Many years ago, I lived alone, a great distance from any family. I had a few
friends, but no one I could really count on. Being lonely, I sought comfort and
solace on the Internet. There, I discovered the world of online role playing.
I created a variety of characters that frolicked through AOL chat rooms. Two of
those characters quickly became my favorites. The first transformed into Selah
Clairet, whose story has yet to be told. The second developed into Raven
Criswell. Her story will be released in November in the book,
HERALDS OF THE
CROWN: FUSION.
I had to change a great deal about the characters and their stories, but much of
Ravenβs has stayed true to the original. After I wrote
FUSION,
I knew there was more to it. I wanted to explore the backstory of the characters
I had created. Where did they come from? Who were their parents? Why were they
important?
This is how
HERALDS OF
THE CROWN: POISON was born. I traveled back in the timeline to learn the
origin stories of the characters. My villain gained depth and strength. My
FUSION
hero now had a motive behind his actions. And I had a story arc that
captured an entire trilogy.
On a much more personal level, Hanileh, the heroine of
POISON, struggles to
reconcile her past with her faith. This is my struggle. Back in the online role
playing days, I was a different person. Over the years, I developed a strong
faith in God. I even became the wife of a pastor! But that faith isnβt rock
solid all the time. I still face doubt and questions. Thankfully, my husband
does have that rock solid faith. In those moments, I can count on him, as
Hanileh counts on her husband Gaultier. Just as he grounds Hanileh and returns
her to a more lucid state, my husband does the same for me.
Another personal touch came through a secondary character. Iβm a Broadway fan,
and as I write, sometimes Iβll listen to cast albums or soundtracks. This had
quite an influence on my villain. When I learned his secret, it added a much
darker, creepier tone to the entire story. This insight has made him one of my
favorite characters of all time.
I think a great deal of an authorβs personality and personal life can be found
in their writing. The old saying, βWrite what you know,β comes into play. I
donβt know much about space beyond our solar system and the awesome stories I
see on various websites. My knowledge of stars and space travel is limited to my
love of science fiction. But I can draw on my experiences and circumstances to
develop characters and situations. This, partnered with my imagination and
knowledge of the craft of writing, produces an exciting story that lures you
away from this world.
And how thankful I am to my readers for joining me on this crazy adventure.
I LOVE reading the background on characters in books. Poison looks like an AWESOME read.
(Mina Gerhart 9:36am August 16, 2014)
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