Paranormal Holidays

Over Thanksgiving dinner the conversation turned to Buffy. All my college age daughters are watching the show on net sites. They all remember that it was my favorite TV show when they were in grade school. 

We all laughed about the Thanksgiving show 'Pangs' the one where Buffy decides to cook dinner for her friends and Xander wakes a revengeful NA spirit. Chaos ensues.

Quote:“I love a ritual sacrifice. To commemorate a past event, you kill and eat an animal. It's a ritual sacrifice. With pie.” ~ Anya

We loved the humor. Buffy, the powerful slayer, obsessing over a ricer. Spike, terrified of a bear...

Interesting how the conversation had everything to do with the characters and their relationships...none of the conversation had to do with the actual storyline of an ancient Chumash curse.

Characters, their complexity, their goals and desires--that is what make so many memorable books. By season four of Buffy, the characters were nuanced, they had histories of triumphs and crushing defeats. Books with nuanced complex characters are ones I as a reader remember the most.

I sometimes write a great deal of backstory in the early days of a project that eventually gets cut, but that is how I get to know my characters. The things that came before.

I've done character sheets but they bore me. I'd much rather write a scene or two from the character's past, scenes of what is most important to their lives.

My upcoming release, Winter's Light, is a bundle of short holiday stories I wrote some years ago. Paranormal/Fantasy and just plain weird. All are romances.The characters have been in my mind for  long, long time and sometimes I think about revisiting these worlds and expanding their stories just because I enjoy them so much. Available December 2nd on Amazon and soon at other retailers.