When I was fairly close to finishing Parasites, I had a sudden concern that the characters were just a bit… boring. I mean, I loved the sturdy, faithful Kael and the hopeful, caring Alessia, but they were both from a society essentially built on being extremely careful, for good reason. Their long pre-flight checks are an endless source of eye rolls to their bodyguard Basteel, and I was concerned that readers would find them unsatisfying.
Thankfully, the reviews I’ve had so far don’t seem to agree with my paranoia, and in fairness, Kael and Alessia have quite a lot to deal with on their trip. Curiously, I’ve also found high-energy characters quite tiring to write at times!
Matt, one of the protagonists on Wild Court, is a big, sweary bundle of elastic bands bouncing around life, drinking, smoking and shagging his way around London, completely different to his best friend Ben, an introverted librarian.
I’ve struck a bit of a balance in Small Places. Jamie is a fairly regular guy, although a little beaten down by life, and Melusine, his arcane companion, is certainly larger than life.
I’m still hoping to revisit Wild Court – I effectively got stuck at about the 40k word mark, but it’ll be interesting to see how I feel about the characters when I do.