What's in a name? More than I thought.

I'm working on a new manuscript - a new adult, chick-lit novel with a paranormal twist (of course!) I have a basic outline of the plot. A fun, spunky secondary character is taking solid shape. The love interest's voice is clear and strong. There's just one tiny, itty bitty piece of the puzzle that I'm missing: the main character. More specifically: her name.

Right now I'm calling her Natalie. She's already been Hannah, but that name was so wrong I couldn't bare to keep typing it. Neither name belongs to her. They're just place holders until I finally figure her out. She's polar opposite from strong, visceral, impulsive Tanzy, or at least the Tanzy she becomes by story's end.

I haven't bonded with my new cast of characters to the extent of the bond I formed with Tanzy, Jayce, Vanessa, Asher, and Lucas. And how could I? I first met Tanzy back in 2009 - and back then her name was Holly. Then Rynn. And then a Google search for name meanings unearthed the perfect fit: Tansy (I swapped the S for a Z) which is a Greek name, and means "immortality". Once I figured out her name, the rest of her became more obvious. And as she developed, the plot became richer and deeper.

Here we are, six years later, and I'm roughly five rounds of edits away from saying a final farewell to these characters who have become utterly authentic in my head, and who helped me fulfill a dream.

For now, it feels like my new main character and I are sitting across from each other on a first date. She's only letting me see the surface. Her smile is practiced. Her manners are on point. I haven't figured out what's really going to brass her off yet. And until I know what she cares about - what she deeply, wholly, irrationally defends - this new story is going to be just as skin-deep.

I think it's going to take the entire first draft to figure her out. I hope I do. Without her, the story will have no heart, no organ beating meaning and purpose and cohesiveness to the other parts. So who are you, not-Natalie, not-Hannah? One thing's for sure. You are not a cheap date.

A-Z Challenge: T is for Tanzy Hightower

Moonlit's main character and heroine is Tanzy Hightower, a barn-girl of little words and a big past. First, her recent past: Tanzy's father died in a freak accident. Tanzy was the only one who saw what happened, and she's keeping a big secret about the last moments of his life. And then, her TRUE past, her first life in north Africa a thousand years ago.

Her name had to mean something - especially in light of the decision her soul was brought back to make. I tried many names on her before I found "Tansy," which in Latin means "immortality," a perfect fit.

As for her personality, I would call her a blend of Sookie (True Blood), Buffy (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and Katniss (Hunger Games) with a heavy dash of the adorable main character of MTV's show "Awkward."

As far as "casting" Tanzy should Moonlit ever make it to film... I would want it to be someone no one (or few people) have ever heard of. A natural horse person, dark hair, athletic instead of skinny, eyes that say everything, soft spoken, and smart. Here are a few pictures I've collected for my online inspiration board of Tanzy:

A-Z Challenge: L is for Lucas

I have to admit, once I got to know Lucas, Tanzy's main squeeze, I kind of had a crush on him myself. His organic devotion to Tanzy's soul gave me the warm and fuzzies. And he's the kind of good-looking that doesn't strike you at first, but comes on slow, and simmers in your memory long after you've left him.

Tanzy and Lucas's initial interaction was inspired by Buffy and Angel's first interaction: a little sass, a little spice, and tension that pulls like a tightrope between them as each side tugs their end of the rope a little closer.It should be no surprise that this BTVS junkie took a page from Angel's lovely features in crafting Lucas: dark hair, dark eyes. But that's where their similarities end. Lucas's face is more angular and lean. One side of his face has two long scars that run from beneath his eye to his jaw. But the way he gets them... *sigh*...) Oh, sorry. One of my favorite details: he has mud on his boots the first time they meet.

But, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. So here are a few pictures that remind me of Lucas. (Sorry, boys. Tanzy and Vanessa will make up for it on their days.)

A-Z begins with Asher...

First, a little ditty about this A-Z blogging challenge. For those of you who don't know what this entails, the challenge calls for bloggers to pick a topic and write something about that topic each day (except Sundays) during the month of April, and that our daily post topics have to follow the alphabet. Fun? Absolutely. Masochistic? ....maybe.

I'm using this A-Z madness to peek inside the many layers and players in my debut YA fantasy novel, Moonlit, which officially releases April 16th. Just so you have some backstory, here's the back-of-the-book summary:

Eighteen-year-old Tanzy Hightower knows horses, has grown up with them on Wildwood Farm. She also knows not to venture beyond the trees that line the pasture. Things happen out there that can’t be explained. Or undone. Worse, no one but she and the horses can see what lurks in the shadows of the woods.

When a moonlit ride turns into a terrifying chase, Tanzy is left to question everything, from the freak accident that killed her father to the very blood in her veins. Broken and confused, she turns to Lucas, a scarred, beautiful stranger, and to Vanessa, a charming new friend who has everything Tanzy doesn’t.

But why do they seem to know more about her than she knows herself?


Now that you're all caught up, let's get started.

Day one begins with A, and I think it's so fitting for this challenge to begin with my villain, Asher. He's pretty - and I mean pretty - except for the startling feature of colorless eyes. And he does have a bit of a temper. But there's so MUCH to him. Unfortunately, I can't give many details about him away without spoiling some twists and turns that potential readers will experience along the way.

Here's what I can tell you: Asher is OLD (but remember, pretty.) He is an Unseen, and Unseens were never born, and can never die. They simply are. Birth and death are forbidden in their world, which coexists with ours like two plays on one stage. And I will tell you that Asher's goal is to break one of those rules... and that's all I can say about that!

 

 

Learn more about this crazy A-Z blogging challenge on the official website:

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/