What Makes a Good Character? A Deeper Look Into Our MC

Last week I gave you an overview Megara Thorne's world, with all its newly acknowledged vampires and newly legalized hunters. This week, let’s talk about who Megara Thorne really is.

I always wonder where authors get their inspiration from, and how they create their characters. If you’ve got any fascinating epiphanies on the subject, shoot me a message and we can talk shop. As for me, I like stories with variety, and I like stories with complexity. That means, as an author, I have to make characters that are complex, and I have to make a lot of them.

My favorite characters are those that are introduced as a bit one-sided, but quickly show their true colors, for better or for worse. Obviously, you don’t get to do this with every character (although I wish you did!) because sometimes there has to be a big bad wolf to keep the good guys fighting. That being said, I love sending characters down to their absolute rock bottom, because it’s only there that we truly see what they’re made of.

It’s a bit like life, isn’t it?

I don’t pull punches, and I certainly don’t show any mercy. Megara Thorne is no exception. She’s a vampire hunter, and the daughter of the first ever hunter to make peace with the fangers themselves. Now, you may be asking, was Jacob Thorne’s ground-breaking decision to draft a treaty with the enemy met with minimal resistance and a bouquet of flowers? As a matter of fact, no, it was not. Quite the opposite; it widened divides that already existed between the families of hunters.

Obviously, Megara backs her father 100%, and as tense as things are between hunters and vampires, she acknowledges that it was a necessary evil. But it’s thrown them into uncharted territory: are they hunters? Are they fang-supporters? Can they be both, and if so, how do they pull it off while also staying true to themselves?

My first three books, The Bloodborn Series, center mainly on destiny – on what’s driving it, on who controls it, and on how much say you’ve got in it. The Megara Thorne Series steps over to destiny’s lesser known but equally important cousin, identity. After all, sometimes change is good, and other times it’s bad. Change can be progress, or it can be derailment. They’ve done what they’ve had to do; making a treaty with the vampires certainly wasn’t plan A. Honestly, it wasn’t even plan D, but despite all the controversy, it’s proven to be an effective option.

But change breeds uncertainty, and for the hunters of Evergreen City, things are more complicated now. No longer is it ‘human good, vampire bad’, and Megara knows she’s changing; she sees it in herself, and she sees it when the rest of the hunters confront her. The question is: what kind of person is she changing into, and at the end of it all, is she going to like this new version of herself?

We’re 23,000 words (29%) in and counting! With any luck, you’ll be able to read it by Christmas. Thanks for tuning in, and as always…

Stay sassy,

Iris Walker