Here's where I get chatty about my
characters and novel plots.
The older I get and the more that I
refine my craft, it seems obvious that I am a rather ‘prolific’ author with 120 + novels. The summary
you see posted on the web pages and the subsequent clips hardly do them justice. Every story is thought out to the last
detail, with intricate plots and fully developed characters. Sometimes, my secondary characters are so strong that I've gone
on to make them my heroes or heroines of another novel.
Such
is the case with "Dragonblade", where Kenneth St. Hever was a secondary character who then went on to be the hero
in "Island of Glass". Additionally, many of my heros and heroines have the same last name as others
I've written about. Some of them are the grandmother, or great grandson, of other heros and heroines. Such is the case
with my hero in "Dragonblade", who bears the same last name as my hero in "Lord of the Shadows".
That's because my "Dragonblade" hero is the great-grandson of the hero in "Lord of the Shadows". So
it's fun to watch for these little twists. And you feel as if you already know the lead characters if you've already
read about their familial relations.
And speaking
of secondary characters - the fabulous Marcus Burton, believe or not, was actually a secondary character in a Medieval epic
I wrote several years ago called "The Lion Heart". He was so strong that he stood out almost as strongly as
my hero; believe me, it would take a really strong character to compete with my Lion Heart hero, Sir Christopher de Lohr.
But in the end, Marcus didn't get the girl. Sad to see the end of Burton when the novel ended, I
put him into the present day paired with Dr. Kathlyn Trent - the same guy, only a different time. If you've
read any of the Kathlyn Trent/Marcus Burton novels, then you know what I mean about this guy. He's phenomenal.
I'll tell you
how I come about conceiving my heros/heroines. Kind of a strange quirk of mine... normally, when I conceive my
leads, I will have a definite model for my male lead. Usually someone I've seen on TV or in movies, and there is something
about them that catches my eye. Who knows what it is. Anyway, I'll use that face - and body - and give him a name, a
personality, a history, and voila - I have a hero. Strangely enough, I don't usually do that with the women. I just create
them out of my mind's eye, but I can see them just a clearly as if I had a real picture. And I always infuse some of
my personality into the women. So you will notice that most of them are fairly opinionated, as I am. I can't stand
weak women, so none of mine are 'helpless'. Kind of gives the guys a run for their money.
Moving on... in The White Lord of Wellesbourne, you will meet
The Dark Knight, Gaston de Russe, about a quarter of the way into the story. Not to diminish any hero I've ever written
about because they are all remarkable men, but Gaston is probably the greatest knight to have ever lived. Seriously.
They call him The Dark Knight because, a) he's got dark hair, and b) he's about two hundred and fifty pounds of pure,
unadulterated and unapologetic knight. This guy is so mean, so dark, that even the most fearless knights are afraid
of him. He earned his reputation serving during one of the most turbulent times in history - the death of Edward IV, the ascension
of Richard III, and finally the ascension of Henry Tudor. Gaston supported Richard III until Bosworth Field, whereupon
his changed his loyalties and, as the story goes, the tides of the battle. His story is told in "The Dark
Knight", an epic I wrote a few years ago that is somewhere around 700 pages long. The greatest novel I've
ever written, but will have to wait for the right publisher willing to take a chance on such a massive book. I just re-read
it again this past month (March 2007), and it is seriously, wildly good. But I digress. Back to The
White Lord; he and Gaston are the closest of friends and it was difficult for me to write about Gaston's betrayal and how
it affected them both. But he had his reasons.
All
of my characters are emotionally flawed, because real people are, too. It makes for much more interesting dynamics. And I'm
not a big fan of the 'damsel in distress' - not appealing in the least, so you'll find that most of my heroines are fairly
strong minded in one way or the other. Some of the best ones you'll read about are Bella Grace di Witney (Island of
Glass), Kathlyn Trent (the series) and maybe Dustin Barrington de Lohr (The Lion Heart). You do NOT want to get
in a fight with these women, trust me. HOWEVER... they are extraordinarily feminine. I insist on it. There is
a vulnerability that our men can exploit. I didn't mean exploit. Well, sort of. If men see an 'in', they'll take it.
Heroes we like best: Sean de Lara (Lord of the Shadows), Marcus Burton (the series), Matthew Wellesbourne
(The White Lord of Wellesbourne), Alec Summerlin (The Legend), Gaston de Russe(The Dark Knight & The White Lord of Wellesbourne),
Christopher de Lohr(The Lion Heart), Ajax de Velt (Lord of the Dark).
Arrogance Award: Gaston de Russe,
Marcus Burton
Meanest Man on Earth award: Marcus Burton, Gaston de Russe, Ajax de Velt
Man Most
Likely to Get Slapped Award: Kenneth St. Hever (you have to know his wife in order to understand this).
Man
Who Deserves to Get Slapped Award: Alec Summerlin (what a smartass he is - you really want to whack him one!)
Man Most Likely to Have Your Back Award: Matthew Wellesbourne (gotta love this guy)
Most Sensitive Award:
Matthew Wellesbourne, Braxton de Nerra (Braxton is a saint).
Hot-Hot-Hottest Award: Tevin du Reims, Marcus
Burton, Rhys du Bois
Worst
Reputation Award: Sean de Lara, Gaston de Russe, Ajax de Velt
Flat-out
biggest, scariest knight Award: Gaston de Russe, Ajax de Velt
Most Normal Guy Award: Braxton de
Nerra
Could Take Home to Mom Award: Matthew Wellesbourne
Smartest Man on the Planet Award: Marcus Burton (Marcus is a freaking genius –
just ask his wife).
Wisest Award: Christopher de Lohr
Wise
Ass Award: Marcus Burton, Alec Summerlin (Like I said; oh, what a smart mouth he has!!).
My Favorite Hero: Okay, this is a double-edged sword - all of these guys have something
that is very special to me, but I would have to say, in fairness, that some of my favorites are Marcus Burton, Alec Summerlin,
Matthew Wellesbourne, and a secondary knight that was a character in the very first novel I wrote, THE WOLF. His name is Sir
Kieran Hage and I liked him so much that I put him in two Time Travel novels, "The Crusader" and "Kingdom
Come". But if I had to pick my favorite out all of them - and there are many- it would be a very, VERY tough choice
but my choice would be... drum roll.... Matthew Wellesbourne. I just adore him. Read The White Lord of Wellesbourne
to find out why.
Enough with the fun stuff. Read
on and discover these people. I know you'll come to love them as I do.
