The LAAAAAST Beautiful People

Linking up with Cait and Sky's LAST Beautiful People. *sheds a few tears* I've never been quite consistent with these, unless they have a specific theme (Your NaNo novel, a villain, love interests), but I'm still sad to see it go. It seems that all the great linkups have died away. (Sidewise glance at Character Encounters ... of which I've not done one since the last Indie e-Con.)

So, anyway. Some of these questions are general to my writing, and some are specific to a book/character. So, for the specific questions, I'm going with my upcoming release, The Worth of a King, cycling through its characters.

1. Favorite genre to write in?
   Fantasy. Hands down and without a doubt.
2. What book (a real actual published book!) do you think your character would benefit from reading?
   I'm debating between giving Obsidia the Bible and giving Delaney the Constitution. Each for reasons that I don't feel like disclosing.
3. Favorite piece of dialogue you’ve written?
   I have no particular favorite ... because I love a LOT of my dialogue - but this is a bit that I especially love:
   
   
   WELL then, my dear Sidi,” said Delaney, dropping a stack of books onto the table in front of Obsidia and winking. “I know that your girls are no doubt itching to catch us doing something scandalous, but such is not our way.”
   Obsidia fought a blush as she picked up the top book from the stack. “The Life of Queen Katina,” she read, and a grin pulled at her lips. “Oh, Del, you know me too well.”
   “Queen Katina’s situation was not unlike your own,” Delaney remarked, taking the next book from the stack and sitting down in the chair opposite her. “She was also the daughter of an assassinated king and chose to marry the son of the man who’d killed her father. She later ruled as regent for her son after her husband’s death.”
   “It is often speculated that she poisoned him,” Obsidia mentioned, as she opened her book.
   “Indeed, you’ve mentioned that fact before,” said Delaney, cracking open his book, a massive tome of law that made Obsidia shudder. He glanced up with a raised eyebrow. “Is this a subtle hint that I should worry for my own life?”
   She shook her head, smiling playfully. “If I killed you, who would handle the politics? I’m in charge of history, you have law. Remember?”
   Delaney gave a laugh. “Ah, good. I can now sleep easy at night knowing that I am so essential to you.”
   Obsidia shrugged. “I hate politics.”
4. What did your character want to be when they grew up, and what did they actually become?
   Adrian wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and become the village printer ... but then he found out on his eighteenth birthday that he was actually the son of the late king and had to go win back his rightful throne. Does he succeed or not? Well, that's kiiiinda the point of the book.
5. Favorite character name(s)?
   Um, apparently Richard and William. And Richard William. I have an embarrassingly high number of characters by those names spread across. Fortunately, there aren't any by those names in Worth. Well ... except ... spoiler.
6. What makes your character feel loved, and who was the last person to make them feel that way?
   Obsidia feels loved when she feels safe. Unfortunately, it's been a long time since she's last felt that way. Delaney tries, and she appreciates that, but he has his father hanging over him.
7. Favorite character you’ve ever written?
   Maryanne of my Bookania Quests. But Laura the Doorkeeper gives her a run for her money. She might win out, save for the fact that Maryanne is jealous of the position and has ways to get her way....
8. If your character were permanently leaving town, what would they easily throw out? What would they refuse to part with? (Why?)
   Well, when Nadilynn skips town, she only takes with her a necklace that had belonged to her mother. Her mother had died at her birth, she's insecure about that, and it's the only thing she has connecting her to her mother.
9. Favorite tropes to write!
   Rebellious Princesses (I love giving swords to my ladies), reverse-rebellious princesses (I love giving swords to the ladies who don't want them), arranged marriages, prophecies, chosen ones, and a number of others that I'm not calling off the top of my head.
10. Which story has your heart and won’t let go?
    At the moment, it's The Worth of a King, though Honor: A Quest In, the fourth volume of my Bookania Quests, is also making a desperate vie.
11. Favorite relationship between characters you’ve written?
    Ooooooh, boy. Relationships are my favorite part of writing, and even just in The Worth of a King, I can't pick any one relationship out. Let's just go with Reuben and Petra of the Rizkaland Legends. They're best friends first and then a couple, and they have a telepathic link that has been such fun to explore.
12. Toni Morrison once said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” What are the books that you want to see more of, and what “holes” do you think need filling in the literary world?Ooh. Good question. I'm not a "this is a hole, let me fill it" sort of person. I'm more "this is an idea that excites me, let me make it happen." I'm always down for a good fairy tale retelling ... how about retellings for the obscure tales? I love pulling out old gems and showing them off.
13. Favourite pinterest board / aesthetic for a book?I have a lot of boards. Lots of gorgeous boards. But right now I'm going to go with the character aesthetic board that I have for Laura. She's the only individual character to have a board all to herself. Something that Maryanne is jealous of, but Maryanne didn't overgrow her series. Anywho.
14. Favourite time periods & settings to work with?
    I gravitate towards Medieval. But, honestly, I like my settings high-concept and unique.
15. When people are done reading your book, what feeling do you want them to come away with?
    I want them to come away encouraged by the scope of God's power, and the depth of His love.