photo courtesy of goodreads.com
From the author, who gave us a very unique paranormal mystery, here is Roberta Smith's take on her characters making a positive impact and in her tale they surely do on the reader!:Making a Character Come Alive
One of the essential needs of human beings (after the basics like food, water, sex, shelter, love) is to have an answer to the question: What is the meaning of life? And when it becomes pretty clear that the answer is possibly not to be known or is a matter of opinion, many of us become satisfied with having a positive purpose for our own life. In fact, if we don’t have one, some of us may even sink to the level of despair.
In my book The Secret of Lucianne Dove I’ve created two characters driven by the need to give positive meaning to their lives. One is Lucianne, a prostitute from the Old West. I created her after traveling to ghost towns and old mining towns of California, Arizona and Nevada. The “soiled doves” of this era fascinated me. Take away the romantic images Hollywood has given us for some of these women and you’ll find a desperate way of life. It got me thinking, what if there was a woman in this situation who wanted to get out? What if society wouldn’t let her? What if she had to come back from the grave to change the legacy of her life? And what if there was a tormented soul from the present who could help her do it?
Enter my protagonist, Mickey. He’s suffering because he can’t get past something he did wrong decades earlier. This deed so stained him that it has become the meaning of his existence. His life’s purpose narrowed to finding something that will make up for what he did. So what if the soiled dove from the past could help Mickey at the same time he’s helping her?
In creating memorable characters, it’s important to go beyond what they look like, what they do, and what their back story is to what drives them. For me, knowing a character’s essential life-need is what breathes life into the fictional person and makes him or her authentic.
Mickey is real to me and very dear to my heart. So much so that after I finished Lucianne, I needed to spend more time with him. This resulted in two follow-up novels. Chapel Playhouse finds Mickey in a frightening situation, unraveling a mystery, saving a life, and battling a malicious, misguided ghost. The Accordo, to be released next year, puts Mickey through the wringer to such a degree that he may not be up for any more paranormal adventures. That’s why my fourth novel is a change-of-pace romance.
About the author:
photo from Goodreads.com
Roberta's Goodreads Author page
Roberta's Web Site
Roberta is a native of Southern California and a graduate of the University of Redlands. She lives with her husband and writes full time. She is the happy member of two clubs: The High Desert Branch of the California Writers Club and Victor Valley Vettes Corvette Club. She loves to explore the paranormal, go on outings with her hubby, and ponder the meaning of life (sometimes).
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*Giveaway is for 1 PB copy of book and 1 Kindle edition copy of book provided to winners by author.*
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Ends 12/30/11 at 12 noon CST
Winners will be picked using Random.org, contacted, confirmed, info sent to author and posted on the blog no later than 1/8/2012 dues to holidays.
*Do not have to follow blog.*
*Must leave a comment for author with valid contact email for entry.*
*Giveaway is for 1 PB copy of book and 1 Kindle edition copy of book provided to winners by author.*
*INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES WELCOME*
Ends 12/30/11 at 12 noon CST
Winners will be picked using Random.org, contacted, confirmed, info sent to author and posted on the blog no later than 1/8/2012 dues to holidays.
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