Beyond the Book: Bringing Your Characters To Life

Bringing Your Characters to Life

If you’re an author, you hope to create memorable characters who will help your story come alive and captivate your readers.  Most authors get to know their characters inside and out before they even begin a book, but how do they reveal their characters to the reader so that the reader understands the character too? 

First, we learn about characters through their speech.  What do you learn about Fred Emerson in this excerpt from A New Dream?

“Who brought you home?” demanded her father, Fred Emerson. “Where’s your car?”

“Alternator failure. It’s in the parking lot at work. The new manager, Matt McCallum, brought me home.” Violet hugged her mother Beth and her sister Jessie who both had a big pile of beans in front of them.

“You could have called me,” her father insisted.

Violet hung her purse on the coat rack near the door. “I knew you were busy with the garden stuff, Daddy. He offered, and I didn’t see any reason to turn him down.”

Fred snapped a bean with more vigor than necessary. “McCallum acted like a gentleman, I hope. Some of those pro-ball players don’t behave too well.”

Violet frowned. “He was a perfect gentleman, Daddy.”

“Good.” Fred tossed a handful of beans into a dishpan.  “He’d better continue to be. I won’t tolerate anybody messing with my daughters. I don’t know what the world’s coming to these days.”

Right off the bat we know that Fred is an old-fashioned, maybe overly protective father.

We also learn about characters from their appearance.  What do you learn about my bad girl Stacey?  She’s also from A New Dream.

Her style hadn’t changed much since she ran out on him. She still dressed to attract attention, and judging from the expression on several nearby male faces, she hadn’t lost her touch. She was wearing a short skirt, knee boots, and a sweater that was probably half a size too small. She looked as chic, expensive, and sexy as she ever had, but the sultry, come-hither look he’d always loved didn’t do much for him now.

So, Stacey’s an extrovert, sexy, likes men, and probably uses her looks to get what she wants.  We also learn that when the going got tough, Stacey ran out on my hero.

A character’s private thoughts also tell us what he/she is like.  What do you find out about my New Dream hero Matt McCallum?  Matt was a pro-football player who lost his career when he lost a leg in an accident.

He had worked like a dog on that leg, but he still limped, and it felt like knives stabbed him with every step he took. His career was over, and he had lost almost everything he had loved and valued. Yeah, he felt drained.

Nevertheless, he always kept such dark thought to himself. God forbid he should invite anyone’s pity! He’d rather be dead first.

We see that Matt is depressed over the changes in his life.  We also see that he’s a proud man who doesn’t want anyone’s pity.

We also learn about characters from the way others see him and react to him.  In this excerpt, my New Dream hero told my heroine that he won’t leave her porch until she talks to him even though the weather is icy and bitter cold.

Dinnertime came and went, and Matt still sat on the porch.  “I’m going to take him something to eat,” Beth declared. “He has to be starving.”

Violet guessed her mother was right. Matt had once told her that the effort of walking with a prosthesis burned additional calories, but the picture of Stacey etched in her brain hardened her heart. “He isn’t your problem, Mother. Leave him alone.”

Nerves on edge, Violet started to cry, and when she did Beth tackled Fred. “Fred Emerson, you do something right now! I’m not having it on my conscience if that young man freezes to death on my front porch, especially since I believe he’s telling the truth.”

“Mother! I thought you were on my side!”

Fred pounced on her statement like a cat on a catnip mouse.  “I knew it! You’ve always liked him.”

“Well, you do something, and I mean now!”

Don’t you think it says a lot about Matt’s character that my heroine’s mother believes he’s innocent of betraying her with another woman? 

A character’s actions will reveal a lot about them too.  What do you think this excerpt says about Matt?

 Matt patted old Mrs. Watson on the arm. “I’m sorry for the confusion, ma’am.”

Bristling with indignation, the woman nodded her head.  “See to it that it doesn’t happen again.”

As she stalked away, the red-faced cashier blurted out. “I wasn’t wrong.”

“I know it, but she’s old. Make a note of the amount, and I’ll put it in the register.” He winked at the cashier who no longer looked upset.

He smiled when he turned around and saw Sam Dickson watching him. “Coffee in my office?”

“Well, we aren’t going to drink it in the produce section are we?” Sam quipped.

 He’s kind to old ladies?  This is a nice guy!  A keeper!

If you're interested in A New Dream, you can get it at http://www.amazon.com/Rest-Thy-Head-Elaine-Cantrell-ebook/dp/B00NTAXTOC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439259054&sr=8-1&keywords=rest+thy+head

Beyond the Book: A New Dream

What’s your dream?  Have you achieved it yet?  As an adolescent most people formulate grand dreams, some of which aren’t based on reality, and this is a good thing.  During adolescence we should explore all the possibilities before our values and talents dictate what we ultimately become in life.  For some people reality dictates that we settle for something less than what we wanted.  Luckily, most of us find happiness in our new, revised dreams and have a fulfilling life.

Guess what I wanted to be when I was a child?  I wanted to be Miss America.  My family made a big deal out of watching the Miss America pageant every year.  My aunts and girl cousins would all come over, and we’d eat snacks, criticize the talent competition, and try to pick the winner.  Well, I didn’t become Miss America.  Instead, I became a social studies teacher, wife, mother, grandmother, and finally an author.  Am I content?  Yes, I am.  My life is full and happy.

But what would happen if you had a huge dream that came to pass and gave you everything you’ve ever wanted, and then you lost it?  Could a replacement dream ever take the place of the first one?

That’s exactly what happens to Matt McCallum, my hero in A New Dream.  Matt achieves his dream of playing for the NFL.  He was a first round draft pick for the Green Bay Packers, and during his rookie year, he kicked the winning field goal in the Super Bowl.  He has fame, money to burn, and a sexy fiancée.  For Matt, life doesn’t get any better than this.  And then he loses it all when a car wreck takes his career away.  All that self-discipline, focus, and hard work counts for nothing now.

My husband sometimes reads for me, and when he read A New Dream, he threw a fit.  We share a home office so I spun my chair around to see what was wrong when he snarled, “I hate this book.”  

“Buy why?” I asked.  “I like it.”

“You shouldn’t take his career away,” he answered.  

I ignored him.  Matt was going to lose his career no matter what.  My husband didn’t understand that I was tired of perfection.  I mean, come on, how many times have you read that a hero has sculpted abs, craggy features, and makes the heroine’s knees go weak the minute he walks into the room?   

 Yeah, I hear you.  You like drop dead gorgeous heroes.  Matt McCallum has all of the above qualities, but I wanted do a little something extra, something that would make him stand out from the pack. 

I wanted to show how Matt’s rather superficial life gives way to something deeper, stronger, and more fulfilling, and to do that he had to lose everything.  As one of my readers said, “Sometimes you have to lose everything to make way for something better.” 

The second edition of A New Dream is now available for $2.99 at Amazon and most all online retail outlets. You can buy it in either electronic or print format.

Beyond the Book: Character Interview

Welcome to Beyond the Book. My name is Jennifer Jones, and I'm the anchor on WPFA TV. I recently interviewed local resident Jake Douglas for our weekly Local Color segment, and today I'm talking to Peyton O'Malley who recently married Jake. Peyton, how did you first meet Jake?

Peyton: (laughing) I first saw Jake in the barn brushing his horse. He didn't want to talk to me  at all. In fact, he was downright rude to me.

Jennifer: Obviously, he changed his mind about you.

Peyton: Yes, I asked him for a job, and he hired me to work in the kitchen at Rest Thy Head.

Jennifer: Can you cook like Jake does?

Peyton: Not a chance. I'm still the salad girl. Coffee too. I can make good coffee.

Jennifer: You also appeared in the annual play to commemorate  the founding of Waterbury.

Peyton: (nodding) That was a lot of fun. 

Jennifer: I'm sure it was. Jake told us that Rest Thy Head really does have a ghost. Do you believe that?

Peyton: (shrugging) If we do, I know it's a nice ghost. 

Jennifer: Thanks so much for talking to us, Peyton. I'll come out soon and try one of your salads.

EXCERPT:

“Did you and Jake have a good time?” Sandra asked. The way she rolled her eyes, Peyton knew she was still angry about Jake’s curt manner during breakfast.

“Actually, we did. We saw a bear on the edge of the woods, and he bought me an ice cream sandwich.”

Sandra dropped the cucumber she was peeling. “Wow. You must have impressed him. He won’t even speak civilly to me.”

Peyton giggled. “If you can sweeten an old bear with honey, maybe you can sweeten Jake with an ice cream sandwich.”

“Then let’s keep plenty of them on hand,” Sandra retorted. “He had no business acting up the way he did this morning. Everybody in the kitchen is mad at him.” She pursed her lips. “If I were a man, I’d kick his butt for him.”

Peyton tossed her a head of lettuce from across the room. “It might do him good. Teach him some manners.”

Jake entered the kitchen about the time another head of lettuce flew through the air. The angry look on his face almost scared Peyton. Almost. “Catch, Jake.” She fired another head of lettuce his way, and he caught it with one hand.

“I didn’t hire you to play football with the lettuce,” he growled, but it was too late to scold them. Everyone had already seen him grin.  

Only .99 at http://amzn.to/1Th5ylf 

Beyond the Book: Weddings

Welcome to Beyond the Book. My name is Peyton O'Malley, and I was Elaine's heroine in Rest Thy Head. June was traditionally the month for weddings, so I decided to show you my wedding dress and the ones my bridesmaids wore.  The skirt is what sold me on this dress. It's so flirty and cute.

Oh, yeah, Elaine offered a book to someone who commented on last week's post. Her grandson drew the name Amy Hart out of the hat.

What about you, readers? What colors did you use? Did you have a big ceremony? A romantic honeymoon? Leave a comment.












Bridal gown: http://www.photl.com/379718.html

Bridesmaid:"Bridesmaid and junior bridesmaid" by Nils Fretwurst Fretwurst - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bridesmaid_and_junior_bridesmaid.jpg#/media/File:Bridesmaid_and_junior_bridesmaid.jpg

Beyond the Book

Hi, my name is Peyton O'Malley, and I was Elaine's heroine in Rest Thy Head. I have to admit that my first meeting with Jake Douglas didn't go over too well. In fact, it was downright unpleasant. I'll share that excerpt with you, and then if you leave a comment telling me how you and your significant other met, I'll put your name in the pot to win a copy of Rest Thy Head. I'll give everyone a week to get their comments in, so next Tuesday I'll announce the winner. 

She entered the barn, a big white structure with a center aisle and stalls on either side. Just inside the door she saw a dark-­haired man dressed in jeans and a long-­sleeved, plaid shirt brushing a pretty chestnut mare.

“Hi,” she called.

The man half turned toward her; wow, he had blue eyes to die for. The blue was so intense that it reminded her of a blue diamond she’d seen at the jewelry store. Oh, and look at those shoulders. If there was one thing she loved, it was a pair of nice shoulders. Yummy. He was just yummy. “Yeah?” he asked, his voice abrupt and snappy.

“I’m Peyton O’Malley. I’m supposed to meet Patrick for a ride.”

“He isn’t here yet. You can sit on the bench under that tree outside and wait for him there.”

Instead of leaving the barn, Peyton stepped toward the man. “What a beautiful ... horse.”

The man quickly averted his face, but Peyton had seen the dreadful red scars that covered the entire left side of his face. They looked like burns. “I told you to wait outside,” he growled, scowling at her with the good side of his face. “Get moving.”

Peyton’s lips pressed together in a thin line. How dare he speak so rudely to her! Anyone would have looked twice when they first saw his scars. She stalked outside without another word. 

Saturday Sample

Welcome to Saturday Sample. In this excerpt, my heroine learns how my hero got scarred.

“Jake was in the marines, and a couple of years ago they sent him to Afghanistan. His unit was involved in a firefight with the insurgents. He got burned on the left side of his body.”

Remorse for all the hard thoughts she’d had toward Jake flooded Peyton. “That’s awful. I... I hope I didn’t make him uncomfortable. He must have seen that...”

“Yeah, I know.” Patrick grimaced. “The first time you see him, it’s startling.”

Peyton allowed Reggie to stop so she could feed on a clump of grass. “I feel bad for him.”

Patrick’s voice hardened. “Well, don’t. He wouldn’t want you to, and for goodness sake don’t offer him your pity. He really can’t stand that.”

“Pity him?” Peyton’s eyes widened. “I think he’s a hero, not someone to be pitied. He didn’t give his life for his country, but he gave a lot.”

Patrick favored her with a warm smile. “That’s exactly what I think.” 

Beyond the Book: Etta Place

 Wow, where to start with this cowgirl? Her name is Etta Place, and she was married to the Sundance Kid, a notorious bank robber and outlaw. No, wait, that may not be right. We don't know her real name. We're not even sure she and Sundance were married. Some folks said she first had a relationship with Butch Cassidy before turning to the Sundance Kid, but again no one knows for sure.

You do know about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, right? They were two of the most famous outlaws of the old west. They ran a gang of outlaws called the Wild Bunch. Etta was one of only four or five women ever to be allowed in the gang.

No one knows for sure how Place met the Kid. Some say she was a teacher, and some say she was a prostitute or housekeeper who met the Kid at a hotel. She's very pretty, isn't she?

We do know that she went with the Kid to Argentina in 1901. They took advantage of a newly passed law to get a huge amount of land for themselves. Place was the first woman to get law under this new law.

They visited the US several times, but finally in 1904 they had to leave Argentina because the American detectives were on their trail. By later that year they returned and started robbing banks. Things get fuzzy again after that.

Some say she was tired of running and asked the Kid to take her to San Francisco which he did. After that, we don't think they ever saw each other again. Who was she? Did she and the Kid really leave each other? Excellent questions, and some people think they have answers, but with so many theories out there, who knows what's true and what isn't. She probably isn't the best role model to come out of the old west, but she sure is interesting.

All information is from Wikimedia and so is the picture.

I'm doing this series on the old west in honor of my heroine Peyton O'Malley who became a cowgirl herself after coming to Rest Thy Head.

Saturday Sample

Rest Thy Head is on sale through the end of May for only .99.   http://amzn.to/1IxA5qq

Beyond the Book: Women of the Old West

You may not have realized this, but Laura Ingalls Wilder was a woman of the old west too. Her father had itchy feet and wandered from one place to another and finally settled in DeSmet, South Dakota. It was there that Laura met and married her husband Almanzo Wilder.

Life wasn't easy for them. They coped with hail storms, illness, fire, and the death of a child before moving to Mansfield, Missouri where they raised their only child a daughter called Rose. It was in Mansfield that Laura wrote the Little House books that have so captivated people of all ages. If you've never read the Little House books, I urge you to try one. You'll like it.

The picture is of Laura and Almanzo at the time they were married.

This series on cowgirls and women of the west is in honor of Peyton O'Malley my heroine in Rest Thy Head. Peyton moved to Wyoming where she learned to ride a horse, went camping, explored caves, observed wild horses, and fell in love. 

Picture of Laura and Almanzo: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Laura_and_Almanzo.jpg

Saturday Sample: Rest Thy Head

Rest Thy Head is on sale for a limited time for only .99.

Buy link:http://www.amazon.com/Rest-Thy-Head-Elaine-Cantrell-ebook/dp/B00NTAXTOC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429933118&sr=8-1&keywords=rest+thy+head

Beyond The Book: Cowgirl Food

Any cowgirl worthy of the title probably knew how to make Vinegar Pie. Wikimedia says it's a North American variation of Chess Pie. Some of you may recall that Laura Ingalls Wilder ate Vinegar Pie at Christmas in Little House in the Big Woods. I've eaten Chess Pie, but personally, I've never tried Vinegar Pie. I believe that this recipe was supposed to be made when you were out on the trail somewhere. Let me know how it tastes if you decide to indulge your cowgirl taste buds.

1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup cold water
4 eggs, beaten
5 tablespoons vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons butter 

Combine sugar and flour. Add the rest of the ingredients and place in a saucepan. Cook until thick and pour into a prepared pie crust. Bake in a 375-degree oven until the crust is brown.

Rest Thy Head is now on sale for .99 at Amazon and B&N.

First Meeting

Remember when you first met that special someone? Here's how Peyton met Jake.

She entered the barn, a big white structure with a center aisle and stalls on either side. Just inside the door she saw a dark-haired man dressed in jeans and a long-­sleeved, plaid shirt brushing a pretty chestnut mare.

“Hi,” she called.

The man half turned toward her; wow, he had blue eyes to die for. The blue was so intense that it reminded her of a blue diamond she’d seen at the jewelry store. Oh, and look at those shoulders. If there was one thing she loved, it was a pair of nice shoulders. Yummy. He was just yummy. 

“Yeah?” he asked, his voice abrupt and snappy.

“I’m Peyton O’Malley. I’m supposed to meet Patrick for a ride.”

“He isn’t here yet. You can sit on the bench under that tree outside and wait for him there.”

Instead of leaving the barn, Peyton stepped toward the man. “What a beautiful ... horse.”

The man quickly averted his face, but Peyton had seen the dreadful red scars that covered the entire left side of his face. They looked like burns. “I told you to wait outside,” he growled, scowling at her with the good side of his face. “Get moving.” 

Beyond the Book: Cowgirls

Welcome to today's edition of Beyond the Book. In honor of my Rest Thy Head heroine Peyton O'Malley who moved to Wyoming and learned to ride a horse, I'm sharing a few posts about famous cowgirls of the old west. My character today is Poker Alice.

Alice was born in England in 1853. She and her family moved to Colorado where she married Frank Duffield who taught her to play poker. He was miner, and after he died in a mining accident, Alice turned to poker to make a living. Look at that dead pan expression on her face. I bet she could bluff with the best of them.

She eventually traveled all over the west, gambling as she went and winning regularly, sometimes as much as $6000.00 at one time. In Deadwood, Colorado, where she spent most of her time she met and married her long time husband Warren G. Tubbs. Tubes wasn't much of a poker player. He was an artist. I wonder if she ever let him win when they played cards. He eventually died of tuberculosis. They were broke, so she pawned her wedding ring to pay for his funeral.

Alice wasn't through with men yet. She left Deadwood and ended up in Sturgis where she met her third and final husband George Huckert. He died not too long after their marriage, leaving Alice broke and alone. She went back to gambling to support herself. She ran a poker house and made bootleg whiskey, but when she was shut down during Prohibition. Ever resourceful, she started a house of ill repute for soldiers at Fort Meade.

During the last years of her life she became somewhat eccentric. She wore old faded clothes and a beat up hat, but she still continued to deal cards until her death in 1930. She's buried in the St. Aloysius Cemetery in the Black Hills.

Picture:By The black-and-white photo is courtesy of the South Dakota Historical Society (http://www.sangres.com/history/pokeralice.htm) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

Reference: www.thewildwest.org

Beyond the Book: Cowgirls

My heroine had never even ridden a horse before she came to Rest Thy Head, but here's a real cowgirl who could give her some inspiration.

Elizabeth “Lizzie Johnson” Williams

1840‒1924)

Ranched near Austin, was a pioneer in breaking the barrier into what had always been considered a man’s world: cattle trading. Legend has it that she was one of the first women to drive her own cattle, along with her husband’s, up the Chisholm Trail, earning her the nickname, “The Cattle Queen of Texas.”

Come back next week for another look at cowgirls of the old west. 

Picture and bio from http://www.cowgirl.net/portfolios/elizabeth-lizzie-johnson-williams-2/

Saturday Sample: Rest Thy Head

My sample today is from Rest Thy Head which is on sale for .99 for a limited time only.  In this excerpt, my hero Jake talks about the ghost with the people he took camping.

Morris Feldman’s s’more dropped onto his lap, but he picked it up and ate it anyway. “Hot,” he mumbled as he sucked air into his mouth. “Jake, one of the maids told me Rest Thy Head is supposed to be haunted. Have you ever seen a ghost?”

Jake paused to lick marshmallow from his fingers. “A couple of times I’ve seen something.”

An expectant air filled the crowd. They had everyone’s attention now. “What did you see?” Feldman asked.

Jake pursed his lips in a way that made Peyton think he intended to scare everyone. “Once I went to the second floor to do some repairs and saw a mist swirling in the air in front of the window on the landing.”

“It was probably just dust in the sunshine,” Morris disagreed. “I’ve seen dust motes dancing in the sunshine many times.”

“It didn’t look like dust.” Jake’s head tilted to the side as he considered his memory. “The mist was thicker, and it didn’t seem to just float in the air; it swirled.”

Feldman grunted. “It would take more than that to convince me.”

“I’ve seen curtains sway in the breeze too,” Jake continued “even when the windows were closed and the heating or air conditioning wasn’t running.”

Mrs. Feldman slid a little closer to her husband. “Have you ever actually seen a person, I mean an apparition?”

Jake hesitated and the thoughtful look on his face made Peyton think he wasn’t trying to scare anyone now. “Maybe. Several times I’ve been outside working, and when I looked back at the inn I thought I saw a face watching me, but the moment I blinked it disappeared.”

“Why does it surprise you to see someone looking out the window?” Feldman scoffed. “You do run an inn.”

Jake struggled to explain himself. It seemed to Peyton that he wanted to understand what he’d seen as much as he wanted his guests to understand. “That’s true, but...well, it didn’t look right some way or other. I know that isn’t a good description, but it’s the best I can do.”

“Would you say that perhaps it looked a bit insubstantial?” tiny Lucille Chastain broke in.

“Yes, I think so.” He nodded. “Yeah, that’s a good description.”

Lucille smiled. “Most of the time you can see through them.” 

Beyond the Book: Cowgirls

Peyton O'Malley had never ridden a horse before she came to Rest Thy Head, but here are some cowgirls to inspire her.

Dale Evans

"Cowgirl" is an attitude really. A pioneer spirit, a special American brand of courage. The cowgirl faces life head-on, lives by her own lights, and makes no excuses. Cowgirls take stands; they speak up. They defend things they hold dear."

Guys, have you read Rest Thy Head? Peyton has a lot in common with Dale Evans.

Annie Oakley

Aim at a high mark, and you will hit it.

I don't know if Annie was talking just about guns or not, but it's great advice. My heroine Peyton was taught to aim high from the time she was a child, but until she ran away to Rest Thy Head, she couldn't find the high mark she wanted to achieve.

Fannie Sperry Steele

“To the yesterdays that are gone, to the cowboys I used to know, to the bronc busters that rode beside me, to the horses beneath me, I take off my hat.  I wouldn’t have missed one minute of it.”

Fannie Steele started riding at age two. Before her career ended she had raced Thoroughbreds, became the Lady Bucking Horse Champion of the West twice, performed with Buffalo Bill Cody, and was a charter member of the Cowboy Hall of Fame. She was also the first woman in Montana to get an outfitter's license.

Like Fannie Steele, my Peyton knows exactly what she wants and isn't willing to live life on other people's terms. 

Rest Thy Head is set in Wyoming, so come back next week, and we'll talk cowboys and cowgirls again.

Rest Thy Head is on sale for a limited time at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.


Picture credits:

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
photo by Alan Light [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Annie Oakley
By Stacy Co., Brooklyn, N.Y. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Fannie Sperry Steele
By Edward F. Marcell [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons