Mac Thorne’s time as a Changeling is coming to an end.
It may have taken eighteen years, but Mac did finally manage to do what the Council wanted: she chose a teacher and renounced the in-between.
There’s just one last step. She must say goodbye to her human. Forever.
After being challenged in every way possible, Mac leaves what she thought would be the easiest task for the last possible moment. As midnight on July fourth draws near, though, she hasn’t found a way to give up Winn Thomas.
Nor does she want to.
With time running out, Mac stands at a literal crossroads. Choose Winn, and she’ll be stripped of the only family she’s ever known — vampires, dragons, and her favorite demon. Even her own mother. Accept her position on the Council and rule as an equal to her twelve peers, and she’ll forget Winn ever existed.
Independence and freedom have never before been so limiting.
In this final chapter of the 19th Year Trilogy, it’s time for Mac to decide.
Responsibility? Or Love?
It may have taken eighteen years, but Mac did finally manage to do what the Council wanted: she chose a teacher and renounced the in-between.
There’s just one last step. She must say goodbye to her human. Forever.
After being challenged in every way possible, Mac leaves what she thought would be the easiest task for the last possible moment. As midnight on July fourth draws near, though, she hasn’t found a way to give up Winn Thomas.
Nor does she want to.
With time running out, Mac stands at a literal crossroads. Choose Winn, and she’ll be stripped of the only family she’s ever known — vampires, dragons, and her favorite demon. Even her own mother. Accept her position on the Council and rule as an equal to her twelve peers, and she’ll forget Winn ever existed.
Independence and freedom have never before been so limiting.
In this final chapter of the 19th Year Trilogy, it’s time for Mac to decide.
Responsibility? Or Love?
For her guest post here in honour of the release of the last book in the 19th year trilogy, Darkest Day, I asked Emi to talk a little about character development and her approach to it. Welcome to the Musings of a Fantasy Writer's Life, Emi! What is your approach to character development?
Oddly enough, I don't force a character to develop. I let them just go with whatever situations they are in and generally write what they tell me to write. Of course, my job, as the creator of these characters is to ensure that however they establish themselves, they remain consistent throughout the story and that, at some point in the story, they actually learn from their mistakes, they take chances and they grow.
This isn't done, though by forcing the character into a situation that will make them grow. No, it's more about taking whatever the normal situation is and integrating it into the life of the character. For Mac Thorne, the main character in Darkest Day, she told her own story but if she started to regress more than a normal 'human' might (and human standard was used here in order to connect with readers - who are human) then, I had to nudge her in a different direction.
And nudge I did. When needed. Which in Mac's case, wasn't as often as I expected to have to. See, her personality came through from the first words of the story in After Dark. From there, all it took was me putting the words to paper and forming sentences, then paragraphs, then scenes, then chapters, until the book finished. She was harder to deal with in personality than in development because she's one of the strongest young characters I've written and, from a reader perspective, in order to make her grow, I had to enlist help. Therein lies Winn Thomas - her perfect counterpart and one who help Mac grow. So you see, it's not just me that has to help a character build out who they are, it's other characters, too and developing them develops the main one.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today Emi, and thanks for the insight into your writing process.
Oddly enough, I don't force a character to develop. I let them just go with whatever situations they are in and generally write what they tell me to write. Of course, my job, as the creator of these characters is to ensure that however they establish themselves, they remain consistent throughout the story and that, at some point in the story, they actually learn from their mistakes, they take chances and they grow.
This isn't done, though by forcing the character into a situation that will make them grow. No, it's more about taking whatever the normal situation is and integrating it into the life of the character. For Mac Thorne, the main character in Darkest Day, she told her own story but if she started to regress more than a normal 'human' might (and human standard was used here in order to connect with readers - who are human) then, I had to nudge her in a different direction.
And nudge I did. When needed. Which in Mac's case, wasn't as often as I expected to have to. See, her personality came through from the first words of the story in After Dark. From there, all it took was me putting the words to paper and forming sentences, then paragraphs, then scenes, then chapters, until the book finished. She was harder to deal with in personality than in development because she's one of the strongest young characters I've written and, from a reader perspective, in order to make her grow, I had to enlist help. Therein lies Winn Thomas - her perfect counterpart and one who help Mac grow. So you see, it's not just me that has to help a character build out who they are, it's other characters, too and developing them develops the main one.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today Emi, and thanks for the insight into your writing process.
Emi Gayle just wants to be young again. She lives vicariously through her youthful characters, while simultaneously acting as chief-Mom to her teenaged son and searching for a way to keep her two daughters from ever reaching the dreaded teen years.
Ironically, those years were some of Emi's favorite times. She met the man of her dreams at 14, was engaged to him at 19, married him at 20 and she's still in love with him to this day. She'll never forget what it was like to fall in love at such a young age — emotions she wants everyone to feel.
Ironically, those years were some of Emi's favorite times. She met the man of her dreams at 14, was engaged to him at 19, married him at 20 and she's still in love with him to this day. She'll never forget what it was like to fall in love at such a young age — emotions she wants everyone to feel.
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