Today I'd like to introduce you to author T.J. Dell. She is guest blogging as part of her virtual book tour. Welcome, T.J. So glad you could join us! I'll let you have the floor now...

Meeting your next character

Every good story has great characters.  The most important thing to remember when you are trying to create such a character is that they must be believable.  What I mean is that while the reader is immersed in the story the characters should feel real to them.  When I am flushing out new story ideas I start with characters first.  I write and write (well type and type) pages of random facts and bits about each character until they are fixed firmly in my mind.  I need to know each character as well as I know my oldest friends.  You don't need to write every single one of those bits into your manuscript.  It is only important that you feel they are real.  If that is the case you won't be able to help but to write them in a way that conveys that believability to your readers.

And now to put my money where my mouth is!

Here's a little homework for you.  Answers should be in complete sentences!  Actually it works best if each question gets two or three sentence answers.   Don't be afraid to elaborate.

1.  What is their name, age, sex?

2. What do they look like?  Are they happy with their appearance?

3. Do they have a Favorite TV show?  Least favorite TV show?

4. What did they eat for dinner last night?

5. Who is their very best friend?

6. Describe their immediate family.

7.  What do they do for a living?  Or what do they want to do for a living?

8.  Where did they go for their last vacation?

9. Do they keep a pet?

10. Do they have any bad allergies, or phobias?

Here's who I came up with...

Silas Eugene Walker is fifteen years old.  Well at least he will be fifteen at six-twenty-three tonight.  His mom always insists on singing at exactly his time of birth.  It's isn't so bad though.  His sister, Marianne, was born at five-fifteen in the morning.  She never gets a birthday lie-in.

Silas was a little disappointed when he saw his reflection this morning.  His arms and legs were still skinny and too long for his birthday.  And those awful freckles still covered his nose and cheeks.  Oh yeah, chicks dig dudes with polka dots.  Fifteen wasn't looking any better than fourteen had.

Silas lives in a small town with his mother, his sister, and their cat named Boo.  His Dad died when he was really little.  Marianne doesn't remember him at all.

Silas thinks he's too old for television except during football season, and it isn't that bad when Marianne wants to watch Saturday morning cartoons.  Of course he only watches for her sake.

Last night for dinner his mom made a chicken casserole.  Silas wasn't really a casserole kind of guy.  The top was always too crunchy and the middle was soggy and everything always tasted the same.  Tonight for dinner they were going to have Silas's favorite, cheeseburgers with extra pickles. 

When he grows up, Silas wants to be a sports reporter on television.  Joey Patton and Silas have been best friends since the third grade.  He wants to be a football player, but Silas isn't very good at actually playing.

Silas doesn't really have allergies, but he does get very motion sick.  One year his mom drove them all to the lake and they rented a cabin for two whole weeks.  The cabin was awesome, but the car trip was very much not awesome.

So?  Who'd you come up with?

When TJ isn't reading or writing (which is almost never), she is enjoying a blissfully boring life with her family in Maryland. Her two greatest wishes are to serve on a Starfleet Starship or to be invited to join the Justice League. Sure her chances are slim, but she's a big believer in dreaming big. 

A hopeless romantic to her very core, TJ's books explore every corner of the wobbly-kneed-world of romance novels. She has a particular penchant for Young Adult themes. Dell's debut novel 'Her Best Friend's Brother' is enjoying its tenth month as an Amazon best seller, and her popular Elfkin Series is hot on its heels.

For more information follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/dell.tj
Goodreads Author Page

Vol. I
When Evie Parker meets Lucas Spencer she begins to feel hope again. Lately she's been going through life in a fog and Lucas is all about teaching her how to have fun again. For the first time since the accident she knows what it means to be happy.

So who cares if Lucas is a little odd. It isn't that strange that she's never met his parents, or that teachers never seem to notice when he's late for class. Evie tries not to care, but on top of all his peculiar behavior she's been feeling kind of sick lately-- ever since she met Lucas actually.

When Lucas decides it is time to come clean with all his secrets Evie has to make some hard decisions. 

Vol. II
All Evie wants is a little bit of normal in her life-- is that really too much to ask?

Lucas isn't normal, but he makes her happy. That should count for something. Evie thinks she can find a balance that will let her be normal and also be with him. 


Of course she hadn't counted on adding his family into the mix, or his ex-girlfriend.

Life with an elf is never boring. 

Vol III
Lucas and Evie were finally at a place where Evie was comfortable with her mix of normal human teenager and fantastical elf boyfriend. Then she went and got herself crushed by a tree.

Evie wakes up with a whole lot of extra issues to deal with. Not the least of which is a trip inside the Veil to see Lucas's home. She never would have agreed to go if she'd known she was going to have her own secret to hide. 

Genre:  Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Publisher:  Independently published
Release Date:  May 21, 2012
Purchase Links:  http://www.amazon.com/Whispers-Complete-Collection-Elfkin-ebook/dp/...
 
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/whispers-in-the-woods-tj-dell/11115...
 
http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Whispers-Woods-Complete-Collection/T...