BLURB:
Jocelyn and Neely are having a perfectly pleasant dinner at the
Sheep Heid Inn when it happens: Jocelyn suddenly finds herself sitting across
the table, not from Neely, but a strange man dressed in medieval garb. This man
is no apparition. His eyes, the deepest brown, clearly look on her in intimacy;
his touch causes her pulse to rise.
Jocelyn realizes two things: from his clothes, he is clearly an aristocrat,
and that she, Jocelyn Stewart, seems to be in some sort of romantic
relationship with him! Minutes later Jocelyn returns to Neely, in the present
day, weak and terrified. Together they begin to unravel the forgotten past and
find themselves facing the reality of medieval Scotland. A strange world
steeped in folklore and superstition; where life begins and often ends with the
sword. As Jocelyn travels back to medieval times she learns that the man she
keeps seeing is no other than Sir Colin Campbell of the powerful Campbell Clan.
When Jocelyn is with Colin, she wants never to leave his side; then she returns
to the present and cannot imagine herself with anyone but Neely. Jocelyn
struggles with a choice. Which man will gain her heart when both offer such
different love? She is in love with two different men in two different worlds.
By Joy Frawley
When I read a book I
desire a main character that is engaging and keeps me on my toes. A
predictable, flat character is going to bore me and cause me to lose interest.
On the other hand, I am not attracted to main characters so outlandish that
it’s difficult to believe their actions. It’s a very fine line between
believability and an interesting main character. That being said, as a writer I
find it helpful to look at my main character as a reader as opposed to just the
author writing the story.
As a reader it’s
important to me that I am interested in the characters thinking process and
that their actions are somewhat relatable even if it’s a Paranormal story such
as Two Worlds Two Men. I want to understand the motivations of the main
character even if I think they are an idiot or a psychopath. Why? Because it
keeps me engaged. It feeds my desire to continue reading because my interest is
perked and the writer managed to suck me into their fantasy world. If an author
creates a character so beyond reality in their thoughts and actions it is
difficult for a reader to relate or grow attached in some manner.
When I wrote Two
Worlds Two Men I created the main character Jocelyn Stewart. She is a woman who
goes on holiday to Scotland not only to fulfill her dream of visiting the
country, but also in hopes of finding some direction in her life. How many of
us haven’t felt that way in our own lives at one time or another? This aspect
allows the reader to see themselves and their own personal challenges as they
follow Jocelyn along in the story.
Another important
part of the main character is the ability to overcome challenges. Readers want
to cheer the main character onward to success and feel encouraged as he/she
grows. If they take out a few bad guys and blow up a few towns along the way
all the better! In Two Worlds Two Men Jocelyn must travel back in time to make
peace with her past in order to come to grips with her present life. She must
display bravery, determination and boldness. Each of these attributes show the
reader her growth as a character. It creates an environment where the reader
fears for Jocelyn’s safety because as the heroine you want to see her succeed.
Creating a strong
main character can be tricky. But if you offer your readers someone they can
relate to and make them engaging enough to cheer onward you have a good
combination for success.
EXCERPT:
Jocelyn looked around for the driver
who was supposed to be waiting for her arrival with a sign. She had hired
someone to pick her up because, as an American and first-time visitor to
Scotland, she had figured it would be less stressful.
She didn’t see the driver anywhere;
then, just as she started feeling nervous, she saw a man holding a sign with
her name on it. And what a man he was! He was broad shouldered, strong and had
dark brown hair with reddish tints. He exuded masculinity like some cologne,
and even across the airport, she thought she could smell it. Smoothing her
unruly hair, she started to walk over to him.
The man, seeing her approach him,
took a step toward her. “Are you, Jocelyn?”
When he spoke her name, she found
herself frozen in place unable to respond. She’d heard this voice before; she
knew this voice. This man spoke her name exactly like the dream she had had all
those years ago! She had been stirred awake in bed by a voice of a man, who
spoke her name with a Scottish accent. His voice was gentle and low; as if he
wanted to gain her attention, but not cause her alarm. Jocelyn had clutched the
sheets to her chest and stared out into the darkness of her bedroom almost
feeling his intimate presence beside her. She lifted her hand up to her ear
having sworn his warm breath had brushed her skin. Jocelyn remembered she had
turned her head, anxiously, toward the pillow next to her and almost thought
she would be looking into the eyes of a stranger; yet she had not been
frightened. This man, his voice, somehow comforted her.
Now, she stood in the airport and
caught her breath as she faced the man before her. Her eyes searched his face
for something; though what it was she wasn’t sure. Jocelyn felt her heart
beating so fast she was certain the man could hear it as memories flooded her
mind of that night so long ago when he or someone spoke her name in the
darkness. Was that the reason for her vacation to Scotland? Was she
unconsciously trying to find the man?
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Joy
Frawley is an author and writer of the upcoming romance novella; Two Worlds,
Two Men due to release on October 2014 by Resplendence Publishing. Joy lives in
beautiful Traverse City, Michigan relishing in living the life of the classic
“townie” with her two dogs Piggs and Diggs.
Buy
Links:
Resplendence
Publishing: http://www.resplendencepublishing.com/m8/706-978-1-60735-807-7--two-worlds-two-men-by-joy-frawley.html
GIVEAWAY:
Joy will be awarding $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host.
The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
Thank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteThank you for having me today.
ReplyDeleteThe scorching hot cover is what I like the most.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Mai. I like the cover too!
DeleteEnjoyed reading your guest post today
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you taking the time to read it and comment, Karen. :-)
DeleteI just loved reading about the author! Thank you for the great post and contest!
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome, Betty. Thanks for your comments!
DeleteI really enjoyed the author's post about 'Creating the Main Character". I always find it so interesting to read about the author's process. Thank you.
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