Sep 22, 2011

Lynda Hilburn - Author Interview: Characters

Pick one of your favourites among the characters from your published fiction stories or a character which is an interesting example from your published fiction. What makes this character one of your favourites or an interesting example of your fiction?

My favorite character is Kismet Knight, the Denver psychologist who finds herself pulled into the mysterious, hidden world of the vampires (The Vampire Shrink). Kismet is an idealized version of me. We share a career path, and she has several of my neuroses and idiosyncrasies. She also has many of my skills and abilities. I like her vulnerability and her scientific world view. She tends to talk to herself a lot, which gives me the opportunity to share her innermost thoughts with the readers.

What kind(s) of character do you consider this character primarily to be, or how would you describe this character?

Kismet is cerebral. She thinks about and analyzes everything. And, at the same time, she’s emotionally sophisticated. She has an ongoing inner war between her intellect, her intuition and her emotions. Her scientific orientation contrasts with her empathy and compassion.

To what extent did you use any pre-existing character formula, template, paradigm, character design, archetype, or theory or principles of making or analysing character in planning, writing, and refining this character?

As I stated above, Kismet is a wish-fulfillment of myself. She’s younger, prettier, thinner and having a lot more fun in her life and in her counseling practice. She is a way for me to have professional and paranormal adventures in a safe, controlled manner, by living vicariously through her. All her therapeutic experiences are based on things that have happened to me, or that I wish would happen.

How would you describe the first chapter, scene or section of this story in one paragraph?

Denver Psychologist Kismet Knight meets a new client, who introduces her to the idea of a mysterious underworld filled with creatures of the night. In Dr. Knight’s clinical opinion, the young woman is delusional. Everyone knows there are no such things as vampires. Right?

Pick one of your published stories. How would you describe the introduction of the main character, or one of the main characters, in this story?

One of the main male characters in The Vampire Shrink is gorgeous Devereux, an 800-year-old vampire. He comes, uninvited, to Dr. Knight’s counseling office one night and claims to be an ancient immortal. She doesn’t believe him, but is confused by her strange reactions. Her mind doesn’t seem to be her own when he’s present. His arrival signals the beginning of Kismet’s wild ride into the world of the undead.

What makes this an effective character introduction for this story?

It takes Kismet by surprise and turns all her well-laid plans upside down. Had she met him any other way, she wouldn’t have been so disarmed. Viewing him as a potential client – perhaps dangerous in his delusional ideas – causes her to second-guess herself, both professionally and personally.

What major changes does this character go through, or what major challenges does the character encounter and how does the character respond to them?

The main character, Kismet, resists the idea of vampires. Her slow acceptance is the backbone of the story. Facing the fact that vampires exist, means her entire world view must be expanded to accommodate all the strange, new situations and characters. She spends a lot of time in the book fearing for her sanity.

How would you describe the most important minor characters in this story and the changes in their character, or the challenges they encounter and how the respond them?

Special Agent, Alan Stevens of the FBI brings both a personal challenge – he is romantically interested in Kismet – and a professional one. He believes in vampires, having seen many of them, and he is influential in convincing Kismet to open her mind to the possibilities.

What does the story gain from the minor characters?

Each one adds tension and pressure to Kismet’s journey toward acceptance of the strange world she’s entered.

To what extent would you describe the characters in this story as typical or atypical of characters in your fiction stories?

All my characters tend to be articulate, intelligent and quirky, whether they’re protagonists or antagonists. In that regard, all the primary and secondary characters in The Vampire Shrink are consistent with my usual cast of characters.

Author website: http://www.lyndahilburnauthor.com

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