Alissa Johnson | When Characters Do Not Behave

I love a good row between characters.

In real life, I avoid confrontation like the plague. I don’t like hostility. I don’t want to get into a verbal dust-up with anyone, and I certainly don’t want to be dragged into someone else’s spat.

Physical altercations are, obviously, off the table. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t fight my way out of a paper bag even if you gave me two sharp scissors and a map.

But on the page, I love a good fight. Whether it’s hand-to-hand combat between the protagonist and the villain, or a battle of wits between the two romantic leads, I can’t get enough of it.

You can learn so much about characters by the way they fight. Do they play dirty or fair? Does their anger run hot or cold? Are they the sort who carefully crafts the perfect insult then delivers it with the laser-like accuracy of a surgeon, or do they prefer to launch themselves into battle berserker style?

How do they behave when they’re not behaving?

In A TALENT FOR TRICKERY, my heroine, Lottie, has been nursing a grudge against Owen Renderwell for eight years. Sexual tension is the fuel that fires many an antagonistic relationship, and eight years is a long time to live with unrequited desire—more than enough time for Lottie to build up a cache of ammunition. When Owen shows up at her door, she’s ready for him.

But everyone runs out of energy and ammo eventually. Even Lottie. At some point, all fights must come to an end. And when that happens, when the last volley has landed and the dust begins to settle, that’s when things get really interesting.

Sparring might be a hero and heroine’s chance to display their finest armaments and deadliest aim, but reconciliation is when they truly show their mettle. After all, what takes more courage than setting down your weapons, stripping yourself of armor, and saying you’re sorry?

It’s hard to admit when you’re wrong. It’s painful to recognize and own up to the fact that you hurt someone you love. It’s humbling to be offered forgiveness, and return it in kind.

There are so many ways to fight. So many things for characters to fight about. There are countless ways for them to blaze a path to victory, or react to unexpected defeat. But nothing’s quite as moving, quite as illuminating as what comes after the battle. Nothing says more about characters than whether or not they’re willing to stand exposed, heart in hand, and ask for forgiveness.

About Alissa Johnson

Alissa Johnson is a RITA-nominated author of historical romance. She grew up on Air Force bases and attended St. Olaf College in Minnesota. She currently resides in the Arkansan Ozarks where she spends her free time keeping her Aussie dog busy, visiting with family, and dabbling in archery.

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About A TALENT FOR TRICKERY

The Lady is a Thief

Years ago, Owen Renderwell earned acclaim-and a title-for the dashing rescue of a kidnapped duchess. But only a select few knew that Scotland Yard's most famous detective was working alongside London's most infamous thief...and his criminally brilliant daughter, Charlotte Walker.

Lottie was like no other woman in Victorian England. She challenged him. She dazzled him. She questioned everything he believed and everything he was, and he has never wanted anyone more. And then he lost her.

Now a private detective on the trail of a murderer, Owen has stormed back into Lottie's life. She knows that no matter what they may pretend, he will always be a man of the law and she a criminal. Yet whenever he's near, Owen has a way of making things complicated...and long for a future that can never be theirs.