Beautiful People Linkup #4

I'm cutting it extremely close for September's Beautiful People linkup held by Sky @ Further Up and Further In and Cait @ The Notebook Sisters. This is a linkup where you talk about your characters in the stories you're writing. Which is awesome!:D This month is about our villains. So, without further ado:



The villain in my current WIP is named Agent Silverton. His first name is Agent (You're awesome if you got that reference!). Seriously, though, I haven't come up with a first name for him yet. On to the questions!
1. What is his motive? His desire for power is what drives him through the whole thing.
2. What do they want and what are they prepared to do to get it? I would say world domination, but that's sounds cliche;P Basically, he wants to be at the right hand of the President and wants every country in the world to be under United States rule.  He's like that little devil that sits on the President's shoulder telling to do bad things.

 He's prepared to break every law! He even goes so far as to hire hit men. I haven't decided yet if he'll kill anyone himself. He is guilty of kidnapping, though.
3. How do they deal with conflict? He squashes it. There are lots and lots of threats and, if the need arises, he arranges for the people who are causing the conflict to simply disappear.

4. Describe their current place of residence. He owns a penthouse apartment in D.C., but it's hardly lived it. He only has the bare necessities as far a furniture and the walls are completely bare. All the colors are bland and his closet is a sea of black suits. He has like 10 and they all look exactly the same. He does have a bright red tie for the "fun" days, though (aka, when he knows he's about to get his way about something).
5. If they were writing this story, how would it end? He would help the President take over the whole world and then he would arrange a little "accident" for the President and he would take over and rule the world. And my three MCs would be dead.
6. What habits, speech patterns, etc. are unique to them? He has a slight British accent. It's not very prominent, but you can hear it. And he likes to talk in metaphors. He rarely ever makes his words 100% clear when he's talking to an enemy. Except when he makes his actual threat. Then he makes sure he's clear.
7. How do they show love? What do they like to do with/for people they love? Well, he doesn't. He thinks love is for weaklings. He steers clear of it at all costs. He doesn't even call his mother anymore (I know, evil, right?;P)
8. Do they have any pets? No, but I suppose if he did it would be like the snake is The Jungle Book or the lion prince thing from the Disney Robin Hood.

9. Where would they go to relax/think?

Hmm...I'm not really sure. Probably somewhere all by himself. His office or something. I don't really know.

10. What is their weapon of choice? (FYI: words, eyes/looks, and fists count as weapons, too.)

He has a cane that he carries around. It's just a straight cane, sleek black with silver accents, the top sort of looks like a silver orb. He doesn't really need it, but he thinks it makes him look more sinister (it works). He could use that as a weapon is the need arose. He also carries a hand gun. And he uses threats. But, mainly, he uses his too body guards.

Kind of like these guys, but he looks a lot more menacing than the DukeXD

And there you have it! On a scale of petty to pure, 100% evil, how evil does he sound? Which of your favorite villains does he maybe make you think of? Be sure to let me know if you linkup as well (most of you already haveXD)?:)

Interview With Margaret J. H. Shaw

I interviewed an author! She's a friend of mine and she's a published author and it's awesome! I'll link the picture to the book on goodreads.

A Journey Home

Set in early Medieval England and wishing to live a life out of the limitations of being the Grand Duke's daughter, Liliana finds herself on a different path after being kidnapped by an unsuspecting foe. Tempers lead to depression as all attempts to find Liliana are deterred. Fearing for the worst to come, Liliana is surprised to be rescued by Alistair, who has a forgotten past of his own, and his friend Thibault. With love and rage searching for Liliana, suspense among all rise. Threats come in all directions as Liliana and her rescuers travel back home. Can she make it before her kidnappers find her and will they meet their demise? Or will fate shelter them so they can finish their journey home?

Now, a little about the author:)

After having published her poem/song Family of Friends in the 2011-2012 Jacksonville 

College yearbook, Margaret J. H. Shaw began to journey of writing historical fiction. 

Margaret has self-published A Journey Home (2013), the first novel in the Adventurous 

Heart series. She continues the series with her upcoming novel Battle of Hearts. While 

spending time with family in East Texas, Shaw pursues a Bachelor degree in History.

This book was, overall, amazing! I don't remember a single thing that I didn't like about it. Wait, yes, I do: the cliffhanger ending!;P I immediately messaged Margaret and asked her if she would tell me anything about book 2. Like any good author who likes to torture her readers, she wouldn't. Her characters were my favorite part! They were all well thought out and carefully created. Each one seemed real. And I'm not very good at the whole book review thing because I tend to love everything and hate nothing. I'm like that for real, not just with booksXD

Now, the interview! 

Where did you get your inspiration for A Journey Home?

Admittedly, my own life in the beginning. As I was growing up I wanted to see the world. Still do, but I realized that there were people around me that I had been taking for granted. Liliana is like a fictional me. She goes through different trials, of course, but in the end, family is very important to her.

Family is always important:) I've always wanted to see the 

world, too. Then I realized my fear of heights. Anywho, What 

was the hardest part of the writing process? The easiest?

Probably the hardest part of the writing process was being curious of whether or not people would enjoy the story.I nearly quit several times because of the fear that no one would like it. The easiest, though, was letting my imagination take over the pages. When I stopped really thinking everything through, I was able to write then go back and make corrections.

Well, I, for one, am glad you didn't quit!:) Beginnings, 

Middles, or Endings: Which was hardest?

The middle of the novel was hardest, truthfully. I had the beginning and end all planned out. I knew how it began because I had already written it, and I knew where I wanted it to go because of the title. I had to really pace myself so I didn't get too far ahead.

How long did it take to completely finish your manuscript?

The manuscript took two years to be completed. The longest two years ever, haha.

Haha! I know exactly what you mean! Which character was 

your favorite to write? Which character was the hardest/least 

favorite?

My favorite character would have to be Alistair. He has so much against him as he journeys to his homeland, and he had this broken past, too, that made me just want to hug him. The hardest to write and the least favorite are two different characters. The hardest was probably Sir Maven/Wolfe. I needed a dark and mysterious character with a difficult past. Not only that, but he had to be considered ruthless, but on the verge of losing his touch of evil.

Alistair was awesome! Do you have a favorite quote from the

 book?

My goodness. My absolute favorite quotes would come from two places. The first is when Wynflaeth is warning Wolfe and the men of Alistair, and Wolfe asks her if she is sure of it and she responds, "More than you were at the altar." Then, at the end: "One matter remained true: in some fashion, they each had made their journey home. Some found home where they never thought possible. Others looked within and found the home they had been searching for. The remaining few had only to make a journey around strange terrain in order to journey to the home they never thought they were searching for." Which clearly defines the entirety of the novel.

Both amazing quotes. Wynflaeth's was hilarious! I loved that

 part. There were several POVs throughout the book. Was it

 hard keeping everything straight and not getting confused?

Yes, very much so. I repeatedly had to go back to make sure I was not repeating myself or leaving an event out that might affect someone else down the line.

What was the best piece of writing advice you were ever 

given? What is the best that you can give?

The best piece of advice was actually something I read from one of my favorite modern authors, J. K. Rowling who said, "Read as much as you can." She apparently read that from on of my favorite classic authors, Jane Austen. And it's very true because the books you read are already successful and can help you along your writing way. I would tell aspiring authors, "Read as much as you can, and let your imagination fly."

All very good advice:) How is the second book coming along?

 Can you tell us when it might be coming out?

The second book is slow coming at the moment. I expect to complete it at the New Year, though. A great time for either completing or beginning a task.

How did it feel to finish A Journey Home?

Finishing a two year long journey in a three-month 'left excerpt' of the characters' lives made me ecstatic. Sadly, it didn't help that it was in the middle of the night. I received a huge adrenaline boost upon completion, haha.

Once again, thank you to Margaret for doing this!:) Everyone go get A Journey Home on e-book, amazon, or Barnes and Noble! By the way, I've seen the cover and read the synopsis for book two and it looks amazing, just so you know;P

I hope you guys liked my first interview!:)

Meet The Character: Christopher Quinn

Name: Christopher Gage Quinn

Age: 21

Hair: Short, blonde

Eyes: Brown

Occupation: Distribution Manager for

Meet Chris. He's a very different person with two very conflicting personality traits: he is extremely arrogant, but he is also very easily frightened. He's afraid of heights, claustrophobic, he can't handle blood or anything dead, and he's just a fearful person in general. I'm interested to see what arguments he and I get into when I actually start writing.

He has a very different style when it comes to clothing. See for yourself: 

That's what he wears (minus the bag thing) pretty much all the time. That is, until he is forced to go on the run. Then he ditches the too tight jeans and the sport coat. After that he pretty much sticks to loose jeans and the overly constricting button downs. I tried to convince him to pack something more comfortable and easier to fight in, but he refused. So he'll just have to deal with it.

He also has a pretty good sense of humor.

 This is what he decides to say when Gwen tells him he needs to stick with her to stay safe. Sam tells him that he's probably not wrong.

At times, he's not very eloquent. Like that time^. But, he's right, Gwen was wrong.

Chris' words are the grey ones. He says this while pacing back in forth across the room and running his fingers through his hair is a very nervous manner. He doesn't do well in high pressure or stressful situations.

Yet another remark made towards Gwen. He loves messing with her, but it's going to get him in trouble one day.

On occasion, he says things of pure wisdom. Or things that show just how much he cares about his friends.

When they feel that all is lost and they may as well give up, Chris, without even really realizing it, says this and basically saves the whole mission. 

And he would know all about the broken hearts and broken promises. But, I won't go into detail. You'll just have to read the book when I publish it;P

Chris is all alone and going head to head with his biggest adversary when the guy threatens Gwen's life. This is his retaliation. He liked to think that he's not capable of killing someone, but then he made friends. And then their lives where endangered.

All-in-all, Chris is a pretty awesome character. But don't tell him I said that! I'll never heard the end of it if you do. He's going to be very fun to write and I can't wait!

                     So, what do you guys think?:) I would love to hear what you have to say:) 

Note: Yes, I do realize I'm introducing characters before I tell you what the story is even about. I have a point to that: It drives people crazy wanting to know what I'm talking about in the character postsXD Aren't I the best?!;P

The Fun and Exciting Things Happening

I took the advice of my lovely blogger friend, Cait, and I am going to blog about an interesting new adventure I just embarked on. But first, I need to give you guys a little background.

For over a year I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to be a child psychologist or a school counselor. A couple weeks ago, though, I literally woke up and thought, "That's not what I want to do anymore." I told my mom and we both decided not to worry about it. That wasn't working for me though, as usual. So, I spent several hours taking several different aptitude tests and there were a few things that each test had in common: writing (of course) and several things to do in the legal field. Paralegal being the main one. A paralegal is basically a lawyer or attorney's assistant. They can do almost anything a lawyer can do except sign legal documents for the lawyer, represent someone in court, and a few other things.

I found out two weeks ago that a woman we go to church with is a paralegal. I already know her really well because her husband is a karate sensei and I did karate with them for a while. So, we talked to her and decided that I would go up to the Attorney's office she works at and shadow her a few days a week.

I went two days last week and it was really fun! I met everyone who works there and they're all really nice and extremely fun people. Kenneth Mitchell's doppelganger works there. I swear this guy looks exactly like Kenneth Mitchell! His name is Will. He's a prosecuting attorney and does several things. There's Gina. She's an interesting character. She's hilarious and extremely fun to be around! She does tons of things that I can't even remember. Curtis pretty much runs the place. He's quieter, but still really nice. Sarah is the paralegal I'm shadowing. She is just plain awesome! Sarah, Gina, and I had so much fun the first day I was there. We sat and talked for a pretty good while and also had some pretty hilarious conversationsXD All in all, it's amazing!

I also found out kind of what I want to do with it. Sarah told me I can double major in Sociology and Criminology and it would still be pretty laid back. I want to go for my masters in Sociology and my bachelors in Criminology and while I'm doing that go for a bachelors or a masters in Paralegal studies through an online program. With that I can do anything in the paralegal field. But, I'm considering trying to do something in the FBI. When I tell people that everyone thinks of tracking down serial murderers and examining dead bodies, but that's not necessarily what I would have to do. Sarah said I could be the person who gives lie detector tests, I could do surveillance, security detail, I could strictly be a fingerprint specialist. There are all kinds of things you can do within the FBI without being an actually investigator. She also said I could do something along the lines of investigating something tamer that doesn't have to do with murders. Like, money laundering or something along those lines. She told me FBI isn't strictly dealing with murders and kidnappings. Which is really good because I could not handle seeing a dead body.

So, I'm pretty sure I finally have things figured out. And I can do several other things with those degrees. It's all really exciting and fun. I can't wait to see what I end up doing with it all:)