My favorite "P" character

We're moving right along in this A to Z challenge. I am struggling to narrow my favorite characters down to just those I've included, but P was pretty clear.

P is for... Paul from Dune

Melange... Dune... Water of Life... Bene Gesserit. Dune was likely the inspiration for many, many currently famous fantasy and science fiction writers. Frank Herbert truly developed one of the first and most inventive universes that I remember falling into.

Paul is the son of a Bene Gesserit witch and a Duke. As the heir to a kingdom, the book begins as his family is betrayed and Paul must flee the life he knows and make his own way.

Though in later books, the Paul character just becomes bizarre, if you've never read Dune, then Paul is absolutely a character that you want to get to know.

My favorite "O" characters

So the funny thing about my O character is that her name doesn't really start with O...

O is for... Offred...

Or Ofglenn or Oftom... or whatever name currently donned by the narrator of The Handmaids Tail.

Truly what I consider to be one of the most important pieces of 20th century literature, Margaret Atwood's masterpiece tells a chilling tale of the true and final marginalization of women in modern society.

Offred is the handmaid to Fred (her name, then, becomes Of Fred). This means that Fred is important enough to procreate. Since his barren wife cannot produce children, he gets a handmaid to help do the deed.

The picture of a society that values women only for their ability to help men is truly eye opening, and required reading for any feminist or feminist in training. It truly delivers something to think about.

My Favorite "M" Character

OK, so I am breaking my own rules here. I like to use the A to Z challenge to celebrate the works of other authors, but in the case of M, I just have to focus on my own for a moment... why? Because one of my characters is so real to me that I really feel like she is a friend.

M is for... Menna Soother.

One of the title characters from my first novel Max and Menna, Menna Soother grows up in a broken home with an alcoholic, abusive mother. With only her twin, Max, for support, she develops into a fearless and fierce woman with a plan for escaping her life.

I do not include Menna here out of any arrogance. I am sure there are many, many much more compelling and popular M characters I could have chosen. However, Menna is one of my favorites. I started writing her story when I was 14 and finished at 26. I grew up with her, and man parts of her grew out of my own trials and tribulations.

I don't just love Menna like a character, I love her like a friend. She is as real to me as the people I hang out with every weekend.

When the book published and so many of my Amazon reviews focused on her character, I was thrilled and felt that I had truly done my friend justice.

My Favorite "L" Character...

Moving on through my April digest of my favorite characters, I am happy to get to L.  Back in February, I shared some excitement over falling in love with a new author, Barbara Kingsolver (you can see that post here). The book I fell in love with, The Poisonwood Bible, also contains a character I fell in love with...

L is for... Leah Price.

The Poisonwood Bible is the story of a missionary family in the dense jungle of the Congo shortly before the country succumbed to revolution. Told through the women in the family, including a mother and four daughters, it is an uncomfortable, riveting depiction of a man who puts faith before family and watches his world crumble.

Leah Price is the middle child, for which I immediately loved her. She is fierce and independent and, in the story, is the only woman to ever openly defy her increasingly erratic and unreasonable father. Furthermore, Leah is the only member of the family that actively seeks out a better understanding of the Congolese people.

Through her very distinct voice, I was swept up so completely in this story that I tore through a 400+ page book in just under a week. She is truly a fierce and wonderful female character.

My favorite "K" character

Though I’ve provided several examples of YA series where I related more strongly to the mail characters than the female narrators, there is one very clear exception.

K is for Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games

In the first book, Katniss is everything a female heroine should be in my book. She is smart, resourceful, humble, protective, and brave in the face of terrifying circumstances. Beyond all of this, she is simultaneously compassionate and fierce.

While Katniss’ character arguably grew far less likeable as the series progressed, as Hollywood’s first foray into the YA novel-to-move senstation post Twilight, I will always love her for showing young women that it is perfectly wonderful to kick some *ss without your abusive vampire boyfriend.

My favorite "J" character

A few days ago I mentioned my propensity to relate more closely with the male leads in YA novels. The example that sprouted this revelation, Four from Divergent, was not on my A-Z list of favorite characters because he is super sexy.

My J character absolutely is.

J is for Jace Morgenstern from The Mortal Instruments

While common in my teen years, the fictional crush was something I thought I had grown out of now that I have reached my thirties. Jace proved this assumption wrong.

A talented and sarcastic Shadowhunter, Jace chases demons and other dark beings through the streets of New York. When he meets Clary (who is not on this list because of her Bella Swan-esque tendency to ignore directives meant to keep her safe and then wonder why people are annoyed at her), he finds a kindred spirit and a great love.

I devoured the five installments of this series in two weeks. Worse yet, I swooned… yes, swooned… and often had to stop myself from paging ahead to get to more Jace.

He is firmly rooted on my list of all-time favorite characters.

A to Z Challenge... Oh my, I skipped "H"

As I was visiting blogs this morning, I noticed that I seem to be a day ahead. Somehow, I managed to skip the H post.

And so my frantic morning became even more frantic with trying to come up with a great H character... and suddenly, I realized it was much easier than I was making it.

H is for... Han Solo

Yes, I am a Star Wars nerd. And while Han Solo is not actually my favorite Star Wars character (that's a toss up between Yoda and Darth Vadar), he is one of my all time favorite characters despite.

Han Solo taught me, and many other women born in the 80's I would assume, that the bad boy can truly have a heart of gold. Witty and irreverent, Solo is also loyal and protective. He is truly worthy of a spot on the favorite character list.

My Favorite "I" Character

OK, I am cheating a little bit on I. I’ve been trying to stick to characters from books (with or without film adaptations) that had stayed with me for this series. However, my love and appreciation for my I character is strong enough to allow an exception for one television character.

I is for Isabelle Crawley from Downton Abbey

 Isabelle Crawley, a distant relation to the well-to-do Grantham family, appears in the first episode of the show with her son, Matthew. Isaballe is in every way a quiet upstart in the eyes of the aristocracy she associates with. She elects to have a job when she clearly has the means not to. She takes on the poor and downtrodden as projects and routinely sets them on the path for a better life.

In short, in a cast full of the snooty upperclass, Isabelle is the ultimate bleeding heart liberal and shy feminist. Her interactions with Lady Violet bring comedy to the show, and her unprecedented empathy bring it some humanity.

My favorite G character

I am far from a fantasy nut. In fact, it is a genre I usually avoid. Rare exceptions, like Lord of the Rings and Song of Ice and Fire, have pulled me in because of the incredible characters that fill these fantastical worlds. My G character is one of the strongest examples of this.

G is for Gimli

Yep, I love the dwarf. Gimli may be tiny, but anyone who has read these books or seen the films will agree that his tiny form is all heart. A proud dwarf, he fights bravely and provides much needed comic relief throughout the course of the series.

Perhaps it is in my nature to root for the underdog, but it is Gimli’s ferocity that has cemented his place as one of my favorite characters.

My Favorite "F" Character

When reading YA fiction, I get very excited to see a kick *ss female lead. Nonetheless, it is often the male characters that I find myself more readily relating to. This trend can perhaps be best exemplified by my unrelenting love for my “F” character.

“F” is for Four from Divergent

I don’t love Four because he is sexy (though Theo James playing him in the film and stripping off his shirt was certainly appreciated). I also don’t love Four because he is stereotypically broody. I love Four because he has seen true adversity in his life, found a way around it, and overcame it.

The child of an abusive father, Four sacrificed everything that was safe and familiar to him to flee his abuser and start his life fresh. Though his tale is certainly tragic, it is also simply back story. He doesn’t harp on it, or use it as a crutch. Instead, he faced a tough childhood and moved on to be a compassionate and heroic man.

And OK, his being dead sexy does make me love him a little more.

A to Z Challenge: My Favorite "E" Character

Anyone who has read even a handful of my blog posts no doubt could anticipate that coming up with my favorite E character was likely the easiest of the list.

E is for Ender Wiggin from Ender's Game

I've written about my love of Ender's Game... a lot. Most recently, I reviewed the long awaited movie and shared why the book is so important to me, all of which revolves around the character of Ender himself.

Ender is an outcast, pushed aside for being talented and different. Reading this for the first time as a thirteen-year-old aspiring writer, there could not have been a character that appealed to me more. His strength, courage, and ultimate fate all inspired me, and this book is really one of the first that made me desperately want to be a writer.

Twenty years later, I still frequently re-read this book, and still find new things about the story and Ender's character that speak to me every time.

A to Z Challenge- My Favorite "D" Character

As I roll along with my list of favorite characters, D was tricky for me. It was inevitable that I would make my way to the Harry Potter world one way or another, but which character I would select was  a tricky proposition.

In honesty, Dumbledore is my favorite of the Harry Potter world personally, but as a writer, I gravitate towards another...

D is for Draco Malfoy

I don't love bad boys, but I am a sucker for an anti-hero. Interestingly, I don't find anything particularly heroic about Draco, but I find him very sympathetic nonetheless because frankly, poor Draco never had much of a chance.

Raised by an evil, bigoted, and bullish father, Draco was always groomed to follow in the family footsteps. What I love about him is his ability to parrot his father in one book and then show true internal turmoil about what is asked of him in another.

Despite his roll as a villain, Draco is actually one of the more complex and interesting characters in the Harry Potter World to me.

A to Z Challenge-- my favorite B characters

Moving on with my list of characters that have most moved me...

B is for Beth from Little Women.

When I was 9, I dressed as Louisa May Alcott for Halloween. Funnily enough, my vision of Miss Alcott seemed to have been a pale blue, lace bridesmaids dress my mother wore in the 70's. Nevertheless, even at that young age, Alcott's Little Women had secured a place in my heart forever.

As a kid, I was all about Jo, gravitating towards the writer in the story. However, caring for my mother during her fight with cancer irrevocably changed my feelings towards this book, and Beth now holds the dearest place in my heart. Her sweetness, good, and heartbreaking fate not only sadden me every time I re-read this book, but also remind me of the beauty of the human spirit.

April A to Z Challenge... My favorite A characters

Last time I participated in this challenge, I recapped 26 of my favorite writers. This time, I want to celebrate the characters they have brought to me to enrich me world.

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A is for Arya from The Song of Ice and Fire series.

If I had read this series when I was 15 instead of 30, I am sure that I would have:

• been slightly traumatized
• instilled Arya in my list of literary inspirations right next to Ender Wiggin

Arya is everything a girl in her situation is supposed to NOT be... defiant, fearless, inquisitive, and sassy. Her moxy throughout the series gets her into many a scrape, but also makes her story line one of the most intriguing of the 18,241 characters in the books.

Perfectly case in the HBO series Game of Thrones, Arya has come to life for me on many fronts. Though 15-year-old-me would have loved her for being different, 30-something me loves her for being so exciting.

Guest Blogging Today!

Thanks for stopping by! I am the guest blogger over at  Blogging from A to Z. I am really excited to be there, as this is the challenge that really got me going in the blog world. So take a look!

And if you've made your way here from there, THANKS! Tomorrow I am launching a contest to help get Christmas shopping underway, so feel free to follow me and check back then.

Otherwise, please feel free to check out my short story "Listening In" which is available free on Smashwords.

A to Z Challenge-- My Favorite Storytellers- Z

My last post of the challenge! I have had such a blast with this challenge, seeing some of your amazing blogs, and making some new friends. I am very hopeful that those of you who have stopped by during April will come again.

DId you think Z was going to stump me? Well, you were wrong. Z is for...

Elly Zupko

And I am totally biased on this one, as Elly and I studied creative writing together in school. Eight or nine years ago, I was reading some amazingly detailed and rich prose from her, so I was excited but less than surprised when she published her first, very brilliant novel.

The War Master's Daughter is everything I typically dislike in terms of genre fiction. I don't like historical fiction, don't like the journey story, and often have little patience for the rich, privelaged girl narrative. Elly, however, interweaves all of these items into this beautiful story. Flawless characterization, and enough action to keep you in make this one worth checking out.

You can see it in my collection of best loved fiction here on Amazon. It's also well worth a visit to check out Elly's blog: http://ellyzee.blogspot.com/.

Thank you all for a great challenge.

A to Z Challenge: My Favorite Storytellers-- Y

Why, we're almost at the end :( But my sadness cannot overshadow a wonderful actress, who's work in the 80's and beyond has helped many of us see reality in a story! Y is for

Sean Young

Like any self-professed nerd, I've seen Bladerunner a few times (I actually love it less than most nerds, but do think it is a truly amazing film). Weird hair and all, Sean Young helped make this an amazing film. She was flawless as Rachel, a replicant with a heart!

But, despite being best known for Blade Runner, Sean Young has contributed to a lot of films! From Wall Street to Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, her adaptable and eclectic style enriches just about any movie she is in!

A to Z Challenge: My Favorite Storytellers-- X

OK, I am REALLY cheating on this one. I know it. I embrace it, because this cheat plays well into my total nerdom.  X is for...

Charles Xavier

Uh huh, I am featuring an X-Men character as a storyteller. And it is mostly fair, because Professor X DOES actually spend a lot of his time in the comic books, tv shows, and movies telling stories and parables.

He also happens to be one of my all time favorite characters, like ever. And why?

1. Because he is brilliant, charming, and genuinely caring
2. Because his strength of character is in knowing how to use force when necessary, and avoid it when not-- a really admirable trait
3. Because he has been played by two of my favorite actors (and dreamy men)- Patrick Stewart in a really amazing film franchise, and James McAvoy in a movie that left me feeling like my childhood had been defiled (see my review of X-Men first class here)

And since, yes, I very much did cheat, I welcome suggestions for other "X" story tellers! 

A to Z Challenge: My Favorite Storytellers-- W

W tried to force me to decide which of two amazing women I better liked and respected. I decided to best W, not decide, and feature them both!

Sherley Anne Williams 

In many, many ways, Sherley Anne Williams is an astoundingly important writer to our time. Born in 1944 in California, she grew up in a family that picked cotton to survive. Fully orphaned at 16, she still went on to gradaute from college, get a Master's degree, and become a professor at the University of California. Mostly known for her poetry, my love for her was born of her incredible novel Dessa Rose. The book takes two actually events and women notorious (for very different reasons) during slavery and posits what would have happened if they met. The result is brilliant and lyrical and one of those books that just stays with you once you've read it. 

Jeannette Winterson

If you've been here a while, you know that I tend to gravitate towards very lyrical writing-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, David Guterson, and James Joyce to name a few examples of writers that move me. I think in time, Winterston will be lauded at the same level as these men. Her novel The Passion is both evocative and skillfull. There are moments in this book where simple turns of phrase will surprise you and leave you aghast.




Any lyrical "W's" out there I am missing?

A to Z Challenge: My Favorite Storytellers-- V

Vi is special. V makes me happy. V is for

Van Morrison

My all time, absolute, hands down favorite musician forever. And I firmly believe that he, like Leonard Cohen, transcend simply being a songwriter and qualify as a storyteller. Allow me to demonstrate, with my all time, absolute, hands down favorite song:


We were born before the wind
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was won and we sailed in the mystic
Hark now hear the sailors' cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic

Truly moving, AND he's Irish AND his daughter's name is pronounced the same as mine AND he has been writing amazing music for more than 50 years.

And, he is one of those musicians that people don't think they've heard, but then they realize how many people cover Van Morrison Songs, like Wild Night, Have I Told You Lately that I Love You, or Brown Eyed Girl and realize they DO know him...

Any fans? What are your favorites?