Characters Archives - Lindsey R. Loucks

Relics by @MaerWilson: The Ultimate Dream Cast!

November 13, 2014November 12, 2014 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Characters, Maer Wilson, relics

Relics

Most of Thulu and La Fi’s clients are dead. Which is perfect since their detective agency caters to the supernatural. But a simple job finding a lost locket leads to a big case tracking relics for an ancient daemon.

The daemon needs the relics to keep a dangerous portal closed. His enemy, Gabriel, wants the relics to open the portal and give his people access to a new feeding ground – Earth.

Caught on live TV, other portals begin to open and the creatures of magic return to Earth. The people of Earth are not alone, but will soon wish they were.

When Gabriel threatens their family, Thulu and La Fi’s search becomes personal. The couple will need powerful help in the race to find the relics before Gabriel does. But maybe that’s what ghostly friends, magical allies and daemonic clients are for.

When the creatures of myth and magic return to Earth, they’re nothing like your mother’s fairy tales.

Relics can be found at these retailers:

Amazon – Kindle | Amazon – Paperback | Barnes & Noble – Nook | iTunes

Relics – Dream Cast

By Maer Wilson

Name: Fiona Bartlett Thulukan (La Fi) – The Heroine – Actor – Jennifer Lawrence

La Fi has a dry sense of humor and loves to play MMOs. She sometimes gets impatient with the living, but has a gigantic heart. She is a Medium and can recognize any creature’s true nature. She can also understand and communicate in any language. She and her husband Thulu own a detective agency that caters to the supernatural. She’s thrilled when the creatures of magic return, but prefers to keep her own abilities under the radar.

Name: Erik Thulukan, III (Thulu) – The Hero – Actor – Chris Hemsworth

Thulu is a mix of Zen with a wicked sense of humor. Coming from a very close-knit family, Thulu is fun-loving, kind and generous. He’s a finder – he can find anyone or anything that’s lost. He can also see the dead. Thulu hopes with the return of magic that he and La Fi can broaden their client base to include the living.

Name: Brandon Arreo Malone (Reo) – The Best Friend – Actor – Chace Crawford

Reo has a flair for the dramatic and several different talents, but they can be erratic. He is the star of special kind of magic show at a 5 star hotel, performing under the name of Brandy Malone. Reo is very warm and giving and often wanders alone in less savory areas helping out those not as fortunate than himself.

Name: Tyler Jones/Dhavenbahtek – The Enigma – Actor – Shemar Moore

Tyler Jones is the latest person possessed by the ancient daemon, Dhavenbahtek. Jones is enigmatic – handsome, charming – and a stone-cold killer when he chooses. He’s well over eight thousand years old and doesn’t pay much attention to human values. However, he appreciates human art and has a collection that any museum would envy.

Maer Wilson

After a successful career being other people, and later teaching others the many tricks of that trade, Maer Wilson has decided to be herself for a while. Turns out she’s a writer. She’s always loved stories, especially fantasy, mystery and sci fi. Maer was born in the Year of the Dragon and has a dragon-themed room in her home, but sadly no dragons in the back yard. When she’s not writing, Maer plays online video games, teaches college and reads. Maer is a partner in Ellysian Press, a small publishing house. She also co-hosts the literary podcast MythBehaving. Maer lives in the high desert of Southern Nevada with her three dogs, a chihuahua and two poodles.

Her books include Relics and Portals, Books 1 and 2 in the Modern Magics series. The upcoming third book in the series is Magics. There are also three novelettes in the series – “Ghost Memory,” “Unwanted Ghost” and “Ghost Dancer.” A fourth story, “Wedding Ghost” is also planned. You can find all books and novelettes in the Modern Magics series at Amazon.

You can find Maer at these links:

Maer’s Website | Amazon | Facebook

Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

Giveaway

This Giveaway is open internationally

Must be 13+ to enter

PRIZES

2 Winners – ecopy of RELICS

1 Winner – $5 Amazon Gift Card

1 Winner – $10 Amazon Gift Card

2 Winners – ecopies of the Modern Magics Novelettes – “Ghost Memory,” “Unwanted Ghost,” and “Ghost Dancer”

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This tour is brought to you by

Please check out the other hosts on the tour for more chances to enter the Giveaway!

11/10/2014 http://thesaucyreviewer.wordpress.com/

11/10/2014 http://2ndbooktotheright.blogspot.com/

11/10/2014 http://cubicleblindness.com

11/10/2014 http://sallyawolfreads.blogspot.com/

11/10/2014 http://victoriasimcox.blogspot.com/

11/10/2014 http://carolhollandmarch.com/

11/11/2014 http://danielledevor.wordpress.com

11/11/2014 http://piecesofwhimsy.blogspot.com.au/

11/12/2014 http://booksauthorsandpublishing411.com/

11/12/2014 http://www.kirstinpulioff.com

11/12/2014 http://pratr.wordpress.com/

11/12/2014 http://www.weigandchris.com

11/12/2014 http://constancephillips.com/

11/12/2014 http://sheiladeeth.blogspot.com

11/12/2014 http://councilofpeacocks.blogspot.ca/

11/13/2014 http://anightsdreamofbooks.blogspot.com/

11/13/2014 http://theshadowportal.blogspot.com/

.@JamieMAyres’ Favorite #YA Book Couples

February 4, 2014February 4, 2014 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in 18 Things, 18 Truths, Characters, Jamie Ayres, YA

Today, Jamie Ayres, author of the recently released 18 Truths, is here to discuss her favorite YA book couples. Oh! And at the very bottom is a Rafflecopter giveaway! Okay, take it away, Jamie!

With Valentine’s Day coming up, I was thinking about making a bulletin board in my Language Arts classroom of my favorite YA Book Couples as a way to promote reading this month. I thought it’d make a swell blog post too, and Lindsey Loucks loved the idea. Huge thanks for hosting me on my 18 Truths blog tour today! Here are my picks:

Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley from Harry Potter. Jealousy, secrets, love potions: what more would you expect from wizard romance? They didn’t officially become a couple until Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, but she’d loved him since the moment she saw him. It just took him a while to catch up (as is often the case with teenage boys). Seeing Ginny without the ‘best friend’s off-limits little sister’ lenses on took until the sixth book, and then Harry had to leave her to destroy the Dark Lord, but the conclusion to their romance was well worth the wait!

Alice Bell and Cole Holland from The White Rabbit Chronicles. They spend a lot of time pushing each other away, but their attraction is off the charts! He’s overprotective, she’s brutally honest, they’re both headstrong, and excellent zombie killers! I love the heat between them!

Tessa Gray and Will Herondale from The Infernal Devices. She’s a woman of virtue and integrity and he’s what every mother has warned you about. But she brings out the softer side of him, the side that loves books and writes poetry. Throughout the series, they discover how much more they are like than different and are drawn more and more to each other.

Dash and Lily from the Book of Dares. Oh my gosh! I wish I could’ve found a red notebook when I was 16 and had a bunch of amazing adventures with a fellow book nerd. Exchanging their inner most thoughts on paper was old-fashioned and refreshing. Dash is cynical and Lily is quirky. Together, they are completely adorable and had me smiling from beginning to satisfying end.

Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters from The Fault in Our Stars. Everyone loves this novel, and I’m no exception, so of course this sweet couple is going to show up on my list! Sure, neither one of them speaks like a normal teenager; you often forget you’re reading a YA novel with this one. But with the cancer storyline, these two characters are probably the most mature teens I’ve ever read, for good reason. Read this romance with a box of tissues nearby!

Nate and Olga from 18 Things and 18 Truths. Wait, did I just pick a couple from my own book series? Yes, I did! How can I not? I love them both so much. There’s Olga, girl of faith and class valedictorian, yet somehow manages to make geeky look cool. Then there’s Nate, adrenaline junkie and a bit of an oddball, but sexy as hell. Can we say opposites attract? I love how the sparks fly between them! 🙂 Of course, now that Conner’s back in the picture, that leaves Nate as the outsider once again. I know my favorite for Olga, but it will be interesting to see if she picks whom she has the most history with or who compliments her the most. Both have their positives and negatives!

*So those are my picks! Who are your favorite book couples? Thanks again to Lindsey for hosting!

Any time, Jamie! For me, Harry and Ginny were perfect together. Now, here’s a bit more about Jamie and 18 Truths!

*One Line Blurb: With the lessons the 18 Things life list taught her engraved on her heart, Olga embarks on a new adventure as a spirit guide, but nothing prepares her for the chilling truths she’s learning along the way.

*Book Cover Blurb:

Lying is unbearable, betrayal is inevitable, and choosing which path to take is impossible.

Olga Gay Worontzoff ended her senior year as an eighteen-year-old girl totally in love with Nate, enjoying their new romance and about to attend the university of her dreams. Now she’s spending her summer in the weird subculture of the Underworld, with charmingly witty and powerful angels, and problematic demons, trying to rescue Connor, the best friend and secret crush she was unable to save during a freak accident.

But Nate has other things on his mind, mainly Grace. She’s their first assignment as joint spirit guides, and Olga’s feeling hurt and jealous. His mysterious behavior has Olga questioning everything she believed about him and now she must decide whether to stick to their plan, or follow her heart.

Unfortunately, a series of mistakes threatens everyone around her and plants Olga in the center of cosmic events much larger than she ever imagined.

Only one thing is certain: the chilling truths uncovered during her journey will leave no one untouched.

18 Truths Book Trailer

Website: www.jamieayres.com

Add 18 Truths to your Goodreads

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Publisher’s Bio:

Jamie Ayres writes young adult paranormal love stories by night and teaches young adults as a Language Arts middle school teacher by day. When not at home on her laptop or at school, she can often be found at a local book store grabbing random children and reading to them. So far, she has not been arrested for this. Although she spent her youthful summers around Lake Michigan, she now lives in Florida with her prince charming, two children (sometimes three based on how Mr. Ayres is acting), and a basset hound. She really does have grandmothers named Olga and Gay but unlike her heroine, she’s thankfully not named after either one of them. She loves lazy pajama days, the first page of a good book, stupid funny movies, and sharing stories with fantastic people like you. Her books include the first two installments of her trilogy, 18 Things and 18 Truths. Visit her online via Twitter, Facebook, or at www.jamieayres.com.

Short version:

Jamie Ayres writes young adult love stories by night and teaches young adults as a middle school teacher by day. She lives in southwest Florida with her husband and two daughters. Her books include 18 Things and 18 Truths. Visit her website at www.jamieayres.com.

And here’s the Rafflecopter giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What’s Love Got To Do With It? Everything!

February 17, 2013February 16, 2013 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Characters, Contests, Crescent Moon Press, Firefly, Foo Fighters, Giveaway, Librarians, Life, Lynn Rush, Music, Reading, Writing

Love’s got everything to do with everything in my life. I love books so much I became a librarian so I can build forts out of them on my desk and pop out from behind them whenever anyone comes into the library. (If that doesn’t wake the students up, nothing will).

Chocolate and the Foo Fighters and Firefly all put a smile on my face because I love them/it so much.

So, yeah, love is huge in my life. But why do I feel the need to write about it in most of my stories? I’ll answer that question with another story. Don’t worry – it’s short.

Lightning struck my heart when I first got to know my BF eighteen years ago. No, not literally, but it sure felt like it. Every time I thought about him, which was all the time, my cheeks heated, a smile would dance across my lips, and I’d lose my appetite. Oh, yeah. I was falling for him. Big time.

Fast forward to now. The lightning that struck me has fueled a raging fire, and me and the BF are still ridiculously in love. We leave love notes for each other. We call each other cute nicknames. We walk each other to the door before work for one last kiss goodbye. It’s almost sickening how cute it is, isn’t it?

But that’s why I write about love. I want to capture that feeling for my characters because that feeling will stay with them forever, even if that particular love doesn’t last. Plus, as a reader, I enjoy reading about characters who find first love or long-lost love or love in the strangest place. I feel what they feel all over again.

Now, because I love all of you, here’s a gigantic contest! The winner gets a $250 e-giftcard to Amazon or Barnes & Noble, your choice. The contest is international and ends February 19th, so hurry! Enter the Rafflecopter below to win and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you want to hop around to other Crescent Moon Press authors’ sites to see what they think love’s got to do with it, you can start here.

The Forever Girl Character Tour

January 23, 2013January 23, 2013 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Characters, Contests, Giveaway, Rebecca Hamilton, The Forever Girl

Welcome to The Forever Girl Character Tour! I’m helping to celebrate The Forever Girl’s one year anniversary—that means it’s been one year since The Forever Girl was released! Copies are still available at the same low price of $2.99 for ebook and $10.95 for print. But fear not, this tour is not without some really cool prizes for you to win, whether you already own a copy of The Forever Girl or never plan to read it. Each stop on the tour will feature one of the main characters from the book, and you can easily enter to win some of their favorite things! For a full list of stops on this tour, visit the author’s blog at www.beccahamiltonbooks.com.

MEET IVORY

Ivory is one of Sophia’s best friends, but as much as she loves Sophia, she often puts her own desires first, even if that means putting Sophia in danger. Can their friendship survive Ivory’s selfishness? How will Ivory’s heartbreak and lost loved one affect the special bond she has with her best friend? Will Ivory’s feelings about Charles stand between him and Sophia’s future together?

Here’s the top five fast “fun facts” about Ivory.

1) Favorite Color: Black.

2) Favorite Drink: None of your business.

3) What she’s afraid of: Losing Sophia.

4) Likes: Sophia. Club Flesh.

5) Dislikes: Men. Anyone who tries to tell her what to do.

Today’s character giveaway features some of Ivory’s favorite things: NARS Red Lip Gloss, SMASHBOX Eye Shadow Kit, and Red Magnetic Effect Nail Polish.

If you want to snag Ivory’s favorite items for yourself (or as a gift for a friend or loved one!) simply enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by! If you want to connect with Rebecca, she can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and her Blog as well.

Learn more about Rebecca’s books and where to purchase them HERE.

BLURB

“Whatever you do, fight.”
Sophia’s family has skeletons, but they aren’t in their graves.
At twenty-two, practicing Wiccan Sophia Parsons is scratching out a living waiting tables in her Rocky Mountain hometown, a pariah after a string of unsolved murders with only one thing in common: her.

Sophia can imagine lots of ways to improve her life, but she’d settle for just getting rid of the buzzing noise in her head. When the spell she casts goes wrong, the static turns into voices. Her personal demons get company, and the newcomers are dangerous.
One of them is a man named Charles, who Sophia falls for despite her better judgment. He has connections that might help her unveil the mystery surrounding her ancestor’s hanging, but she gets more than she bargains for when she finally decides to trust him.
Survival in his world, she learns, means not asking questions and staying out of the immortal council’s way. It’s a line she crossed long ago. If Sophia wants to survive the council and save the people she loves, she must accept who she is, perform dark magic, and fight to the death for her freedom.
The Forever Girl is a full-length Paranormal Fantasy novel that will appeal to lovers of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, witches, vampire fiction, ghost stories, paranormal mystery, and paranormal horror.

Vote For My MC’s Roommate’s Name

November 13, 2012November 13, 2012 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in A Boy and Her Scratch, Characters, Names, Writing

By RRZEicons via Wikimedia Commons

Yes, I know many of you voted in last week’s election, but I’m asking you to vote just one more time! See the poll to the right? Below the search feature? I’d like to know your thoughts on my MC’s roommate’s name.

Here is a little information about the roommate and the story: this girl is, um… Let’s just say she… Well, she gets around. A lot. She has glossy black hair. The happy and sad theather masks are etched into her irises. She’s a college student. She’s tough and can take people down quickly. The story takes place in the future in space. It’s a ghost story, but the roommate has never encounted any.

So, is the name Moon Dragon too cheesy? Or does it work?

Waiting For My Main Character To Talk To Me

March 27, 2012 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Characters, Writing

Credit

Argh, I have this problem a lot. I’ve started writing a brand new story, and my main character is a bit of an oddball. The problem is she won’t speak to me. I waited for her to start talking so I could transcribe everything, but nope. Nothing. I had high hopes for spring break – I was going to crank out fifty pages. All I got was seven, which isn’t bad, but spring break was ten days long. Ten days. Seven pages. Frowny face goes here.

Those seven pages were mostly actions and dialog since my main character wouldn’t share her thoughts with me. Then, this last Sunday, she started talking. I wrote three pages in two hours. Not great, but not bad.

We’re working through her trust issues. Slowly. I’m trying to make her think I exist just to tell her story, and I think it’s going to be a good one.

I know I’ve blogged about this before, but is it possible to force your characters to talk to you?

P.S. I’m glad I can call myself a writer, because otherwise I’d be labeled a schizophrenic. 😀

My Main Character’s Dad

October 25, 2011 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Characters, Writing

Credit

Recently, I caught up with Mr. Baxton, my MC’s dad. I cornered him outside his accounting office when he was leaving for home. Leigh, my MC, knows nothing about this interview. I beg you not to tell her or she’ll never tell me her stories again.

Here’s a transcript of our actual conversation:

Me: Mr. Baxton, I, uh… work with your daughter at school. Do you have a minute?
Him: (frowns) Is something wrong?
Me: No, I just want you to know that I adore Leigh.
Him: (smiles) That makes two of us. We always talked about… (the smile slips off his face)
Me: About what?
Him: (clears throat) My wife and I, we… always talked about how we should have named her Moxie.
Me: (nods) How are things going at home?
Him: We’re not actually at home. We’re in a hotel because our yard turned into a black nightmare.
Me: I know.
Him: Our yard is just like the Hendersons’, only none of us are back from the dead. How does something like that happen? Sarah coming back. Our yards. All of it. It’s like something out of a book, not real life.
Me: Have you seen Sarah?
Him: No, but I’ve heard enough about her around town since no one can stop talking about it. I have seen her parents, and they’re… confused and grateful and… I can’t even think what this must be like for them.
Me: (pauses) Do you believe in magic, Mr. Baxton?
Him: I don’t know. I was raised to believe in the practical and the predictable. I’m an accountant, after all. But my grandfather, he believed in magic, which is why I hardly ever saw him when I was younger. My parents didn’t want him around me, I guess.
Me: But a part of you still believes in magic?
Him: My grandfather left me some of his things when he died. Some of it seems to work, but the rest of it…
Me: Please don’t use that book, Mr. Baxton, or anything related to dark magic.
Him: (looks at me sharply) How do you know about that? Did Leigh tell you?
Me: (takes a step back) She’s told me some things. I need to go.
Him: What did any of this conversation have to do with Leigh? What did you say your name was again?
Me: I need to go.

My comment about the book completely slipped out. Leigh said it was called Resurrection: Dark Magic to Bring Back the Ones You Love. I remember her horror when she discovered that book, and I honestly hope her dad never decides to use it…

P.S. The picture is of Aaron Eckhart, the guy who plays Two Face in The Dark Knight. He’s about how I imagined Ken Baxton to look.

P.P.S. Thanks, Joe! That was fun!

Click, Clack, Moo: Sound Words That Chype

July 25, 2011 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Characters, Sound Words, Tension

Chype, you ask? I’ll explain. The BF made up that word. It’s the sound of typing and chatting at the same time. I chype quite often while I’m typing a story/email/a bunch of random letters for no reason and tell him all about something that seems important but probably isn’t at the same time. I’m chyping. I’m an extreme multi-tasker.

So anyway, you know that children’s book called Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin? It’s an adorable book with a lot of sound words in it. I love sound words. I use them often in my writing. They’re good for characterization, like if someone has a pink tafetta dress on, and they swish every time they move. All the swishing drives the main character crazy, then before you know it, pink tafetta dress girl is dead. No more swishing. This does not happen in Click, Clack, Moo, by the way.

Sound words can also add tension. If the main character hears a strange sound, like a rustling in the dark garage for example, all sorts of creepy things will run through the reader’s head of what it could be. I love that!

Yep, I like sound words. Tap, whisper, clank, jangle. Moan, hiss, rustle, sigh. Even swish. What are some of your favorite sound words?

Pack Up the Dead Body and Take It To New York City!

June 27, 2011 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Characters, Vacation

Hee-hee. This is just a bit of vacation humor. I recently took a trip to NYC, and on the beautifully wooded drive to tour West Point, I made the I’m-just-joking remark, “This would be a good place to dump a dead body.” Open mouth. Insert shoe. Someday I’ll learn that not all my thoughts need to be spoken aloud. That was my writerly brain working, as it always does, and I was thinking those deep woods would be a good place to dump a dead body fictionally. Not for real, yo.

Thankfully the people who were with me were able to laugh. Then they told me about the Harlem Suitcase Murder. Who needs a wooded area to dump a dead body when you can just stuff them in a suitcase?

More about stuffing things in suitcases later. Here’s a picture of West Point:

Pretttttty.

And since this is kind of a murderous post, here’s a picture of Napoleon’s guns and swords at West Point:

And to show you that I’m not all murdery, here’s a picture of the Peace Fountain:

Now back to stuffing things in suitcases. If your MC was going on a trip, what would they take with them? What would they pack it all in? This might be a good way to get to know your characters. My MC Leigh would pack her Ipod, Grrrl t-shirt, black eyeliner, leather studded wristbands her mom gave her, the family photo that still has a little bit of dirt on it, and some spare band-aids in case she gets bitten by a spider again. She’d throw it all in her backpack, then she’d be ready to go. No dead bodies – not for this MC.

Your turn!

My Characters Won’t Tell Me Everything – What Do I Do?!?

March 28, 2011 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Characters, Writing

Here’s an excerpt from an actual conversation I had with one of my characters:

Me: What’s PL?
Tram: It’s the PL.
Me: Oooookay. Where is the PL?
Tram: I can’t tell you. You’re human.
Me: (sighs) I kind of need to know what PL is. I’m the writer. Why are those two letters in your head?
Tram: (silence)
Me: Are they someone’s initials?
Tram: (blinks)
Me: An acronym for… post lick?
Tram: (looks at me like I have a horn for a nose)
Me: Fine. I’ll get it out of you. (gives him the evil eye) Somehow, I’ll get it out of you.

I’m still not sure what PL means. If I try to kick his butt, I’ll lose. Bad. I could threaten or bribe him, but honestly, he’s kind of scary and intense. I guess he’ll tell me when he’s ready. Maybe?

What can I do to get him to tell me what PL is? Any guesses as to what PL is?