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Alaya Johnson | The Sidekick
July 20, 2010
Let's talk about sidekicks. I don't know about you, but I love them.
Best friends, sympathetic rivals, brothers, sisters--sometimes even
mothers and fathers--are key figures in the lives of most main
characters. In mystery and paranormal fiction, where the heroine is
usually in way over her head, they can help her fight her way out.
And, to me, there are few things I enjoy more than a really
well-depicted friendship in fiction. Partly this is because paranormal
fiction especially, and mystery to a lesser extent, tend to place a
lot of emphasis on the romantic lead and complications thereof. Don't
get me wrong, I'm a big fan of romance, but it's always a little
disappointing to me when it seems to get in the way of Our Heroine
having, well, real friendships. Especially with other women. If I found myself inexplicably at the center of (say) some
centuries-old war between vampires and werewolves, you bet that my
sister would be on the phone in five seconds, and she'd be on the
train to come and help me in less than a day. That's just how my
relationships with my female friends work. We're there for each other,
and we have a lot of fun just hanging out and talking. And if my
sister ever called me up asking for help with some inter-governmental
spying ring, I'm sure I'd whip out my old Tae Kwon Do belt and help
her kick some butt. The point of these unlikely scenarios is that like most women, I have
a support network. And it's always such a joy for me to read books
that accurately depict such things. I lament the fact that many novels
tend to depict relationships between women as mostly adversarial and
catty. But some books do have really great sidekicks. What would
Stephanie Plum do without Lula? Or Kate without Cecelia in the
delightful Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia C. Wrede and
Caroline Stevermer? So when I sat down to write Moonshine I made sure that my
heroine, Zephyr, had plenty of other women to talk to and get help
from when her life starts to spiral out of control. There's her best
friend and roommate, Aileen, who attempts to give Zephyr good advice
(which of course she refuses to listen to). And there's Lily, the
snobbish debutante reporter with whom she develops a slightly
adversarial friendship. Writing banter between these characters was
way too much fun. Just as an example, here's an exchange between
Zephyr and Lily around the middle of the book (no spoilers). Zephyr
has run out of clean clothes and Lily wants to know if she's been
scooped: "I just got a visit from my friend at the Daily News. Want to know
what their cover story is? ‘Vampire Suffragette Fights Back: Our Girl
Faces Down Sucker Pack.' And they have a money shot, Zephyr. You look
like a fucking Valkyrie."
"Bloody stakes."
"You’re supposed to be my source! You do something, I get to
hear about it first!"
"It’s not like I planned this, Lily!"
She sighed. "I figured. Aren’t you supposed to help vampires?" "It’s been a bad week. Listen, if you want another scoop, I need your help."
Lily sounded immediately wary. "What kind of help? You know I can't
violate my journalistic—"
"Oh, get off it, Lily. I just need some clothes."
"I'd say so." And so on. So I say, sidekick lovers, unite! And let's make sure that
other writers know how much we enjoy these type of relationships in
novels, because I'd love to read more of them.
Comments
46 comments posted.
Re: Alaya Johnson | The Sidekick
You got that right!! Most of the time they are the ones that add all the humor and fun to the story and make the lead character more believable no matter what type of story it is.
(Ramona Glass 1:36am July 20, 2010)
I love to read books with women who are friends and help each other. It adds depth to the main character.
(Ginger Hinson 2:09am July 20, 2010)
Every good hero/heroine needs a stalwart companion, the quinessential sidekick, and I'm glad to hear your heroine has the support system she needs. The "lone wolf" archetype gets worn out and, I daresay, overused in a lot of fiction these days.
(Jennifer Bird 2:23am July 20, 2010)
Yes i like sidekicks bat man and Robin where a good one.Got to have somebody you can talk to when stuff goes down.
(Stacey Smith 3:36am July 20, 2010)
In life, as in novels, women should always have their back-up family & friends to be there when they need them.
(Joanne Reynolds 6:22am July 20, 2010)
I have to pick this one up. It has so many good elements!
(M Bell 6:54am July 20, 2010)
Best friends! How wonderful to have!
Blessings,
Marjorie
(Marjorie Carmony 7:44am July 20, 2010)
this sounds like a great read thanks
(April Strength 9:01am July 20, 2010)
Your book sounds great. Like you, I do love a good sidekick! Thanks for visiting.
(G S Moch 9:44am July 20, 2010)
sounds like a must read here
(Debbi Shaw 12:00pm July 20, 2010)
I enjoy secondary characters who actually have a good ending too.
(Diane Sadler 12:09pm July 20, 2010)
I do like it when the chicks aren't all catty with one another but are there to show earnest support & friendship!
(Jessica Badeaux 12:31pm July 20, 2010)
I love good secondary characters, female or male. If written well they can help take a book from just being good to being exceptional. I especially love good family dynamics in a book. with family members being supportive of the main characters. Since I am very close to my family I really enjoy that in a book.
(Cherie Japp 12:49pm July 20, 2010)
I would love to to read your book, it sounds wonderful!! Thanks
(Crystal Christensen 12:52pm July 20, 2010)
I think the reason that we all love when the main character has a BFF to help them is becouse we need that BFF to talk to, help us through lifes hard times, so when the heroine has one she is more real to the reader thus we love them
(Vickie Hightower 12:58pm July 20, 2010)
I love a support cast... have secondary characters in a book that add more to the story...
(Colleen Conklin 1:37pm July 20, 2010)
Everybody needs somebody sometimes...
(Bethany Cardone 1:50pm July 20, 2010)
Sidekick is a sweet name for a buddy who you can depend on for clothes, advice and may march alongside you.
(Alyson Widen 2:09pm July 20, 2010)
It is so important to have friends to talk to no matter what is going on in your life. Female friends will support you, fight for you, defend you and always be there for you.
(Brenda Hill 2:47pm July 20, 2010)
You are so right. Good characters can
not exist in a vacuum. They need
more that the villain to make their
personality come across. Friends or
sidekicks bring out the different sides
of their personality and tell the reader
who this character really is.
Like the excerpt. We all need friends
like this.
(Patricia Barraclough 3:24pm July 20, 2010)
I agree with you about the sidekicks. I like the relationships between the friends as well as the lovers.
(Julie Swaney 3:37pm July 20, 2010)
I appreciate sidekicks usually as comic relief.
(Vikki Parman 4:03pm July 20, 2010)
congrat on the book and hope you
do more and then i hope i get to read and blog about it
(Desiree Reilly 4:24pm July 20, 2010)
Sounds like a great book! And your right, there's not enough books that show close girl bonds! Suzanne Brockmann usually works in some good friendships.
(Kelli Jo Calvert 4:53pm July 20, 2010)
I enjoy the supporting characters because they help add a little spice to the story by getting away with things that the leads could not.
(Leni Kaye 5:34pm July 20, 2010)
Your remarks about the sidekick are right on target. The female friends help keep us centered as a person and are not afraid to give us advice even if it's not exactly what we want to hear at the time (like yes you are having a bad hair day and why are you wearing that it makes your butt look fat). I think men (or a lot of them anyway) expect women to be catty to each other because they just don't get the concept of best friends who commit to a friendship as deeply as most women do and this does seem to be missing from a lot of the romance novels I read. So add your sidekick and add some humor to just about any situation.
(Vickie McCarter 6:00pm July 20, 2010)
I love a good sidekick! Some of
the best books I've read have
the most interesting and fun
sidekicks in them.
(Margay Roberge 6:04pm July 20, 2010)
My sidekick just so happens to be my older sister. We are pretty close since when I was growing up everyone thought we were twins. I love when a sidekick is added to a story. It's even better if the next book (if it's a series) turns out to be that sidekick's story (don't wanna leave them out).
BTW - the cover for Moonshine is fabulous:) Adding it to my TBR pile right now!
(Yadira Alonzo 6:42pm July 20, 2010)
Great sounding book. I must read it!
(Cheryl Lynne 6:44pm July 20, 2010)
The 'hero & heroine' need someone to bounce off against. An important component the sidekick.
(Mary Preston 7:05pm July 20, 2010)
Side kicks--friends. Same thing! Thanks
(Yvonne Butler 7:16pm July 20, 2010)
Who else can you zing or who
can zing you, if not your best
pal or your sister?
(Patricia Cochran 7:24pm July 20, 2010)
Moonshine sounds like a must read. It's nice to have your support system always ready to listen to and help you.
(Cathy Phillips 8:28pm July 20, 2010)
I totally agree with you. You can't beat having a good sidekick in a book!! The banter brings refreshing levity to the read, and doesn't take a thing away from the storyline. In many cases in enhances it. If the book is anything close to the piece that you wrote, it'll be a good read!! Thanks!!
(Peggy Roberson 10:09pm July 20, 2010)
It is always good to have a sidekick. They are the ones who always know how to make you laugh. They basically your best friends.
(Kai Wong 10:20pm July 20, 2010)
You're right! Stephanie Plum wouldn't be anywhere as interesting without Lula!! In fact, I sometimes find myself enjoying Lula more than anyone else in that series!
Sidekicks/BFFs/Sisters/whatever you want to call them can sometimes be the only thing that helps you make it through the day. I know - I've been there in the last week or so, and wouldn't have made it through without them.
Later,
Lynn
(Lynn Rettig 12:10pm July 21, 2010)
The women having friends is truly something that's missing in most books.
(Cathie Veres 12:21pm July 21, 2010)
Friends add a lot to a story as they do in actual life.
(Gladys Paradowski 2:55am July 21, 2010)
there is no substitute for a great sidekick!
(Mary Lynn Hayes 10:47am July 21, 2010)
It's nice to see the sidekicks getting some recognition!
(Chantel Williams 1:46pm July 21, 2010)
Yes it's the friendships and relationships that characters have with other people that really make them interesting. And it's those same things that are the most inportant in real life.
(Sarah Dewbery 4:23pm July 21, 2010)
Friends and sidekicks really round out a character.
(S Tieh 6:53pm July 21, 2010)
Sidekicks help bring out the main character and the story and are sometimes just a chance to just be fun with a character.
(Pam Howell 8:35pm July 21, 2010)
Great sidekicks help make a
reading experience more unique.
(Jacqueline Cook 8:42pm July 21, 2010)
We all make it through life with the help
of friends and family, it makes sense to
have sidekicks in books too.
(Sue Ahn 3:54am July 22, 2010)
Sidekicks and friends are always great in stories, they help add to the story.
(Brenda Rupp 10:40pm July 23, 2010)
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