Category Archives: Characters

Characters: Alexander Ashton

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I thought I would spend some time talking about my characters over the coming weeks.  My first character was Alexander Ashton.  It’s been so long ago, I don’t remember where his first name actually came from, but I think it was probably from Alexander the Great.  His last name was from a young lady I used to work with, who was one of my first beta readers.

Alexander is a hero in the vein of John Carter and other Edgar Rice Burroughs heroes.  He is strong and rediculously formidable in battle, and also very intelligent, but make the occassional rediculous mistake or assumption that leads to him into danger.  He is very fun to write, and Princess of Amathar is from his first person viewpoint.  Although he frequently expresses doubt about himself, one gets the impression that he seldom really doubts.

When I eventually get the sequel done (the working title is Knights of Amathar) Alexander Ashton will once again tell the story.

Ruth De Molay

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Ruth is one of the four musician characters in Tesla’s Stepdaughters. What was her inspiration?

In as far as the Ladybugs is an alternate world analogy of the Beatles…
Ruth is Ringo.  She’s the drummer.  She’s written one really famous song, although she sings some written by her bandmates.  Everyone thinks she’s nice. 

Ruth is a native of the Virgin Islands. 

Read about her and the other Ladybugs in Tesla’s Stepdaughters.

Steffie Sin

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Steffie Sin is one of the four musician characters in Tesla’s Stepdaughters. What was her inspiration?

In as far as the Ladybugs is an alternate world analogy of the Beatles…
Steffie is a mixture of Harrison and McCartney. Like Harrison, she has her songs pushed aside on albums because of the prolific songwriting of Piffy and Penny.  Like McCartney, she can play just about any instrument.  She spends her off time in seclusion.

She has a little boy.

Read about her and the other Ladybugs in Tesla’s Stepdaughters.

Penny Dreadful

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Penny Dreadful is one of the four musician characters in Tesla’s Stepdaughters. What was her inspiration?

In as far as the Ladybugs is an alternate world analogy of the Beatles…
Penny is a mixture of Lennon and McCartney, with a bit of Harrison. She’s a hard rocker and a large woman, a bit like Ann Wilson of Heart. 

She’s the greatest guitar player of all time, and oh yeah, she’s a clone.

Read about her and the other Ladybugs in Tesla’s Stepdaughters.

Ep!phanee (Piffy)

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Ep!phanee (pronounced Epiphany) or Piffy is one of the four musician characters in Tesla’s Stepdaughters.  What was her inspiration?

In as far as the Ladybugs is an alternate world analogy of the Beatles…
Piffy is a mixture of Lennon and McCartney.  Song writing style, she’s more Lennon.  Management put her at odds with the other three band members: ala McCartney.  And like McCartney, she’s always looking to “do it in the road.” 

She’s a wild chick with a bit of Joan Jett in her and stylewise she’s a bit Lady Gaga too.

Read about her and the other Ladybugs in Tesla’s Stepdaughters.

Senta and the Steel Dragon – Senta

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My new series of books, Senta and the Steel Dragon has a great many characters (something over 250), but it’s no surprise that the most important is character is Senta Bly (the title character of the series). The series is really the story of her life, growing from a small child to become a powerful sorceress.

Brechalon (Book 0) Available Now!
Senta is only a six year old child and doesn’t have much part in this story.  This is really just an introduction for her.

The Voyage of the Minotaur (Book 1) Available Now!
Senta begins the story as an eight year old orphan living in the great city of Brech. She is adopted by the mysterious sorceress Zurfina the Magnificent and is taken with her on a voyage to the distant land of Birmisia.

The Dark and Forbidding Land (Book 2)
Senta and Zurfina have been living in Birmisia for almost two years as this book starts. She struggles to understand the magic that Zurfina tries to teach her, as she must face the terrors of their forest home, especially a particularly agressive T-Rex and a Freedonian wizard.

The Sorceress’s Apprentice (Book 3) –
As a twelve year old apprentice sorceress, Senta has become well-known and, by some, feared. She struggles with the problems of adolescence along with her friends Hero and Hertzel and her boyfriend Graham.  And she encounters Wizard Smedley Bassington for th first time.

The Coming Night (Book 4)
Senta must deal with becomming a woman and the changing dynamic between her and her friends, as well as the growing anipathy between her and a woman she thought was her friend. To make life all the more difficult, she has a rival for Graham’s affections.

The Two Dragons (Book 5)
The last book involves a war between Brechalon and Freedonia in which Senta (now a seventeen year old sorceress) and Zurfina play pivotal parts.  The rough draft for this book is completed, but will probably see major changes and revisions.

Future books in the series, they will continue Senta’s life into her twenties, thirties, and maybe beyond.

Tall and thin, with blond hair and blue eyes, Senta is intelligent and witty. As a child she is precocious. As an adult, she is clever and sharp tongued.

Tesla’s Stepdaughters

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Here’s Steffie Sinn, the fourth musician character from Tesla’s Stepdaughters, courtesy of the Rock Band 2 game.  I think my plan right now is to start the revision on this book when school ends.  I’m not planning on teaching this summer, but instead devoting my time to Grad School and writing.  We’ll see how long the revision takes, but you should see the ebook of Tesla’s Stepdaughters out by September.

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=citofama-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B001BXA9CE&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

Senta and the Steel Dragon – Senta

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The series of books I’m now calling Senta and the Steel Dragon has a great many characters (something over 250), but it’s no surprise that the most important is character is Senta Bly. The series is really the story of her life, growing from a small child to become a powerful sorceress.

The Voyage of the Minotaur (Book 1) – Now Available.
Senta begins the story as an eight year old orphan living in the great city of Brech. She is adopted by the mysterious sorceress Zurfina the Magnificent and is taken with her on a voyage to the distant land of Birmisia.

The Dark and Forbidding Land (Book 2) -Coming Soon.
Senta and Zurfina have been living in Birmisia for almost two years as this book starts. She struggles to understand the magic that Zurfina tries to teach her, as she must face the terrors of their forest home.

The Sorceress’s Apprentice (Book 3) -Coming Soon.
As a twelve year old apprentice sorceress, Senta has become well-known and, by some, feared. She struggles with the problems of adolescence along with her friends Hero and Hertzel and her boyfriend Graham.

The Coming Night (Book 4) -Coming Soon.
Senta must deal with becomming a woman and the changing dynamic between her and her friends, as well as the growing anipathy between her and a woman she thought was her friend. To make life all the more difficult, she may have rival for Graham’s affections.

The Two Dragons (Book 5) -Coming Soon.
The last book involves a war between Brechalon and Freedonia in which Senta (now a seventeen year old sorceress) and Zurfina play pivotal parts.

If I write more books in the series, they will continue Senta’s life into her twenties, thirties, and maybe beyond.

Tall and thin, with blond hair and blue eyes, Senta is intelligent and witty. As a child she is precocious. As an adult, she is clever and sharp tongued.

Tesla’s Stepdaughters Update

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I have finished the first draft of the novel and now I have to put it aside for a while so that when I go back I have more of a fresh eye for making revisions.  Here is another Rock Band version of one of the characters: Ruth De Molay.  Ruth is a native of the Virgin Islands and is the drummer for the band.

The Voyage of the Minotaur– Characters

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My novel The Voyage of the Minotaur, currently in the ABNA contest, and the sequels I ahve planned and some already written, tell the story of the creation of a colony. Because of this there are many characters in the story– somewhat over two hundred named characters. I can put them into three main categories: main characters, major supporting characters, and minor supporting characters. In each of the three books, I follow four main characters, though not necessarily the same four as in the previous book. These are the characters into whose thoughts and emotions we see.
Senta Bly: Senta is a major character in all three books. She is a young orphan girl who becomes the apprentice to a powerful sorceress.

Iolanthe Dechantagne: The head of a powerful and wealthy noble family who leads the expedition to found a new colony in a mysterious land.

Terrence Dechantagne: A main character in book 1, Terrence is Iolanthe’s older brother, who everyone looks to as a heroic leader, but who harbors deep doubts about himself and lives with a dangerous addiction.

Zeah Korlann: Originally the Dechantagne butler, Zeah is a major character. He realizes his potential along the way to be more than a servant.

Yuah Korlann: Zeah’s daughter is a main character in book 2 and 3, but is a major supporting character in the other books. Hopelessly in love with Terrence, she struggles with her place in the world, and deals with ethnic prejudice.

Radley Staff: Radley is a main character in book 3. He is a naval officer on the battleship which transports the colonists. Later, after he retires, he returns to the colony.

Saba Colbshallow: Saba is a minor supporting character in book 1, a young man who works as a gopher for the Dechantagnes. By book 3, he has grown up and become a policeman. He is a main character in books 2, 3, and 5.