We’ve all read a book and fallen in love with a character – whether we loved her/him or loved to hate him/her, the character stuck with us. AQP authors create some memorable characters, that’s for sure…and they have their favorites as well. Check out what some of AQP’s authors pick as the favorite character they’ve created:
Penny Dawn’s favorite: I’ve always had a soft spot for Lucas K. Jackson of Rolling In Clover http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/RollingClover.html He’s a veteran, a hard worker (who works with his hands…yikes!), a great father, and a passionate lover, but he knows his faults. He knows he isn’t a great husband, for example, but he wants to be. He has an amazing potential for growth, and he wants to embrace it all. His middle initial is a tribute to my father and brother, who share the same name–Ken.
Christiane France admits this one’s easy — Roberto Ventura from Ciao Ciao Bambina. http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/CiaoBambina.html When we were young, I think most of us had at least one unforgettable vacation romance–the kind where you were so wrapped up in the whole fairy tale aspect of the encounter with a handsome stranger, you were living on Cloud 9. Then, when the vacation finally ended, you came back to earth with a bump, convinced your heart was broken and that life as you knew it was over. Of course, within a few weeks, life moved on, and Mr. Wonderful became a fast-fading memory. But what if Mr. Wonderful wouldn’t or couldn’t let go? What if the handsome stranger from the far-off land continued to hold you close to his heart, determined that one day he would find you again and make you his? And what if, by sheer coincidence, he did find you again?
For Kelli Wilkins, her favorite character at the moment is Prince Allan. He first appeared in Dalton’s Temptation as a secondary character. http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/DaltonsTemptation.html I created him to be a carefree, spoiled prince, who just couldn’t help get everyone around him in trouble. He was hedonistic, obnoxious, rude, and yet charming, with a sharp sense of humor. Naturally I–and readers–fell in love with him! When he tried to ‘take over’ Dalton’s Temptation, I knew he needed a book of his own, so I wrote The Pauper Prince (released March 2) just for him. http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/PauperPrince.html This time, Allan is sent on a journey of self-discovery. Although he’s forced to live like a commoner and toil at the docks, he still retains his arrogance, his wise-cracking nature, and his charms–but learns his lesson and reforms (to a degree). Along the way, I learned a lot about Allan that wasn’t obvious in the other book, and he really came alive on the page. It was fun to get him in and out of weird/dangerous situations, to write in his regal, yet ‘snarky’ voice, and to create the unusual put downs he uses. Kathy Sullivan would have to say her fave is Elin, Fleet One wizard, who appeared in The Crystal Throne. http://www.amberquill.com/CrystalThrone.html He’s my favorite because I kept on coming up with stories for him (or he kept telling to me) for years. I was curious at first as to why a horse-like being whose people disliked magic would continue to talk with wizards and elves and dwarves and learn their stories and their languages. But then I realized how curious Elin was and how much he loved learning, even to the point of leaving his herd and apprenticing himself to a Loremaster to learn more.The favorite hero Carolina Valdez has created, for her, is a toss-up between two characters — Lance Davison, Portal To Darkness http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/PortalDarkness.html who sees auras around humans and can hear the songs of gemstones, and Sir Rodick, Tears Of The Dragon. http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/TearsDragon.html They’re both powerful knights, but Lance is also a wizard who’s been cursed by another wizard. He follows his new love back to the Dark Ages to protect her when she’s sent there by a jealous witch. Rodick fights two villains for his princess, not realizing she’s a dragon who has shape-shifted into human form. After they’ve fallen in love, he sees her being carried away by a golden dragon. A passionate heart drives him to find her, and his love for her holds even when he realizes what she is, and that he must fight her fearsome father, the king of the golden dragons, to save her and himself.
E.F. (Eileen) Watkins really enjoys creating good villains, which is probably why she write thrillers–the villain often can steal the show – and she offers two favorites. Armand Renascut from Dance With The Dragon: Lots of layers because he’s a reformed bad guy, and when he was bad, he was very, very, very bad! http://amberquill.com/DanceDragon.html He’s seen it all, done it all and ultimately got sick of it all, so he’s ready to try the high road. His lover, Kat, helped this change along, but Renascut also was ready to change. He has a brilliant mind, has traveled the world and has paranormal talents as well. He also has a first-hand understanding of what makes others do evil things, which helps him outwit other bad guys and beat them at their own game. Eric Troy from Paragon: Eric is not so much evil as totally amoral by human standards. http://amberquill.com/Paragon.html (Gave away a plot point there!) He’s got his agenda to carry out, and to those who can help him achieve it, he’s charming and even generous. Get in the away of his agenda, though, and you’re instantly expendable. His victims don’t always die, though some might wish they had–he does whatever is necessary to put them out of commission. What I like about Eric is that his agenda isn’t quite what the reader might expect. And when he finally gets around to explaining it to Lu, the heroine, he makes it sound very logical! He’s like a human psychopath, but taken to the next level.
One of Jane Toombs’ favorite characters is a villain—and why? She says, “It’s not that I like him, but he is so very evil he fascinates me. Which is undoubtedly what he’d do to me if he were real–fascinate me to death.” Because in his human form, Conway Corriveau still has the charm power of the green dragon he’s able to shift into. In Moondark http://amberquill.com/Moondark.html his dragon charm is very nearly successful into luring both the heroine, and the child she’s struggling to protect, into everlasting darkness…
Gabrina Garza’s favorite character is Josie from Hot Phoenix Nights http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/HotPhoenixNights.html because she’s spunky, fun, and a little self-deprecating. She’s been done wrong by her boyfriend and recovers, which is really the best revenge when you’ve been cheated on!
Cassandra Curtis says, “Oh, this is tough. I actually love all my characters. Strange though it may be, I’d have to say Pendragon the cat from my 2007 EPPIE Finalist, I Put A Spell On You, http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/PutSpellOnYou.html is my favorite. He’s a secondary character, but he manages to steal readers hearts. I know he stole mine when I created him. He’s a black cat with serious attitude, a clever mind, and a swifter paw. J He loves his mistress and enjoys a good game of one-upmanship with the hero, Sebastian. Some of the scenes between him and the hero are priceless and will have readers grinning at their antics.”
For Brit Blaise, half-Latin, Coop, from Slayers Inc., http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/SlayersInc.html who mostly dressed all in black, is the proverbial bad guy. He’s bigger than life, with a scruffy, unshaven face and overall rugged, wolfish appearance. He has piercing blue eyes, intense–cold, blue diamonds as dangerous as fire, with crystal-lined centers, circling pinpoint black pupils even when the light is dim. His disgustingly long, thick black eyelashes make them appear to glow menacingly. Mostly, he keeps his raven hair brushed back tightly against his head, then bunched into a long ponytail. He’s one hell of a bad boy. And a werewolf!
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