will have to keep an eye on my Kindale as if anyone sees this they might borrow it and I would have to go all Viking on them ...thanks for the book its just like I member the little town that I grew up in ...


Thank you, Vikingwarrior. How's your knee? Maureen Miller explained what Kneewood is. A banged up knee didn't stop you from reading or writing, did it?  And Miss Meredith, I may get some good colloquialisms off of the Warrior if he doesn't mind my quoting him in my next book... what say you, Mr. VW? I'm thinking of writing a book about Vikings. LOL


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## vikingwarrior22 (May 25, 2009)

Great...Me n th' crew wold be very happy to clawberate you with a heavy  I mean coalate with you on your next 'venture... your book is just a feel good book  thanks


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

The second novel in my Celtic Evil series is far enough along now that I think it's safe to introduce readers to a wonderfully quirky girl. Molly Jackson, as readers of the first book will recall, was introduced in the first pages and truthfully wasn't going to go any further than that appearance...until Ian took over the second book and things changed.

Molly's a fun, refreshing character to write since she doesn't have as a dark or grim a backstory as most of the characters I seem to write. She's an eighteen year old Freshman at Trinity University in Dublin but has a hard time making friends so she's kind of shy in that regards. I call her quirky, her classmates often tend to call her that weird Yank because she tends to like odd things but then her maternal Grandmother is a Voodoo Priestess from New Orleans so the weird and strange seem to gravitate to her. Her Father is 2nd generation Irish/American and lives in Boston where Molly was raised after her Mother was killed when she was six. She has eight older brothers (any of whom may or may not show up) and is just now discovering things about herself that her great-grandmother on her Dad's side seemed to know.

Without giving away too much of the story, here's a short snippet from Ian's story with Molly that I adore because it gives a glimpse that despite being plopped down into something that should have sent her screaming she isn't easily frightened.


Coming from a huge family, Molly was used to the fighting between siblings so this was nothing new to her. What was new was when the vase on the mantel cracked as Mac’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Ry, knock it off before Mac lets Maggie fry you,” Roarke warned, entering the room after hearing the comment and feeling Mac’s temper war with his common sense.

Normally the one that Ryan teased, Roarke wasn’t accustomed to being the one breaking up his brothers.
Having taken the time to clean up after being in the horse barn all day, Roarke ran his fingers through his long black hair to push the front out of his face before facing the young woman that Kerry had called them in about.

Molly had turned to watch and was now looking with open fascination as she got her first good look at her friend’s older brothers and with a low hum, she pursed her lips.

“Well, I’ll say that Ian sure as hell didn’t mention one thing to me,” she decided suddenly, eyes looking between the Fitzgerald brothers seriously before looking back at Kerry. “He didn’t bother to tell me that all four of his brothers were drop dead gorgeous members of the male species.”

Kerry bit the inside of his cheek in amusement as he watched his brothers reactions to this quirky girl.
“Umm,” Roarke blinked at this bold statement, shifting uneasily under the intense scrutiny of the dark eyes watching them until he felt a hand on his arm.

As Mac lifted a brow, Ryan simply laughed aloud and decided to forget his anger for the moment. “I like her, Kerry. Can we keep her?”


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Sir Barry of Sussex is the Knight of the Baldric in the Red Cross of Gold Series.  He is an English Knight who is probably only a little younger than Sir Ramsay.  He is the school master for the apprentices in training and a rough/grough fellow (  ).  His mystery consists of a mystical knowledge of arms and weaponry.  He is in charge of the armory and teaches the use of ancient weapons to the the students.  He is also in charge of the students' discipline and runs the barracks from an office there.  Oh yeah, he is a big Elvis Presley fan.


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## vikingwarrior22 (May 25, 2009)

OliviaD said:


> Thank you, Vikingwarrior. How's your knee? Maureen Miller explained what Kneewood is. A banged up knee didn't stop you from reading or writing, did it?  And Miss Meredith, I may get some good colloquialisms off of the Warrior if he doesn't mind my quoting him in my next book... what say you, Mr. VW? I'm thinking of writing a book about Vikings. LOL


Ms. Olivia glad to report that my knees is about as good as it once was...still no pogo sticks,skateboards or tater sack races combined with jumping jacks...I swear the Dr. said no standing or walking and the DW is starting to complain about toteing me on her back...


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## mamiller (Apr 28, 2009)

I'd like to introduce you to Keo Kimona. A rather rotund and loveable character in ROGUE WAVE









"Keo!"

Already in a foul mood, Nick stooped to retrieve the trail of garbage and followed it into the bridge where he spotted the bulky profile sitting before a luminous windshield.

"What did I tell you about these?" He shook the fistful of discarded wrappers at the colossal figure draped across the stool.

Keo Kimona tucked in one of several chins and glanced up at Nick from under a heap of disorderly black hair. "Pick em up?"

"No. Lay off this stuff. What do you weigh now, Keo?"

Drawing himself up into an indignant mass of deep-tanned flesh and floral cotton, Keo dropped his thong-laden feet on the wooden deck. With pursed lips, he answered, "Close to four hundred, but my mamma says the bigger I get, the greater man I become."

Nick laughed. "Ain't that the truth."


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Hey! I remember Keo.  He was my secret favorite character and I equated him with Hurley from "Lost", but he also reminded me of Viking Warrior... not because of the girth, mind you,  but he was at the helm.


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## shadow2683 (Feb 17, 2010)

great thread

Alot of my characters come from people in my own life.  Tim Davis and Mark Markinson were based on two close friends who encouraged me to write the book.  Melanie Brown was actually the combination of two girls I greatly had crushes on.  The remaining characters were all based on people whom meant something to me which in a way brought dawn of the shadow alive.  I think thats why the story meant so much.


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## OliviaD (Jul 21, 2009)

Maureen Fitzgerald is one of the lead female characters in Misguided Souls of Magnolia Springs.  She meets up with the main characters when one of them calls her office (she sells insurance) in search of a business liability policy.  She's no pushover, but she's a born romantic all the same.  She knows what she wants, she's not afraid of asking for or about it.  I think she has a lot of me in her when I was younger, but maybe I'm imagining things.  Of course, she has your name which means that she must be quite a loverly person.  And, she must like penguins as well as dolphins or porpoises.  She has a penchant for getting into trouble, but she can take care of herself and she likes TEA!


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Luke Andrew Ramsay is the Chevalier Mark Ramsay and Chevaliere Meredith Sinclair's second son. He and his twin sister, Nicole, were not the best children parents could ask or hope for, but his evil ways are about to bring him to a sorry end if he doesn't straighten up and fly right for at least a while and bit. Here's a little blurb from the upcoming book in the Red Cross of Gold series: Book XVII ~ Full Circle due out in May:

"Say what?" Luke Andrew asked him when he'd found his voice again. "You expect me to help you?"

"Ye're me son, air ye not?" Mark turned his eyes on his frightened son and Luke saw with amazement that the amusement had returned to them. "Ye've nevar, evar paid fur yur raisin'. Ye moight as well get a taste o' th' gud loife before ye grow auld and wot th' bloody 'ell? We nevar really got t' know one anoother verra well. Now we'll 'ave plenty o' toime t' get t' know each oother."

"You've lost your mind. You're nuts. I'm not going to stay here and help you with your little war. You've got me all


Spoiler



fucked


 up. This is some kind of hallucination."

Luke Andrew scooted backward on the grass and looked for an escape route as he shouted at his father, hoping this was just another hallucination and that Jasmine would wake him up with a cool cloth for his fevered brow.

Mark Andrew launched himself onto the raving young man and pinned him to the ground before he could blink and held a dagger against his throat.

"Ye'll moind yur manners when ye speak t' yur father and yur king," Mark Andrew spoke directly into his face. "Yur in my kingdom now, laddie and ye'll do as yur told. If ye give me a gud reason, I'll slit yur throat from ear t' ear and leave ye in th' dirt until me 'angover subsoides and then I'll come back and finish ye loike I shud 'ave done years ago. "

"You can't kill me!" Luke managed to say through gritted teeth as he struggled under his weight. "You've already tried that!"

"Oh?" Mark Andrew pressed the blade to his neck and blood sprang from the slight wound. "Your 'ead comes off th' same as any oother, I'll wager."

"Owww. Stop it!" Luke shouted at him.


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## vikingwarrior22 (May 25, 2009)

I enjoy these scenes and try to remember them so that I can act them out on the crew...I read the books before the crew gets to read them


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Regarding Paddy Puffingtowne, one of the faery characters from _the Red Cross of Gold:. Assassin Chronicles_:

Paddy is a clurichaun. Clurichauns are akin to leprechauns, but don't insult them by referring erroneously to them as such. They carry big walking sticks and you might receive a sound drubbing for your trouble. They are very good friends if you can win their trust and if you have a cellar and a stock of good liquor, beer or wine, they will guard it with great alacrity. Paddy meets up with the Knight of Death in a mental hospital in Rome. Although Mark did not realize it at the time, his fate was hopelessly intertwined with Paddy's future. He's a colorful little fellow about 3'6" tall, red hair, plays the Irish bagpipes, loves to sing and dance, is very knowledgeable in faery lore and commands great respect from his fellow faery creatures. He adds a lot of laughter and a bit of whimsy to the Assassin Chronicles with his playful antics and thoughtful repartee. His character was not invented by myself, but by a very good friend of mine.

Paddy Puffingtowne of Buttersilk Farm, Kilkenny, Kilkenny County Ireland.


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## Travis haselton (Jul 24, 2010)

mine  is a hodge podge. The name "bud" is from a guy I work with he hates his real name so he just goes by "Bud." I want him to be confident, sometimes overly confident. Even tho he is highly skilled his confidence may get him in trouble soon but he will be resourcefull enough to get the job done. He may have been a bad man in the past but his unstinct is without a doubt a good one.


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## Philip Chen (Aug 8, 2010)

My favorite character and apparently one of my reader's favorites is Mildred, a kindly, sweet  old Norwegian grandmother who possesses a very special skill, and a dark, closely held secret that even her long-suffering husband doesn't know about.


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

These characters sound interesting, Philip and Travis.  I'm going to download samples right now.


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## Travis haselton (Jul 24, 2010)

That is amazing!!


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## Philip Chen (Aug 8, 2010)

Brendan Carroll said:


> These characters sound interesting, Philip and Travis. I'm going to download samples right now.


I don't know if Mildred even appears in the sample. Send me a PM and I will send you how Mildred is introduced.


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## vikingwarrior22 (May 25, 2009)

go Padddy!,go Paddy! *go Paddy!*


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## kcmay (Jul 14, 2010)

I love dilemmas and making characters reevaluate their way of thinking.

In my upcoming book, The Venom of Vipers, my main character has a moral dilemma. I wanted to know how he would handle being at the center of a situation where his species could save another from extinction when doing so would mean the end of his own species. What if both species were sentient? What if the dying species were human and the would-be savior species were a genetically engineered human subspecies that many humans hate?

The humans believe the right thing to do is to save humanity. My main character, a "Rep," believes he owes it to his own species to protect it, even at the expense of the humans who created them. Saving humans negates his own reason for existing in the first place. What would a conscientious person do?


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## julieannfelicity (Jun 28, 2010)

My favorite character has got to be Irene (from The Kindness of Strangers).  I'd love to meet someone like her (even though she is based upon a real person, a lot of the things she does in the book never really happened).  She basically takes this homeless, pathetic, (and pregnant) teenager (a complete stranger) and helps her build herself up, all the while not asking for anything in return.  She is just very sweet and generous, and tough when she has to be.


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Philip Chen said:


> I don't know if Mildred even appears in the sample. Send me a PM and I will send you how Mildred is introduced.


Mildred is, to say the least, very interesting. No spoilers will be given here, however. Enjoying your book, Philip.


julieannfelicity said:


> My favorite character has got to be Irene (from The Kindness of Strangers). I'd love to meet someone like her (even though she is based upon a real person, a lot of the things she does in the book never really happened). She basically takes this homeless, pathetic, (and pregnant) teenager (a complete stranger) and helps her build herself up, all the while not asking for anything in return. She is just very sweet and generous, and tough when she has to be.


Strangely enough, one of my own characters is based on a person who has these characteristics, Miss Julie and even stranger, my own sainted grandmother was named Irene.


kcmay said:


> I love dilemmas and making characters reevaluate their way of thinking.
> 
> In my upcoming book, The Venom of Vipers, my main character has a moral dilemma. I wanted to know how he would handle being at the center of a situation where his species could save another from extinction when doing so would mean the end of his own species. What if both species were sentient? What if the dying species were human and the would-be savior species were a genetically engineered human subspecies that many humans hate?
> 
> The humans believe the right thing to do is to save humanity. My main character, a "Rep," believes he owes it to his own species to protect it, even at the expense of the humans who created them. Saving humans negates his own reason for existing in the first place. What would a conscientious person do?


That certainly is a dilemma that I wouldn't want to figure out. Should make for very interesting reading.


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## mamiller (Apr 28, 2009)

In WIDOW'S TALE there is a character named John Morse. He is a recluse, and as such, people don't particularly like him, but I think there's a whole lot more to John Morse. And I'm thinking if there's ever another book in this charming, but cold Maine village, John Morse deserves himself a romance.

John Morse was a burly character, with straight black hair pulled back into a ponytail that leaked dark strands around high, pitted cheekbones. Ebony eyes narrowed until a glint of recognition sparked at the sight of Serena. The man sneered.

Serena's quick intake of breath had Harriet rooting around in her seat. She acknowledged Morse with a grunt of disapproval, and then swiveled back.

"What's he doing here? He never comes out in public-kinda like a vampire or something."


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