The Wild Rose Press Valentine Tour - Final Week!

Hi everyone! Well, it doesn't seem possible, but this is our last week of TWRP Valentine Tour.  The prize this time is worth $40 and then we will have a Grand Prize drawing for a $50 prize!

My guest today is the fabulous Lynne Roberts! Her lasted novel, CREATIVE LICENSE is available now. You can find the info here : http://lynneroberts.net/

 

Today we're talking about Developing Unique Characters. I've listed all the other blog links at the bottom of this page so feel free to hop around;) The more you comment, the more times your name is entered in our drawings!

So without further delay, Heeeeeeeeeeeeere's Lynne!

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 Developing Unique Characters:

The greatest idea, the most sweeping setting, or even passionate love story won’t carry a story if the characters are one dimensional or shallow.

So how do you develop a unique character?

As a writer, it’s not enough to ask yourself what you would do in a given situation…unless you’re writing an autobiography, or rather, it might work for one character but all of them? No.

First, I think, you have to view each character as an individual, build them from the ground up. I know many writers start with an image. I usually start with motivation. What does this character want? And then, as I think our fears define us, what is this character afraid of? As I detail these fears, I define the character’s strengths and weaknesses.

Next, I decide on mannerisms. Everyone has certain habits: wrinkling his or her nose, running hands through hair, biting a lip, etc. Mannerisms extend to speech patterns or accents. By the time I reach this point, I can ‘see’ the character; they’ve taken a breath, become distinct, alive.

My goal is to be able to identify which character is speaking without using tags.

For me as a writer, when the characters are unique, I can’t wait to write the book simply to spend time with them. Oddly enough, it’s not a given that the writer will like every character we develop. In my new release, CREATIVE LICENSE, I didn’t like the heroine very much at first. Our personalities clashed. As I spent more time with her, I grew to understand her a little better and why Caleb loved her. Okay, it didn’t help that I was half in love with Caleb myself.

Unique, memorable characters stick with you long after you’ve finished the book. They’re what make readers demand sequels.

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CREATIVE LICENSE BLURB:

Loose ends have a way of tripping you up…

Years ago, a law school graduation weekend in Vegas had been part of Lily MacPherson’s plan. Waking up next to a naked Adonis with a ring on her finger was not. After a quick annulment, she relegated Caleb Anderson to her late-night fantasies—and very short list of mistakes—until his voice on the other end of the phone asks a favor that could shake the foundations of her neat and tidy future.

Caleb is still haunted by Lily’s horrified expression that morning in Vegas. At least it had made it easy to set her free…except they aren’t. The papers were never filed. And when the nosy patroness who could launch his painting career insists on meeting his “wife”, does he confess, or call Lily? He calls Lily.

When she steps off the plane, Caleb’s determination to play tour guide disappears in the San Francisco fog. Lily thought she could keep up the pretense for one weekend, cut the last tie to her past, and move on. But their chemistry still pops and sizzles, finally exploding into passion at Caleb’s studio.

It’s everything they remember…but so is the yawning chasm of differences that, in the end, could once again drive them apart.

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Excerpt: 
  The computer screen blurred. Lily blinked to refocus her tired eyes on the deposition and sighed in relief when the phone rang. She loved her job, loved working for a law firm, but staring at a computer screen for hours took its toll.
Blowing a strand of dark hair out of her eyes, she reached over a stack of law books. “McPherson.” Lily glanced at the clock as her stomach rumbled. She’d worked through lunch again. Damn.
The other end of the line was silent for so long, she thought the caller had changed his or her mind. “Hello?”
“Yes, hi.”
The rich, masculine voice sent chills down her spine and knotted her stomach. Eyes closed, she gripped the phone so hard it hurt. Even after all these years, she knew that voice. “Caleb?”
A low, sexy chuckle rumbled through the line. “You remember me.”
Oh shit, why was he calling her now? Memories of the most erotic night of her life flashed through her mind. Lily opened her eyes, reminding herself the most embarrassing morning of her life had followed. “How did you get this number? Never mind.”
Despite the deep breath, the receiver trembled in her hand. “Can I do something for you?”
An intake of breath and then a pause. “We have a slight problem.”
Lily’s stomach churned acid. None of their problems had been small, not for the twelve hours and twenty-two minutes they’d been married. “Yes?”
Caleb cleared his throat. “It seems the annulment didn’t go through.”
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Meet author AJ Nuest at http://amielouellen.wordpress.com/

Meet author Lynne Roberts at http://authorjenniferjakes.blogspot.com/

Meet paranormal romance author Maeve Greyson at
http://www.ajbooks.blogspot.com/

Meet author Amy Corwin at http://lynneroberts.blogspot.com/

Meet contemporary and paranormal romance author Jill James at
http://maevegreyson.blogspot.com/

Meet romantic suspense author Kat Duncan at http://amycorwin.blogspot.com

Meet contemporary YA an adult romance author Linda Kage at
www.jilljameswrites.com

Meet paranormal, and historical romance author Caroline Clemmons at
http://www.katduncan.net/writeabout

Meet historical and paranormal romance writer Lilly Gayle at
http://lindakage.blogspot.com/

Meet Amie Louellen, author of fun and whimsical contemporary romance at http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com

Meet erotic western historical author Jennifer Jakes at
www.lillygayleromance.blogspot.com