DURING INTERVIEWS, I OFTEN GET ASKED HOW I CREATE MY MALE CHARACTERS. IT’S A TRICKY QUESTION AND ONE THAT I DON’T HAVE A SOLID ANSWER FOR. MANY AUTHORS WILL SAY THEY PLAN THEIR CHARACTERS OUT DURING THEIR PLOTTING OF THE STORY. NOT ME. HUH UH. MINE COME TO ME ON A WHIM. OF COURSE, I WANT THEM ALL TO BE QUITE DIFFERENT. EVERY BOOK I WRITE, I WANT EACH MALE LEAD TO BE DIFFERENT FROM MY LAST ONE.
IT WAS A BIT TRICKY WITH THE GUARDIANS BECAUSE FIRST OFF THEY ARE BROTHERS. THAT MAKES THEM GENETICALLY CODED TO BE ALIKE IN SOME RESPECTS. THEN THERE IS THAT VESTURION THING WHERE THEY ARE PROGRAMMED TO BE RULE FOLLOWERS AND DO GOODERS. THEY INHERENTLY WANT TO PROTECT AND DEFEND. I STRUGGLED A BIT WITH THAT BECAUSE I’M A FIRM BELIEVER THAT, LIKE IT OR NOT, WE ALL HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF BAD INSIDE OF US. I BROKE THE GUARDIAN MOLD WITH XARRID. YOU’LL BE ABLE TO READ ABOUT HIM IN REEMERGENT, WHICH WILL BE RELEASED IN LATE MARCH. HE’S NOT EXACTLY A BAD BOY, BUT HE’S BEEN DEALT A BLOW THAT TURNS HIM INTO THE NEXT BEST THING.
MY SUPER BAD BOY, JUREK, IS PROBABLY MY MOST COMPLEX GUY I’VE EVER WRITTEN ABOUT (WITH THE EXCEPTION OF PRESTON, BUT I CAN’T TALK ABOUT HIM YET *WINK*). JUREK HAS HAD THE MOST DIFFICULT LIFE OF ANY OF MY CHARACTERS. HE WAS RAISED MOTHERLESS. HIS FIRST WIFE DIED SHORTLY AFTER GIVING BIRTH AND HE LOST HIS NEWBORN SON TOO. HE HAS POOR COPING MECHANISMS AND IT SHOWS IN THE WAY HE TREATS OTHERS...UNTIL HE MEETS THAT ONE WOMAN WHO SETS HIS WORLD ON ITS BACKSIDE. WHEN I CREATED JUREK, I WANTED TO WRITE ABOUT A MAN THAT HAD EVERYTHING IN THE PHYSICAL SENSE, INCLUDING MASSIVE AND ULTIMATE POWER, BUT SCORED A ZERO ON THE EMOTIONAL SCALE. I WANTED TO TAKE THIS JERK (HENCE THE PLAY ON HIS NAME) AND MOLD HIM INTO A DECENT GUY THAT FINALLY WANTED TO MEAN SOMETHING TO HIMSELF AND SOMEONE ELSE. SO YOU SEE HIM EVOLVING IN DARK WALTZ AND YOU’LL SEE EVEN MORE OF THAT IN DEATH WALTZ, THE SECOND BOOK.
About the Author
One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn't do something soon, it would quickly be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life. So, she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase. Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodgeball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head. Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what lap top out the window. She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone and hit #4 on her speed dial.
"Hello." "Boss, is that you?" "Why yes, A. M., who else would be answering my phone?" "Er... right. Well, I'm calling to let you know you can pick up my luxury Ford Focus at Starbucks near the interstate." "Why ever would I want to do that?" "Because I quit you idiot!" A.M. hit the end button and speed dialed her husband. "Hi hubs, can you pick me up at Starbucks?" "Sure... Having some car trouble?" "Not at all. I don't have a car to have trouble with because I just quit my job." "WHAT?!" "It's time for a new career and I am going to be a very famous novelist." So began A. M. Hargrove's career as a young adult paranormal romance author of self-published ebooks. Her series, The Guardians of Vesturon, centers around a family of six siblings and is a mix of humor, mystery, suspense and of course, love. Survival is her first book in the series and her second, Resurrection will be released in January. If you're wondering, it didn't happen EXACTLY that way, but.... |
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With love,
Margaret
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