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Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Two Worlds, Two Men by Joy Frawley Creating the Main Character & Giveaway

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.

“Creating the Main Character”
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:



  
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: 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

9 comments:

  1. Thank you for having me today.

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  2. The scorching hot cover is what I like the most.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Mai. I like the cover too!

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  3. Enjoyed reading your guest post today

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    1. I appreciate you taking the time to read it and comment, Karen. :-)

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  4. I just loved reading about the author! Thank you for the great post and contest!

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    1. You are so welcome, Betty. Thanks for your comments!

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  5. I 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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