Beautiful People: The Parental Unit {June 2015}

Greetings! I suppose I should find it odd that I only participate in Beautiful People linkups every other month, but the last (and first!) few I've participated in have just been so exciting! There was the Valentine's Day edition, the sibling edition, and now the parental edition! It doesn't get much better than that! ^___^

Anyway, I was super excited to find out that this one was about parents. Why, you ask? Because my characters actually have them this time! It's nice writing YA again. I kind of missed my sweet charries having families in the picture. I kind of miss writing about families in general. It's a beautiful thing. <3

Speaking of beautiful, if you haven't heard of the Beautiful People linkup yet, you can learn more and even participate this month by clicking here. It's a writing meme hosted every month by these lovely ladies: Sky at Further Up and Further In and Cait at Paper Fury. (I might or might not have been stalking their incredible blogs over the last few days...)

 

This month, I'll be writing about characters from my newest novel (OH MY GOSH I'M STILL SO EXCITED ABOUT IT), titled A Thousand Wishes. It's a YA novel revolving around two siblings who have never met, Jordan and Eloise Forde. I haven't written a lot of it yet, only a couple excerpts, but I can't wait to delve deeper into their story and find out more about who the characters are! In fact, I found myself wondering about their parents yesterday, so this linkup came just in time. ;)

I'm going to focus mainly on Jordan and his parents, because his back story is still pretty unclear and I'd love to know more about him (silly, secretive character). I might try this with Eloise as well, though. I guess we'll see. Anyway, Jordan, unlike his sister, has never actually met his family. Not since he could remember, at least. (I shared an excerpt of the novel in this post, where Jordan meets his dad for the first time.) So, here are the charries and then on with the questions!

~ * ~ * ~ 

Robert Forde

Jordan Forde

Marilyn Gerrard

1. Do they know their biological parents? Why/why not?

Jordan actually knows neither of them. He hasn't seen his father since he and his mother left, when he was four, nor does he remember the man. He lived with his mother until he was six years old. She abandoned him then, placing him in the foster care system just before she disappeared. He hasn't seen her since.

2. Have they inherited any physical resemblances from their parents?

He shares his father's nose and brown hair, but he has his mother's height and crystal blue eyes.

3. What is their parental figure(s) dress style? Add pictures if you like!

Robert refuses to wear casual clothing of any sort. T-shirts? Tacky. Jeans? Hideous. And sweat pants? A gigantic no-no. He prefers wearing more formal clothing - khaki pants, dress shoes, button-up shirts (no plaid, ever). He also tends to wear a watch and even a suit and tie, on special occasions.

I haven't really given a lot of thought as to what Marilyn looks like. I imagine she differs drastically from Robert in style, though. Like, first of all, she is obsessed with jeans and even jean jackets (every now and then). Perhaps this is because Robert hated them so much and wearing them is her indirect way of spiting him, although she hasn't seen him in years. I also imagine that she enjoys wearing dresses - not the ones worn to dinner parties, or wedding receptions, but the dresses you'd wear out and about on a sunny day, dresses that make you feel happy and free. I doubt she likes jewelry that much. Except for earrings. She loves earrings. (Poor Robert. He only got a small paragraph. My little fashionista isn't so fashionable, after all.) 

4. Do they share any personality traits with their parental figures? And which do they take after most?

Jordan tends to be rather distant, which is unintentional and he gets it from his father, who also has a habit of keeping everyone at a distance in fear of getting hurt. The two are pretty laid back and it takes a lot to anger them. They also love people and the life and craziness that comes with each and every individual. Opposite of Eloise and Marilyn, Jordan and Robert enjoy being in the company of others, whether close friends or complete strangers.

However, Jordan takes after his mother in terms of his flighty nature. He is not accustomed to a stable lifestyle, therefore he finds himself getting nervous when things start becoming too comfortable. He is used to moving from place to place and he refuses to get too attached to anyone. He is also prideful to a fault, something he blames solely on his mother. Overall, he takes after both of his parents in many ways, but perhaps he is slightly more like his father.

5. Do they get along with their parental figure(s) or do they clash?

Due to the fact that the lifestyles of Jordan and Robert differ greatly, they tend to disagree on many things. For instance, Jordan is rather free spirited and has a habit of doing things his own way, without concern for how others feel or are affected by his actions. This worries Robert to no end, for he is used to his way of living and losing control of his own life is something he fears most. It is often these diversities that cause the two to clash, creating disagreements about what is and isn't acceptable. Outside of values, however, they tend to get along with one another. Jordan is grateful to have a dad and Robert hopes to make up for lost time.

Marilyn has been nonexistent in Jordan's life for the past fourteen years, therefore she and Jordan possess no relationship at the moment. However, if she were to return, I'm sure Jordan would resent her for abandoning him and destroying the life they could have had. Their relationship would probably be strained at best.

6. If they had to describe their parental figure(s) in one word, what would it be?

Marilyn: Absent

Robert: Distant

7. How has their parental figure(s) helped them most in their life?

Marilyn, despite her many shortcomings, managed to help Jordan the most. She taught him to be self sufficient, resourceful, and capable of handling himself. Her absence, as well as his time in the foster care system, taught him to grow up quickly and rely on himself. He will never admit it to anyone, but, in spite of everything, his mother did one thing right: She helped him realize the type of person - and even parent, someday - he didn't want to become.

Unfortunately, he has yet to spend too much time with Robert, so there hasn't been a lot of time for father/son bonding, but he supposes the Fordes offering him a place to stay was pretty helpful, especially since he was homeless when they met him.

8. What was their biggest fight with their parental figure(s)?

He never really fought with his mother much. I'd love to see a fight between he and Robert, though, just because their lifestyles and perspectives are so different. Actually, there's a pretty big fight coming, I think, but I have a feeling it's too spoiler-y to mention here, so . . . >:D

9. Tracing back the family tree, what nationalities are in their ancestry?

This is such a great question, but I don't knooooow. I'm thinking his father has some Irish family waaay down the line and perhaps his mother has some Native American family members, going even further back, but his immediate family is American.

10. What's their favorite memory with their parental figure(s)?

His favorite memory with his mother would definitely have to be when she taught him to ride a bike. She was often a frustrated person, who never paid him much attention, but she looked so happy that day, happier than he had ever seen her. Her hair was pulled back, away from her face, and she spoke kindly to him, helping him keep his balance for a while, and even holding him as he cried after skinning his knees on the cement. It remains one of his happiest memories.
 

Again, he hasn't spent too much time with Robert yet, but hopefully that will change. Right now, we're still at the I-just-met-you-oh-my-gosh-this-family-dinner-is-awkward stage, but things are looking up!

~ * ~ * ~

Well, that's all! I went into this knowing very little about my babies, but now I know so much and it just makes me love them more! Beautiful People is such an amazing thing and I'm happy to be participating in it! I'm relieved to have at least some of Jordan's past unraveled at last and I'm excited to see what else this book has in store for me!

So, what about you guys? How are your relationships with your parents/families? Do you often write about characters with parents, or do prefer a few Lost Boys (or girls!)? What's your view on family in fiction/YA? Any favorite fictional parents? Tell me all! I wanna know! ^___^

Oh! And I might have gotten a Pinterest account over the weekend . . . And pinned too many things and spent way too much time fangirling. So, um . . . Yeah. This is a thing now. ;D Feel free to check out my boards and suggest some I should follow! I'm kinda in love with Pinterest at the moment. XD

Beautiful People: Gael and Morella Whalen {April 2015}

Greetings, fellow blog people! I wanted to post this yesterday - it was National Siblings Day, after all - but I was so busy I didn't have time. To be honest, I was super excited when I found out that this month's Beautiful People linkup (hosted by the lovely Sky @ Further Up & Further In and the awesome Cait @ Paper Fury) would be about siblings. I adore my brother and sisters, so it's always fun to write about fictional siblings. (Come to think of it, I literally can't name a single novel I've written where a character didn't have siblings. o_O)

I thought about using Elroy and Donovan Plemmons this month, but I had already talked about them in a recent post, so I decided against it. Instead, I suppose we'll talk about Gael and Morella Whalen, from that novel I'm always working on. >.> Their whole plot is really spoiler-y (Gael is really spoiler-y), but I love them and, besides, Elroy and Donovan hog the spotlight all the time. I wanted to find an image for Gael and Morella, but they are no doubt the hardest characters to find faces for. No one is as cute as Morella or as angry as Gael (except for Kim Myungsoo, but his eyes are brown, not blue <3). Ah, what the heck? There has to be a picture of Myungsoo and a little girl somewhere . . .

"Where did Mommy and Daddy go?"

     For a long moment, Gael stared at her in silence. The question - so direct, yet filled with so much confusion - had caught him off guard. In the months that had passed since their parents left, Gael had received this question countless times. He knew Morella deserved an answer, he knew she deserved the truth, but he knew better than anyone that the truth, once discovered, wasn't at all freeing, but instead a prison that kept one tied to the bitter reality brought out by secrets. He couldn't - no, wouldn't - do that to Morella. He refused.
     "I've told you before," he explained, his voice soft so he wouldn't upset her. "They're away, taking care of people."
     "What kind of people?"
     "Family."
     Morella paused, pondering this. "But . . . We're family, too. Why don't they take care of us?"
     It was an innocent question, asked by an innocent girl. It was a question worthy of a response, but, for this, Gael had no answer. He sighed, leaning forward to plant a kiss on the top of her head. "I don't know, Morella." He pulled the blankets up to her chin and offered the smallest of smiles. "Just get some sleep. Sweet dreams." He stood, starting toward the doorway after blowing out the candle next to her bed.
     "Bruhder?"
     He stopped at the doorway, forcing his gaze to meet hers. "What is it?"
     She blinked at him, blue eyes wide. "Mommy and Daddy were like the dragon, right?"
     "What dragon?"
     "From your story. They're not here." Her smile returned and she beamed at him. "But that's okay, Bruhder! We still have each other."
     Another sharp pain stabbed through his heart, but he forced it away. "Oh, really? And who were we, in the story?"
     "I was the princess!" She grinned and he noticed the gap between her two front teeth. "And you were my smile! We made other people happy and, even when things were tough, you never left me like the dragon did! Right?"
     This hit him like yet another punch in the gut and he hoped she couldn't see the tears that sprang into his eyes. He tried to blink them away, but one escaped and rolled down his cheek just to spite him, to remind him that he should have been wiser, he should have been a better brother to Morella than he was. "Right," he spoke, but his voice caught and his next words came out in only a whisper, "I'm sorry."
     If she heard him, or even noticed anything was wrong, she didn't let on. Instead, she offered him a wide grin. "Good night, Bruhder! I love you!"
     Wiping another stray tear away, he smiled softly at her. "I love you more."

~ * ~ * ~

1. What is the first memory they have of each other?

Gael's first memory of Morella was just after she'd been born. He was only twelve at the time, terrified of holding children, but when his mother finally convinced him to take her, it was a perfect fit. He fell in love with her immediately, already giving in to her adorable charms.

Morella's first memory of Gael, on the other hand, was several years later, when she was three and he was fifteen. Their parents were out of town one night and she woke up in the midst of a thunderstorm. She was terrified and raced into Gael's room. He let her climb onto his bed and he sang soft lullabies until her tears subsided and she fell asleep.

2. Describe their relationship in 3 words?

Close, protective, complicated.


3. What kind of things do they like to do together?

In spite of their age difference and responsibilities, they try to spend a great deal of time together. Most often, Morella convinces Gael to play dolls with her on a pretty regular basis. She enjoys this, because Gael made the dolls for her when they couldn't afford to purchase any. She also enjoys doing his hair (and her own).

Aside from that, Gael likes taking her to visit the dragons. As a dragon caretaker, he finds it important that he teaches Morella some of what he knows. They both enjoy caring for the dragons and going on adventures together (which really means that Morella pretends they're in the sky while Gael works).

4. What was their biggest fight?

Their biggest fight was shortly after their parents left. Morella missed them terribly and felt ignored by her older brother, who was stressed and working day and night to provide for himself and Morella. There was a lot of screaming involved in their fight, Morella was crying, and the conversation ended with Gael telling her that their parents didn't love them. Morella then called Gael a liar and said she hated him before running to her room. It was then when he decided not to tell her the truth about what had happened with their parents, for he never again wanted to hurt her the way he had that night.

5. How far would they go to save each other?

Throughout the entire novel, Gael shows his willingness to sacrifice many things - including his life - to save his sister. Morella is what drives him, what keeps him working so hard to make a better life for them. She is most important to him and he would go to any length to keep her safe.

Morella, only five years old in the story, doesn't know much about sacrifice at all. She loves her brother more than anyone, and she would stand up for him in a heartbeat, but she is still only a child, afraid of danger and trouble. She would do many things to save Gael, but she wouldn't go as far as he would for her.

6. What are their pet peeves about each other?

Most often, Gael finds himself annoyed by the fact that Morella refuses to listen to him. She has a tendency to wander off without telling him, or to open the door for strangers. Perhaps it is because adventure runs in their blood, but Morella is intent on inserting herself into dangerous situations and going on perilous adventures. This annoys and worries Gael to no end. Aside from that, he utterly despises being told he is just like their parents.


Morella finds herself most annoyed by Gael's busy schedule. She longs to spend every waking moment with her brother, but that isn't at all possible with his work schedule. And, on the rare occasions when he does have a moment to spare, he's too tired to spend hours upon hours playing dolls with her. Even worse, she cannot stand how bossy he is. She's a big girl now - she can open doors and wander off whenever she wants to.

7. What are their favorite things about each other?

Gael knows there would be a neverending list of things he loves about Morella, but, if he had to pick only a few, he would say, first, he adores her forgiving heart. Being one to hold grudges, Gael finds it both beautiful and refreshing to watch Morella forgive so effortlessly. He admires her heart and love for other people. Second would be tenacity. No matter what she is attempting, Morella refuses to quit until she has accomplished something.


Morella's favorite things about Gael are both his bravery and his love for her. She admires his strength in the midst of tough situations. She hopes she will grow up and become as brave and strong as he is. She also loves his love for her and his want to help those in need.

8. What traits do they share? Mannerisms, clothing, quirks, looks, etc?

They both have dark brown, almost black hair, and midnight blue eyes, for starters. Aside from physical appearances, however, they share the same stubborn nature. Once their minds have been made up, that's it - there will be no convincing them otherwise. And, although Gael would argue, they both have big hearts. A lot of their mannerisms are similar as well, but mainly because Morella enjoys mimicking her brother.

9. Who has the strongest personality?

That's a tough one - both Whalens can be quite the handful when they want to be. However, Morella's personality is probably the strongest. Although Gael's anger is what drives his personality, Morella is much more outspoken and energetic, in contrast to her cold and anti-social brother. During a tantrum, she can become your worst nightmare and, when in a good mood, she is the kindest, most outgoing person around. She's always intent on getting what she wants, though, and she's not afraid to let anyone know it.

10. How does their relationship change throughout your story?

When the novel begins, the siblings are close and Gael's love for his sister is evident in everything he does. As the novel progresses, it becomes clear that Gael is literally willing to go to any length to protect his sister. It isn't until the end, however, that Morella makes her love for her brother known as well and it is then when Gael realizes just how close they are. Even through all of the crap I put them through in that book, their relationship was much stronger in the end than it was in the beginning, as Morella realized the extent of Gael's love for her and vice versa.

So, that's it! Beautiful People is just so much fun! ^___^ I learn so much about my charries this way. Let me know what you think! :D

What about you guys? Do you have any siblings in real life? What about in your books? Do you prefer writing about only children or big families? Let me know! I'd love to hear about them! ^_^

Beautiful People: La La La Love {February 2015}

What is this? Another post, and so soon after the last one! This is definitely a rarity. Anyway, I've never participated in Sky and Cait's "Beautiful People" linkup for writers, but I have a couple friends who do! So, I figured, if I wanted to get back to writing, what better way to do this than by participating in such an awesome linkup? Much to my surprise, and dismay, this month's theme was the Valentine's Day edition. I'm not anti-Valentine's Day or anything, but . . . Let's just say my characters aren't doing so hot in the love department right now. They're too into things like independence, or betrayal, or saving their kingdom. They don't have time for romance. >.>

Things weren't always this way. In fact, when I started my current medieval fantasy novel, Pro Deo et Patria, I planned to unite three couples. But, as usual, they had other ideas (apparently Rylan is incapable of loving anyone and Neala's plot is too spoiler-y for love). The novel is about six boys from a poor village, who are bribed by a princess in disguise to head across the kingdoms in search of their missing king. The books tells of their mishaps and adventures on this journey, their rise and fall as they attempt to stop a coming war. It's quite possibly the most exciting thing I've ever written! ^_^ Now, you're about to meet one of the six boys and his dearest friend.

Please welcome Fiona Harren and Driscol Gallaugher.

"Why'd you come here?" Driscol questioned suddenly and Fiona could feel his dark eyes burning a hole right through her. She raised her eyebrows as though he were asking an unreasonable question.
     He shot her the same look. "The truth, Fiona."
     She sighed. "I was worried. Some strange guy showed up with six hundred gold pieces to hand out and you all went without asking any questions." She elbowed him, offering a half smile. "I couldn't let you fall for it without investigating first."
     He could tell she was lying. She was clueless if she thought he couldn't, after all this time. This had less to do with his safety and more to do with Rylan Laury. He was trying hard not to be envious and it wasn't easy. He just hoped his smile was more convincing than it felt.
     She must have noticed his expression, though, for she quickly added, "Besides, Morella was alone and my mother was too busy to watch after her all the time. She needs Gael."
     Driscol looked up, almost as though he were challenging her. "He's not her father."
     "I didn't say he was."
     "Then why did you bring her with you?"
     "I didn't. That was her decision."
     "She's a child."
     Her face scrunched up in utter disgust. "You're a child."
     "Am I?" he questioned, trying not to smirk.
     She snorted. "It's kind of obvious."
     "Obvious like it shows in my speech, or obvious like your lies?"

~ * ~ * ~

1. How long have they been a couple?

Truthfully, they've yet to become one, but we all knew it was coming...

2. How did they first meet?

They met when they were only seven years old. Driscol was a troublemaker, constantly getting into fights at school. Fiona, on the other hand, was a bossy tomboy and the only one brave enough to challenge him. She was determined to give him a piece of her mind, to let him know just what she thought of his violence, but his silence in response to her rant was both annoying and unnerving. She couldn't stand him, but he found himself rather intrigued by her nature and confidence. He followed her around like a shadow for weeks after the incident and she shouted at him to leave her alone on a daily basis until, finally, she invited him to come play at her house (only if he promised to leave her alone afterwards). He agreed, they hung out, and they've been friends ever since.

3. What were their first thoughts of each other? (Love at first sight or "you're freakishly annoying"?)

Hate at first sight comes closest to what they were thinking. Fiona was infuriated that this boy had the nerve to go around getting into needless fights and hurting other kids. She thought him mean and a bully.


Driscol's first thoughts about Fiona were not very pleasant, to say the least. He found her immensely irritating and bossy. However, the longer she talked, the more amused he became, surprised that such a small girl could be so determined.

4. What do they do that most annoys each other?

Even after ten years of friendship, Fiona still cannot stand Driscol's silence. She is the type of person who loves conversation and constant interaction, but she gets none of that with Driscol. She might as well talk to a brick wall - she'd get more of a response that way. She also finds his lack of words a little scary at times, for he refuses to tell her when something is wrong, or even if she has upset him. This silence drives her absolutely crazy and she is not afraid to let him know it.

Perhaps that is what annoys Driscol most. He can tolerate her constant chatter - he has even grown to enjoy it - and her frustrated outbursts, but it annoys him to no end that she feels the need to protect him, even if it means inserting herself into dangerous situations and interfering when she shouldn't. Not only that, but he is secretly underwhelmed by her girl talk. Due to the fact she has few friends outside of him, he has been on the receiving end of several conversations he wishes to forget. She has no brain-to-mouth filter and has come fairly close to driving him insane at times.

5. Are their personalities opposite or similar?

Opposite, most definitely. Their friendship would have never even formed had it not been for the fact they were both children when they met. See above for more details.


6. How would their lives be different without each other?

Oh, wow. Their lives would be drastically different... Driscol would still be fighting, for starters. He would have been more apt to believe what others said about him and, in turn, would have headed down a more self destructive path, so afraid of becoming his father that, given time, he would.


Although her path would have been a less dangerous one, Fiona would have often allowed her frustration to get the better of her and this would damage a lot of relationships in her life. She would definitely have less patience for others and she would certainly be more bitter and angry.

7. Are they ever embarrassed of each other?

Are you kidding? Embarrassment is an everyday occurrence with these two. Most often, it is Fiona who embarrasses Driscol (her personality alone can accomplish this), but there have been rare occasions when Driscol would embarrass Fiona just to watch her blush.

8. Does anyone disapprove of their relationship?

Her father, Ouran. It goes much deeper than the average, "No man will be good enough for my daughter" feeling that most dads express. No, Ouran truly despises Driscol for a deeper reason, one no one knows yet, because of something that happened long ago. Her father's disapproval has yet to put a strain on the relationship, but it might when some secrets come out. >:)


9. Do they see their relationship as long term/leading to marriage?

As it stands no; they are only friends (even if he does make the occasional flirtatious remark). And, although they will be old enough to marry in only one, short year, that is the last thing on their minds. They're kinda busy, you know, rescuing a kingdom from complete destruction.


10. If they could plan the "perfect outing" together, where would they go?

Hmm. That's a tough question . . . I wanted to go with something sappy like "It doesn't matter where they go as long as they're together," but we all know that isn't the case. Perhaps they'd have a picnic near the ocean, enjoying one another's company and maybe even playing in the water. (Hah! It was sappy after all!)

Well, that concludes this post! I hope y'all enjoyed reading about my charries! I have way too much fun writing them! xD Let me know, do your characters ever fall in love, go against your will? Do you enjoy adding romance into what you write, or do you prefer not to? What did you think about Fiona and Driscol? Would you ship them? Why or why not?