I would like to thank Mindy for stopping by today! I am honored to have her here. Now I will be honest and say that I haven't read Fallen from Disgrace yet :( Horrible I know. But I have heard some wonderful things about her book. Thank you so much for coming by Mindy :)
Today I'd like to talk about something I do a lot of writing about; something I've been fascinated with for a long time; something I don't have but that I've always wondered what it would be like to have.
I'm talking about siblings.
Fallen from Disgrace isn't the first book I've written that includes a subplot about sibling relations. In my ongoing series, beta-heroine Chamika plays Knight Templar little sister to the tragic Mercedes, and anti-villain Michael acts the part of protective big brother to the reckless Manon. Fallen is, however, the first story I've written to include a sibling rivalry.
Essentially, it's Cain and Abel, updated and gender-flipped. My anti-heroine, Rosella Cartwright, plays antagonist to her conscientious sister, Euphemia, several times bringing her sister within an inch of her life. Writing this bitter enmity was a new experience for me. I've often imagined having siblings and being close to them as peas in a pod, although my friends with siblings tell me my fantasies are unrealistic and borderline deluded. I suspect the Cartwright sisters, after all I've put them through, would say the same thing.
All in all, the Rosella-Euphemia psychological-arms-race subplot was one of the most fun forays into character development I've ever undertaken. I almost want to say it takes precedence over the romantic plot: Rosella's affair with Daniel may be the "selling point" of the book, but the archetypical Cain and Abel story is where I've inserted the majority of my societal critique.
Well, that's it for that topic, chickadees. Peace out, and epic thanks to Kristen for hosting me! <3
EXCERPT:
As the sisters walked toward the swings, slides, and jungle gym on the other side of the street, Rosella turned to Euphemia and said, "Thanks for saving my ass back there."
"You shouldn't say 'ass'," Euphemia chided her.
"I can say whatever I want. Mom's not around to hear." Rosella smiled mysteriously. "Did you know she hates me?"
"No! Why?"
"Because I chased Daddy away when I was born."
Euphemia stopped abruptly on the sidewalk and looked down shamefully at her feet. "No you didn't. I did."
"Really?" Rosella gasped, filing this accidental discovery about her sister away in her memory in case she would ever need to use it.
"Yeah. I threw a shoe at him and told him to never come back. He deserved it, though. He was a mean man who did bad things and hurt people."
Rosella bit back laughter. "If he could survive an attack from you, he sounds pretty badass to me."
"Don't say 'ass'."
For Your Chance to win 1 of 3 Copies of Fallen From Disgrace by the wonderful Mindy MacKay just fill out this form.
Giveaway is International and ends on March 22 2011.
That sounds comparing them to Cain and Abel has my interest peeked. Thanks for stopping by Mindy and thank you for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see some interest! Thanks so much for stopping by! <3
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