Being Ruthless
It’s that moment in that book – that twist that makes you gasp or shatters your heart into a million pieces. A cold-blooded murder, an act of vengeance, a casualty of war, or a freak accident…
Your favorite character just died. Oops! Sorry about that!
In Rebel Spring (book 2 in the Falling Kingdoms series) I don’t take on-the-page violence lightly. I don’t kill off a character with a song in my heart. (Well, not usually.) For me, these key moments are absolutely necessary to the plot, to help another character see their world differently or shift them onto a new path. To have them explore their own emotions and find out who they are down deep and what they’re willing to do to survive. When I’m writing, I’m in the character’s heads, so I definitely feel their pain. I figure, if I don’t feel something as I’m writing, then it probably isn’t necessary to the plot.
When I write, I try to think in terms of movie cameras – it’s all about what you focus on. If the camera stays focused only on the violence itself, the gore (and in books that have themes of war it’s nearly impossible to get away from shedding a little blood) is fairly pointless. But if that camera shifts to show a character’s reaction to this act, whether they’re happy about it, sad, or completely destroyed – that is what draws a reader in. Life and death, it’s a universal theme and a heavy one. In fantasy fiction, I think it’s much easier to explore such things at a safe, fictional distance.
Plus, I always think when things seem a bit too ideal and characters are getting too comfortable, it’s a good time to get a few heads rolling to keep things interesting for readers – and for me as the writer!
Heh, I love an author who's comfortable with killing off her own characters, even when it breaks my heart to see their demise. And trust me, no one is safe in the Falling Kingdoms books! =)
About the author:
Morgan Rhodes lives in Ontario, Canada. As a child, she always wanted to be a princess -- the kind that knows how to wield a sharp sword to help save both kingdoms and princes from fire-breathing dragons and dark wizards. Instead, she became a writer, which is just as good and much less dangerous. Along with writing, Morgan enjoys photography, travel, reality TV, and is an extremely picky, yet voracious reader of all kinds of books. Under another pen name, she’s a national bestselling author of many paranormal novels. Falling Kingdoms is her first high fantasy.
Find Morgan:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Title: Rebel SpringAuthor: Morgan Rhodes (aka Michelle Rowan)
Series: Falling Kingdoms, book #2
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: December 3, 2013
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Auranos has fallen and the three kingdoms are now united as one. But still, magic beckons, and with it the chance to rule not just Mytica, but the world...
CLEO is now a prisoner in her own palace, forced to smile idly as the evil King Gaius lies to the people of the newly created Mytica—the country formed through the union of Auranos with Limeros and Paelsia.
MAGNUS stands to eventually inherit the new kingdom, but he’s too busy fawning over his slumbering sister Lucia.
LUCIA is haunted by perpetual dreams ever since the breathtaking display of magic that allowed her father to capture the kingdom and emerge triumphant over Cleo’s people.
JONAS watches at the palace gates, a troop of rebels behind him, waiting for him to tell them how he plans to overtake the king’s guard and create a new Paelsia, one free from tyrannical rule.
When Gaius announces that a road is to be built into the Forbidden Mountains, formally linking all of Mytica together, he sets off a chain of events that will forever change the face of this land. Because Gaius is not just burrowing into a pile of rock. He’s tunneling directly into the Watchers’ Sanctuary. And his actions will have cosmic consequences.
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ReplyDeleteBeauty Salon Davie
I recently finished Rebel Spring and I have to say that I am IN LOVE with this series! I can't wait until the 3rd book comes out!
ReplyDeleteI haven't had the pleasure to pick up this series yet, but after gaining a little insight into Rhodes' writing process, especially how she handles characterization, I'm so VERY interested! Killing off beloved characters is such a gutsy thing to do, but in a work of fantasy fiction, at least for me, it makes the body of work feel more authentic. I look forward to reading this series. Thanks for sharing, Jen!
ReplyDeleteMarlene @ The Flyleaf Review
I enjoyed Rebel Spring and the series as a whole. I love that Rhodes' is good with killing off characters, because in a fantasy that is always a bit more exciting. Love this guest post .
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