Fierce Hearts

Love, loyalty and some of my favorite characters

Who are your favorite literary characters? I’m sure a few jumped immediately to mind after that question. Some of your answers might be well known characters from wildly popular novels, and some may be obscure. Ones that spoke to you in a more personal way.

One of my personal favorites is Aeron Anfa from Patricia Kennealy Morrison’s Keltiad series. I think it is out of print now, but I still have a few tattered copies stashed away. Aeron is fierce and flawed, loyal and ruthless. And there is just something about her that pulled me into her orbit.

A question I have been asked more than once is who my favorite characters are out of the books I’ve written. That’s a hard question to answer, but I thought I’d give it a whirl in this post.

As I thought about it, I realized that all three had a few things in common even though they all have their own unique universe and story line. They all love fiercely, and they all value loyalty.

Aohdan Collins

When I first came up with the idea for Shadow King, it came to me while I was raking leaves, and I was wondering what dark fae would do if they lived and worked in our world. And my first thought was, “well, they’d run the criminal underworld.” From that tiny idea, Aohdan Collins, the patriarch of a dark fae crime family in Boston came to life.

But what I love about Aohdan, is that – while he can be ruthless and violent – he has a sense of code and honor. In his world there is honor among thieves and that means something to him. He’s fiercely loyal, and he expects the same in return.

Some of you might be surprised that I didn’t pick Seireadan as my favorite. She’s a close second, but Aohdan was the first character in Shadow King and that has earned him a special place in my heart.

Mara Dullahan

I adore Mara, my devil with a chip on her shoulder and a big secret to hide, from The Devil Inside. She is bold, sassy, and smart and she doesn’t take shit from anyone. Surviving in the cutthroat world of Sales & Acquisitions in Hell means you need more than a little grit, and she’s got that in spades. But it doesn’t mean she’s heartless, she just hides it well.

I’m a shy person, and I wish sometimes I was more like Mara with her “come at me, bitches” attitude. She’s a bit amoral – I mean, she is a devil after all, right? – but if you are her friend, she’s got your back. At least you hope she does. And I love that little dash of unpredictability in her.

Showing weakness in her line of work isn’t an option, and that makes Mara very loyal to the few people she can trust and confide in – and she can count them on one hand. So she’ll move heaven and earth (or Hell) to make sure they’re safe.

Lauren Stone

Of all my characters, I think Lauren is the closest to my alter ego. Mostly because deep down inside I wish I had the talent and the chutzpah to be a rock-n-roll singer.

There’s a reason I’ve been going to Stevie Nicks concerts since I was a teenager.

Lauren is far from perfect. She’s a recovering addict, she’s sacrificed a lot to get where she is with her band, The Kingmakers. And she’s not above questioning whether she’s made the right choices in life. She is human and flawed, and she’s someone that I’d really like to have as a friend.

I love that she’s not fearless, she’s brave.

It all comes down to love and loyalty. All three of these characters love deeply and value loyalty. None of them are perfect. Being perfect would be so boring. It is our flaws as humans, the flaws that we reflect on our characters, that bring them to life and endear them to us.

If you’ve read my books, I’d love to know who your favorite character is, and why? Or if not, what fictional character is at the top of your favorites list?

And photo credits to Jack Niles and Artem Beliaikin from Unsplash.