Is Fain a Jerk?
Oct 13, 2023 3:16 pm
Characters Who Change
I just finished listening to the Dryad's Blade Audiobook and I'd forgotten how attractive Fain was in that book. In Dryad's Blade, Fain's role is as a budding romantic interest. Later on in the series, his role and his relationship with Kit change significantly. Romance is fun, but I want relationships a little more nuanced than "damn, that person is HAWT."
Part of what makes comedy work is that relationships don't change. Lisa Simpson is always the bright and long-suffering big sister. Sterling Archer is always the reckless womanizer. Charlie Brown never gets his alopecia under control. Expected outcome and rote phrases provide the framework comedy can unexpectedly subvert.
But having nuanced relationships brings subtle complexity to stories. And I like writing about spectacularly disagreeable relationships and disasterous breakups as much as I like writing about meet-cutes. If you're unlucky enough to be a character in one of my novels, your love life ain't gonna be smooth sailing.
Fain seems to be addicted to Kit. But not in a good way. How can she get her love life under control? (Wide)
Did you enjoy this book? I'd love your ratings and reviews.
People's relationships to one another always change in real life. I sometimes miss the little kids who used to be in my house. I can pick them up and call the adults they've become, but sometimes I miss the drooling little ankle-biters who used to call me mommy. Unlike in real life, you can always go back and reread earlier books in a series to revisit the person who was.
P.S. Did you know that there's an audiobook version of Witch's Jewel available?
Scout is a half-breed who extracts souls with her hands. But being a child of the Lord of the Underworld didn't come without its challenges. When a ball of flames from her past takes her back to the Underworld to search for the Mask of Immortality, it turns her world upside down. She also discovers secrets that are better left unknown ... (Wide)
Vlad dives into the depths of the Rosalyn academy’s hidden passages to find a weapon powerful enough to defeat the Order. He stumbles upon a sarcophagus containing a mysterious power so immense that it transports him to a different world. The Prince must find the strength he needs to return in time to win the imminent battle against the Order. Will Vlad find his salvation in this otherworldly realm, or will it be too late? (Free)
I was meant to fight monsters. Not become one. And then I died on a routine vampire hunt gone wrong. Now I've gone from Cassandra Blackthorn, one of the Guild's best hunters, to Cass - outcast, fugitive, inhuman. I know two things.
One - I'm not a vampire, I'm something new. And two - I'm going to find the vampires who took everything from me, and get revenge no matter what it takes. (Wide-On sale this month 99cents)
Kendrick felt that he wasn't good enough for his girlfriend, but then he got a job offer that promised to solve all his problems. Accepting this job plunges him into a dark double life that he must keep a secret even from her. He knew that working for this new company meant breaking a few rules, but the organization is taking a much darker path. Quitting now is not an option, running away is nearly impossible, and going against the organization is a death sentence. His life and the lives of others depend on the choice he makes. (Amazon)
As the team’s intel specialist, it still took getting captured for me to discover how close our enemies are. I escaped with Owen, a human the vampires molded into a lethal fighter. Owen, who swears we're fated-mates, is an invaluable addition to our team, despite his only knowledge of life outside his cage coming from pilfered romance novels. As the vampire army closes in, I’m racing to decrypt the stolen data and uncover the vamps’ weakness. With the Company and my family’s existence at stake, there’s no margin for error. (Amazon)
Gratuitous Cat Picture
Napping is Hades' second-favorite hobby. (Favorite hobby is playing 'fetch.')
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