Character Monday: Lucy Higgins (ALONE)

Character Monday is something I came up with one night when I was supposed to be editing. Each Monday, we share one of our characters with the world. This character can be from any of your stories – past, present future – as long as it’s an original character. You can share as much or as little about your character as you’d like!

I might have forgotten to do this last Monday (okay, fine – I really did forget), but I’m not going to forget this week! I figured I’d share with you all the main character from the dystopian trilogy I was talking about last time.

Name: Lucy Higgins

Novel: Alone (working title) trilogy

Age: 18

Appearance: Average height. Medium brown hair that comes down to her shoulders. Blue eyes. Chubby but undernourished.

Background: Lucy was raised by her grandmother for the first 10 years of her life. When her grandmother died, Lucy was fortunate enough to get a spot in one of the region’s orphanages. There, she befriends Heather, Max, and Max’s little sister Rosalie. Lucy’s the only one who experienced the love of an adult, and it’s that love and encouragement that gives her the will to keep fighting – though she doesn’t realize just how beneficial that was just yet.

Personality: Lucy’s not usually one to cause trouble. She’s too focused on doing well in school and earning a slot in the Exxmart Motors Lottery. If she can win that, she can get a spot at one of the colleges, which is the only way she has a chance at living a decent life. She’s also very caring and loving, though. She worries about her friends. She just can’t let that love and worry override her own will to live and succeed. If she can help everyone, great. If not, she has to find a way to save herself.

Why you should want to read her story: Lucy was born into a horrible world. Thousands of people die from heat stroke and disease each year. Women wear ID bracelets that light up the minute they become pregnant, after which point they’re not allowed to eat or do anything that might cause a miscarriage – because if they do have a miscarriage, they’re going to jail for involuntary manslaughter. The poor have two options: enter an apprenticeship program where you get a job and college but will be lucky to make ends meet for the rest of your life or join the military, which pays more money upfront but will quite possibly get you killed. And Lucy’s going to try to change all of that…eventually.

Goals for Book 1:
1. Earn a spot in the Lottery.
2. Win the Lottery and earn a spot at the prestigious Etherton Heights University.
3. Make sure Max, Heather, and Rosalie survive.
4. Don’t get kicked out of Etherton Heights, assuming she makes it that far.
5. Don’t get pregnant.

Playlist:
1. “We Are” by Ana Johnsson
See the devil on the doorstep now (my oh my)
Telling everybody oh just how to live their lives
Sliding down the information highway
Buying in just like a bunch of fools
Time is ticking and we can’t go back (my oh my)

2. “Let Them Eat War” by Bad Religion
From the force to the union shops
The war economy is making new jobs
But the people who benefit most
Are breaking bread with their benevolent hosts
Who never stole from the rich to give to the poor
All they ever gave to them was a war
And a foreign enemy to deplore

3. “Is It Any Wonder?” by Keane
Oh, these days
After all the misery you made
Is it any wonder that I feel afraid?
Is it any wonder that I feel betrayed?

4. “911 for Peace” by Anti-Flag
This is a plea for peace (world peace)
To the oppressors of the world and to
To the leaders of nations, corporate profit takers,
to the every day citizen
Greed, envy, fear, hate – the competition has to stop.

5. “God Thinks” by Voltaire
God thinks all people like you are evil
God thinks all people like you are an embarrassment to creation
Self-righteous, judgmental, first to throw the stone
And use His name for your own agenda

I’m still in the process of figuring out more about Lucy and the world she lives in, but I think this is a good representation of what I have so far.

Want to participate in Character Monday? Just write a post on your own blog and then click on the linky below and share the link to the post so the rest of us can learn about your awesome character!

Character Monday: April Trindles (from TILT YOUR HEAD AND SMILE)

Okay, so, as someone might have noticed, I forgot to do Character Monday last week. I was reminded about it right as I was getting ready to walk out the door to hang out with some Wrimos for Memorial Day, and I didn’t get back until almost 2 in the morning. Instead of rushing to try to post something late, I decided just to skip last week.

Name: April Trindles

Novel: Tilt Your Head and Smile (Contemporary New Adult)

Age: 21

Appearance: About 5’8. Slightly heavy. Brown hair and brown eyes. When she’s going to an interview, she’s dressed in business attire. The further we progress in the novel, the more time she spends in her pajamas.

Background: April’s just graduated from college, and she finds herself moving back in with her parents and younger sister. She’s near her family and boyfriend, but she can’t seem to find a job, and that leads her slowly into depression.

Personality: Not a big risk taker. At all. Goes with the flow. Keeps her feelings to herself so she doesn’t bother anyone. Afraid to admit what she really wants out of life.

Why you should want to read her story: April was told that if she did well in school, she would do well in life. Now she’s learning that that was a big fat lie. Her dropout sister is doing better than she is. She’s in a relationship that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Her parents are sure to be disappointed in her. She’s the only one she knows (besides her father) who can’t find a job. Can she ever figure out what she wants out of life? And if she does, will she have the guts to go for it?

Playlist:
1. Down by Jason Walker
I shot for the sky
I’m stuck on the ground
So why do I try, I know I’m gonna to fall down

2. Shattered (Turn the Car Around) by O.A.R.
How many times can I break till I shatter?
Over the line, can’t define what I’m after
I always turn the car around

3. This is Your Life by Switchfoot
This is your life, are you who you want to be?
This is your life, is it everything you dreamed it would be

4. Downtrodden by Abney Park
I learned each virtue I was told
I worked hard to avoid the mold
But as I saw my life unfold
There was no place for me.

5. I Wish I Could Go Back to College from Avenue Q
I wish I could go back to college.
In college you know who you are.
You sit in the quad and think ‘Oh my god,
I am totally gonna go far’

Want to participate in Character Monday? Just write a post on your own blog and then click on the linky below and share the link to the post so the rest of us can learn about your awesome character!

Character Monday: Natalie Hurst (from LET GO)

Character Monday is something I came up with one night when I was supposed to be editing. Each Monday, we share one of our characters with the world. This character can be from any of your stories – past, present future – as long as it’s an original character. You can share as much or as little about your character as you’d like!

Today, I’m sharing the last of my main characters from my New Adult novel LET GO.

Name: Natalie Hurst

Age: 22

Appearance: 5’8 and chubby, with green eyes and light brown hair. She usually wears jeans and a sweater, which is why she freaks out whenever she has to wear something else.

Background: Her parents are lawyers who hate the fact that she’s wasting time on a sociology degree. Natalie plans on spending the rest of her life helping troubled youth – if only she could find a way to help her own brother, Lewis, who is constantly getting into trouble.

Personality: Natalie’s a very mild-mannered type of person. She wants everyone to get along and hates confrontation. She freaks out about things outside of her control and tends to throw herself into whatever she’s working on.

Why you should want to read her story: Natalie has spent her whole life trying to take care of other people. For the first time in her life, she’s taking some time to focus on herself and her new relationship with a cute guy she met who shares all of her beliefs. But is she slowly becoming the sort of girl she used to hate, the sort of girl who stopped caring about everything else once she got a boyfriend? Can she juggle having a boyfriend with taking care of her family, or will she have to choose?

Want to participate in Character Monday? Just write a post on your own blog and then click on the linky below and share the link to the post so the rest of us can learn about your awesome character!

Character Monday: Chloe Dennison (LET GO)

Welcome to the second Character Monday, where writers introduce their characters to the world. Today I’ll be introduction the second main character from my New Adult manuscript LET GO, which I am currently revising.

Name: Chloe Dennison

Age: 22

Appearance: Relatively short and skinny, with long reddish hair and blue eyes. She usually wears skirts and almost always has a huge smile on her face.

Background: She never knew her biological father. She and her mother have lived all over Minneapolis, so she knows the city like the back of her hand. She doesn’t eat meat, and she wants to be a stage actress when she grows up. She’s dated both boys and girls but has yet to find anyone who makes her heart jump or her breathing difficult. She currently lives with her roommates Samantha Carson and Natalie Hurst (coming next week).

Personality: She always tries to see the best in people. If she focuses on the positives in life, the negatives won’t hurt so much. If you’re ever having a bad day, Chloe will do everything she can to make it better.

Why you should want to read her story: Chloe is making it her life’s work to make the eternally grumpy Samantha more happy. At the same time, though, her mother has started getting serious with a salesman who’s turning her mother into a stranger, and Chloe’s happy façade seems to be slipping. Will Chloe manage to make Samantha happier, or will Samantha’s sarcasm start rubbing off on Chloe? And will Chloe find that that special person is closer than she thinks?

Want to participate in Character Monday? Write a blog post describing your character and then link up below so other people can find you!

Character Monday: Samantha Carson (LET GO)

Aside from my Writer’s Voice entry, I haven’t written that much about writing lately, and I’ve decided that that needs to change. One of my favorite things about reading other writers’ blogs is learning about their characters and imagining how fun it will be to finally be able to read those characters’ stories once their book is published. Plus, it’s always fun to see what other people are working on.

That’s why I’ve decided to make Mondays “Character Mondays.” Each Monday, I’m going to share a bit about one of the characters I’m working with. This should be helpful for me because it will force me to make sure that I really understand all of my characters, and I’m hoping it’ll make my blog more interesting for those of you who are tired of having most of my posts be book reviews.

Since I’m currently reading through CP notes for my novel LET GO, I’m going to start with the main character from that one.

Name: Samantha Carson

Age:22, turns 23 halfway through the novel

Appearance: Tall, medium build with black hair that’s cut to her shoulders. Always dresses in business attire.

Background: Samantha was born in New York. Her dad died when she was little, and her mother dated a string of losers after that. Samantha left as soon as she could and never looked back. She’s currently in her last year at the University of Minnesota, where she’s studying to become an accountant.

Personality: Samantha generally has a scowl on her face, and the world at large annoys her. She doesn’t like to waste time, and she hates smiling/happy people. She has a good heart, though, and her roommates are doing their best to make sure that that part of her shines through.

Why you should want to read her story:
Samantha’s “I hate the world” façade is starting to break. She’s forced to interact with Chloe, her incessantly happy new roommate, and she finds herself confronted with feelings that she’s tried her best to suppress for the last decade. If she’s ever going to be able to live a happy, normal life, she’s going to have to learn how to let go of the past. If only that were as easy as it sounds.

And, because I always make playlists for my characters, I’ve decided to share the five songs that best fit Samantha (even though she would probably never listen to most of them).

Samantha’s Playlist:
1. This Grudge by Alanis Morissette
Who’s it hurting now?
Who’s the one left stuck?
Who’s it torturing now…

2. Leave Home by Driveblind
We save ourselves
because no one else will…

3. Stand My Ground by Within Temptation
Stand my ground
I won’t give in
No more denying
I’ve got to face it…

4. Never Too Late by Three Days Grace
The world we knew
Won’t come back
The time we’ve lost
Can’t get back…

5. Saved by The Spill Canvas
I am unraveling
Unbearbly empty
And if this ground gives way
I just hope that you’ll catch me…

If you want to join in on Character Monday, feel free! Just click on the link below and add your name and/or the name of your blog, plus a link to your post so everyone else can check it out, too!