Shadow (The Romany Outcasts #2) by Christi J. Whitney
Release Date: June 2, 2016
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publisher: Harper Voyager
The second volume in this incredible YA trilogy.
Sebastian Grey used to be a normal teenager.
Now he’s become a creature whose sole purpose is to act as
guardian for secretive gypsy clans.
When the Romany gypsies claim Sebastian as their guardian,
he is given a second chance to protect Josephine Romany, the girl he thought he
might never see again.
But Sebastian is having his own problems. His transformation
is still ongoing, and not everyone trusts the new gargoyle within their clan.
Then a tragedy pushes him to make choices to fulfil his
duty, choices that might cost him everything.
When creating a new character, do you create a whole back story before
adding them or, do you just wing it and developed as you write?
I have a background in theatre, specifically as a director, so I’m very
used to going through lines and crafting my characters based around the
dialogue within the pages. There’s very little in way of description in most
scripts, so you’re truly left with the power of the spoken word. My time as a
theatre director definitely shaped how I write.
When beginning a story, I always start with dialogue. Writing a
conversation between two people is the quickest way for me to solidify my
characters and discover how they relate to each other. It also gives me their
specific voices, which is extremely important. A good voice makes a character
instantly more believable and relatable. I don’t always get it right the first
time. Or the second time. (Or third). But eventually, I find my character’s
groove – his or her inflections and emphasis. The way they sound in my head
makes it successfully onto paper…or the computer screen. Dialogue also allows
me to see how my characters respond to certain situations. I can gauge their
emotional reactions in the things they say to each other. Dialogue soon becomes
a scene, and the scene helps me plot out my story.
For the character of Sebastian Grey in The Romany Outcasts Series, I went about things a little
differently. I did initially write a rough draft of a scene that will happen
all the way in book three. That short dialogue became the catalyst for his
character. But Grey is told from
Sebastian’s point of view, so he has a lot of internal thoughts that happen
throughout the story. In his case, I wrote out monologues of Sebastian talking
to himself in my early stages of writing. In later revisions of Grey, I had to trim down much of his
internalizations, and there was a good bit I cut out of the manuscript
completely. But I don’t consider any of that a waste because it helped shaped
Sebastian’s personality.
Do I come up with a character’s whole backstory before I begin writing?
The answer is, not usually. Since I’m writing a series, there are certain
characters with specific roles, and I have to know their backgrounds. But for
my main characters, it usually develops as I write. There always comes a point
in my writing where I do have to stop and sit down with my characters and work
backwards into their pasts, but I tend to write “in the moment” and figure out
those details, as I need to. That’s why I love revisions. Some people hate
edits and revising, but I enjoy the process. Again, it may be the theatre
background. As a director, I’m constantly working the same scenes over and over
again, making them stronger and adding in layers, until it’s polished and
ready. Editing is much the same thing. Getting the rough draft out is the most
difficult part for me.
There are no set rules for how to create characters. What works for one
writer doesn’t fly with another. But that’s writing. Whatever feels comfortable
for you, go with it. At the end of the day, the best characters are the ones
that feel real – fleshed out and believable people we can invest in, no matter
the world they inhabit.
OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES:
Can you still love with a heart of stone?
Sebastian Grey always thought he was a fairly normal
teenager – good friends, decent grades and a pretty sweet job in his foster
brother’s tattoo shop.
But when Romany gypsies arrive in town, Sebastian discovers
that his world is not what it seems. There is an age-old feud between his family
and the gypsies – and this isn’t the only secret his brother has been keeping
from him. His life is not his own. The girl he’s been dreaming about has just
turned up at school, and he feels compelled to protect her at all costs.
Even if that means life might never be normal again.
Giveaway Information: Contest ends May 27, 2016
- One (1) winner will receive a digital copy of books 1 and 2 in The Romany Outcasts series by Christi J. Whitney (INT)
Christi J. Whitney is the author of The Romany Outcasts
Series (HarperCollins/HarperVoyagerUK).
She's a former high school theatre director with a love for the dramatic. Christi lives just outside of Atlanta with her husband and two sons.
When not spending time with them or taking a ridiculous number of trips to Disney World, she is usually directing plays, geeking out over Doctor Who, making costumes for sci-fi/fantasy conventions, watching superhero movies, or pretending she's a tad bit British.
Connect with her on Twitter @ChristiWhitney
She's a former high school theatre director with a love for the dramatic. Christi lives just outside of Atlanta with her husband and two sons.
When not spending time with them or taking a ridiculous number of trips to Disney World, she is usually directing plays, geeking out over Doctor Who, making costumes for sci-fi/fantasy conventions, watching superhero movies, or pretending she's a tad bit British.
Connect with her on Twitter @ChristiWhitney
Follow the Tour
Thanks so much for participating in my tour! I really appreciate it!
ReplyDelete