I'm so pleased to welcome pm terrell to my blog today. She's going to tell us a bit about that most important aspect of writing the novel - characters. Over to you, pm.
CREATING
CHARACTERS
Ever
since my first suspense was released eleven years ago, I’ve been asked to write
a series. I had always resisted because I didn’t want to become a formula
writer, where the plot and the ending became predictable.
A
few years ago while combing through declassified documents I stumbled upon the
psychic spy program in use by the United States Government. The idea of having
a main character who works as a CIA psychic spy intrigued me. It opened up a
world of possibilities for plots, as the main character could go anywhere in
the world and become involved in all sorts of international intrigue and
suspense.
I
studied some of the real psychic spies and developed Vicki Boyd’s character by
blending the real side effects of being a psychic spy with a little bit of my
own character. Like a writer, Vicki lives mainly in her own head; she travels
the world and experiences fascinating scenes—but while mine are imaginary, hers
are not.
When
she meets Irishman Dylan Maguire, she finds he is in many ways her opposite.
Charming, outgoing, charismatic, he lives life in a big way—whether it’s
through his romance with Vicki or through his CIA assignments. Unlike Vicki, he
has no psychic abilities but is a ground operative, often carrying out assignments
based on Vicki’s Intelligence gathering.
I
knew in Vicki’s Key, the book in
which Dylan was first introduced, that she would have to fall quickly in love
with him because it would become essential to the book’s plot. So I researched
the type of man women fall for easily. Number 1 was the Scottish man; number 2
was the Irishman; and number 3 was Australian. I chose Irish because I am from
Irish ancestry and I felt a connection to that country. I also learned that
women love five o’clock shadows—so Dylan has one—and I gave him other
characteristics that women sought in a man: good-humored, romantic, sexy,
loyal—and capable of physically protecting Vicki.
A
third character in the series is Brenda Carnegie. Before I became a full-time
writer, I worked in the computer industry, where my specialty was computer
crime and intelligence. But while I always worked on the right side of the law
(usually with federal or local law enforcement), Brenda is a computer hacker
who prefers the dark side. She is Vicki’s complete opposite—and she is also
Vicki’s sister. By making them blood relatives, it ensures they stay together,
even though they are so dissimilar. Their opposite character traits also lends
itself to friction and drama, though they always pull together when the
situation warrants it. In some ways, Brenda reminds Dylan of himself—the parts
of himself he would rather not see—which also makes for some interesting
interaction.
With
such diverse characters, I can move between them to create a well-rounded
series that is always surprising, always suspenseful, and always unique.
Depending on the plot, I can bring one or more to the forefront while the
others become supporting characters for a time, much like a TV series with an
ensemble cast.
Thank you so much - I love finding out how other authors create their characters. Now let's find out a little more about your book:
Thank you so much - I love finding out how other authors create their characters. Now let's find out a little more about your book:
DYLAN'S
SONG
By
P.M. Terrell
BLURB:
Dylan
Maguire returns to his native Ireland with psychic spy Vicki Boyd. Their
mission: to locate and extract a CIA Agent who disappeared in Dublin while on
the trail of a known terrorist. But when Dylan receives word that his
grandmother is dying, he is plunged into a past he thought he’d left behind
forever. His mission and the dark secrets he’d sought to keep hidden begin to
merge into an underworld that could cost him his life. He must now confront his
past demons and the real reason he left Ireland—while Vicki harbors a secret of
her own.
Suspense
Magazine says, “p.m.terrell’s writing is powerfully written and masterfully
suspenseful; you have to hang on for the ride of your life.” Midwest Book
Review says the Black Swamp Mysteries series is “page-turning action,
unforgettable characters, breathtaking descriptions and unexpected plot
twists.” And syndicated reviewer Marcia Freespirit says the series is
“riveting, spell-binding, sexy and intense!”
EXCERPT:
The bogs were no
place to be during the witching hour.
Dylan had grown
up with stories of the bogs at night. The ground percolated; it lived and it
breathed. There had been many a time when he was harvesting peat in broad
daylight that he’d heard a whisper at his ear or felt hot breath on his neck,
only to find there was no one near. Now as he rode his horse in silence, he
felt that presence tenfold; there were eyes watching them. The intermittent
tuffs of heather swayed in the growing storm and he found himself watching them
with narrowed eyes, waiting for the plants to morph into sinister creatures
that claimed this land after the sun went down.
He knew there was
a simple reason why animals were required in lieu of an all-terrain vehicle and
he was glad Sam had taken this unique land into consideration when planning the
mission. He could feel the hooves beneath him sinking into the spongy earth; a
wheeled vehicle wouldn’t have stood a chance, especially as they ventured from
the area farmed for its peat to one far less stable.
A mist began; a
slow, fine spray that he knew well. One moment the air was still and dry and
the next, as though they’d passed through a curtain, the air swirled around
them, the moist haze further inhibiting their ability to see. It was said many
a man lost his internal compass in the Irish mist; it taunted as it grew into
monstrous shapes, turning the landscape into something foreign and active.
AUTHOR INFORMATION:
P.M.Terrell is the award-winning,
internationally acclaimed author of more than 16 books. Vicki's Key, one
of the first books in the Black Swamp Mysteries series, was one of five
finalists in the 2012 International Book Awards (Mystery/Suspense) and 2012 USA
Best Book Awards (Mystery/Suspense.) River Passage, an historical work
based on her ancestor's migration to Fort Nashborough in 1779-1780, won the
2010 Best Fiction & Drama Award. The Nashville (TN) Metropolitan Government
Archives determined it to be so historically accurate that they entered the
original manuscript into their Archives for future researchers and historians.
Prior to becoming a full-time author
in 2002, terrell founded and operated two computer companies in the Washington,
DC area. Her clients included the United States Secret Service, CIA, Department
of Defense and federal and local law enforcement. Her specialty is in the areas
of computer crime and computer intelligence. Her experience in these areas have
greatly influenced her books' plots.
She is the co-founder of The Book
'Em Foundation, whose slogan is "Buy a Book and Stop a Crook" and
whose mission is to raise awareness of the link between high crime rates and
high illiteracy rates. She founded Book 'Em North Carolina Writers Conference
and Book Fair, an annual event to raise money to increase literacy and reduce
crime.
For more information on Book 'Em
North Carolina, visit www.bookemnc.org and www.bookemnc.blogspot.com.
P.M.Terrell's website is www.pmterrell.com
and her blog is www.pmterrell.blogspot.com.
She can be found on Twitter
@pmterrell
p.m. will be awarding a Celtic Knot Necklace to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
p.m. will be awarding a Celtic Knot Necklace to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
On Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/author.p.m.terrell and https://www.facebook.com/pages/pmterrell/129318810431554.
Also available on Kindle
