I awoke this morning to find this adorable email in my inbox from a fan mysteriously named L, and I decided to address it on my blog.
Message from L:
So I’m not sure why, but after reading a certain book, Knox was the character who had the most impact on me (and not even because of that mean cliffhanger)! Like Cora, I don’t really get why he’s lingering in my head, the bastard. I usually hate the bad guy, but I feel like he might be more than he seems and doesn’t truly plan to hurt/kill her?
REASSURE ME. Please? 🙂
Well, L, let me tell you, Knox is a complicated character. And you’re not alone. Knox has inspired a variety of mixed-up emotions in readers, and not even I have been spared. Some people love him, some hate him, while many fall somewhere in-between.
Unerringly, as I’m plugging away on a new story, a character pops in out of the blue, shoves his way to the forefront, and tries to take over the whole story. At first, I thought that character would be Cortez. Luckily, I had successfully shoved him to the background—though I already have a story in mind for him—however, Knox appeared shortly afterward and slapped me upside the head before I even knew what was coming…and Knox hits hard!
Obviously I won’t be revealing too much about Knox, or what he has planned for Cora. So here’s what I can say. For every major character, I create a character outline with images, history, motivation, and so on. Next to Knox’s picture (above), I had written: HEIGHT: 6’3” | HAIR COLOR: black | SPECIES (because my books generally require this) Vampire | HISTORY: (Tisk, tisk. I can’t give that away yet) | MOTIVATION: (you don’t get that either).
Anyway, that’s all pretty normal stuff, but here’s the kicker –> PERSONALITY: Jackass…yup, I simply wrote jackass. Usually I go deeper into a character’s personality, write out some unique traits and stuff, but not with Knox. He is special like that. He’s a jackass. He knows he’s a jackass, and he loves being a jackass. One of his favorite hobbies is trying to get a rise out of people and finding the best times to say the worst things.
I’m with you, L. I don’t generally like the bad guys, although, I love bad boys. And yes, there IS a difference. Bad guy = villain who needs to be put down like a rabid squirrel. Bad boy = sexy, broody hunk that I feel deeply in the pit of my soul I can change. *Sigh* The question being: Is Knox a bad guy, or a bad boy. Short answer: I have no idea! Sorry, but there it is. He’s pulling me in both directions. However, I can guarantee one thing. With his colorful personality, and pushy tendencies, he has forced his way into a larger role in book two, A WICKED NIGHT. Find it on Goodreads and add it to your reading list. Also, sign up to my newsletter for information on release dates.
Keep reading. ^_^
