Does a weak moment make a weak character? (Updated)

Just like real people, the strongest of characters have weak moments. Why should the reader see this contrast? As a writer, how do you demonstrate it?

First of all, the best characters are often complicated and full of contradictions. This gives them many layers and makes them seem more 3-dimensional and therefore, realistic. After all, most of us are also complicated and full of contradictions. This helps to make characters relatable to the reader. We like seeing that we aren't the only ones who are a bit messed up. Also, witnessing a strong, larger-than-life character falling apart makes them much more humble. We like that. 

A perfect example would be Jolene Silva, who is my current series. Jolene is strong, confident, powerful, and someone I would describe as a femme fatale. However, at one point in this series, the Colombian bombshell reveals a weak side to her personality that no one saw coming. She makes a series of bad decisions that places her in a dangerous position with Jorge Hernandez and his crew. After a long, difficult road, she finally is trusted by la familia again and comes back stronger than ever. 

I love this because it shows how the strongest characters can fall apart but can bounce back under some of the worst circumstances that life puts them in. There's something very reassuring and comforting about that fact. 

Never assume a weak moment makes a weak character. In fact, it actually makes them more human. 

Animals and Devils 🐺😈(Updated)

If you're familiar with my series, you probably already know that the books have an animal and devil theme in the titles. But why is that?

As I said in previous videos, this became the series that wasn't meant to be a series. It started with a book called We're All Animals in 2016 and took off with the follow-up, Always be a Wolf, a few months later. This portion of the series follows protagonist Chase Jacobs, a naive, small-town boy who tends to try to do the right thing.

And that's when things take a bit of a turn.

In the fall of 2017, the devil-themed titles start appropriately with the blood-thirsty thug Jorge Hernandez as the protagonist. The Devil is Smooth Like Honey followed the life of the Mexican narco who's about to take over the legalized pot industry in Canada. While Chase was very much the boy-next-door, Jorge is the complete opposite, demonstrating the vast differences in characters. Having Chase as an employee, both men tend to have an influence on one another as the series continues with A Devil Named Hernandez and And the Devil Will Laugh. (Since this blog was posted, there are MORE books with animals and devils in the title. Go HERE to learn more.) 

I've always said that I love character contrasts in books and feel that extremes have a way of balancing each other out. I'm curious where this will go in the future because I predict a shift in both of these characters in my next book. Will Jorge bring out the bad in Chase and Chase bring out the good in Jorge, or are certain aspects in their DNA to stay? What do you think?

Should characters ever be based on people you know? 🤔(Updated)

I recently stumbled across a video recommending that writers base characters on people they know. I cringed.

I never pretend to be a writing expert. I do feel that after a few books, I've learned a couple of things along the way. Basing characters on people I know never seemed like a good idea, and therefore, I never did it. To begin with, I'm assuming there would always be a paranoia of someone 'discovering' that a character was strangely like them, not to mention hurt feelings, potential arguments, and maybe even a few Facebook rants...as much as we all love those.

Most importantly, I feel that characters create themselves. You might have a few ideas of who they are or what they're about, but in the end, characters tend to form as you write the story. It's kind of like having a child and assuming the personality you think they'll have; chances are, they'll soon show you that you never had a say in the first place.

Characters are complex. As a writer, you'll probably have a deeper understanding of your characters than most people in your life. You can see inside their heart and understand what makes them tick. This makes sense because you're on a long journey together.

The interesting thing about characters is that they often are a piece of you. Just like every songwriter inserts a piece of who they are in their songs, every author tends to do the same with their characters. It's not something you think about, but rather it just happens. Maybe one of your characters shares your fears in life or your fixation on a specific pet peeve. The characters are unique, but they're also you.

And really, isn't that what makes the writing process amazing?

Let's talk about Paige Noël-Hernandez 🧘🏼‍♀️ (Updated)

Paige Noël-Hernandez is the assassin wife of Jorge Hernandez and makes her first appearance in The Devil is Smooth Like Honey and continues throughout the series from that point on. 

What I love about Paige, is that she's incredibly calm and balanced regardless of the situation. She manages to keep a little sanity to the otherwise erratic group of characters, and yet, you're left wondering if maybe she's a little too calm in various situations. I guess it's the meditation. 

Paige enters the series (and meets her husband Jorge) in a unique and dramatic way. Although it's probably a situation that seems insane, for some reason, the two find themselves drawn to one another and start a very fiery, intense relationship, which dominates this series almost as much as....well, the violence. There's a strength to their relationship that can't be denied and in many ways is admirable. 

Of course, if you're looking for a fairytale princess meets prince storyline, the relationship between Jorge and Paige Hernandez might horrify you.

The loyalty factor 👊🏼 (Updated)

One of the aspects that I think people find most appealing about my current series is the loyalty factor. Actually, as the writer, this is one of the aspects that I also like the best. There's something to be said about a group of people who can trust each other, literally, with their life. We find comfort when watching or reading about these relationships because loyalty is a trait we respect. 

In today's society, many people don't necessarily feel that they have loyalty in their lives. If we're lucky, we might have a small group of people that we would even put in that category, and even then, many of us have also fallen into the 'blind faith' scenario, only to find ourselves shocked when someone lets us down. We've seen disappointment in relationships, friendships, employers, and family, to name a few. To a point, loyalty might not only be a hot commodity, but it might also feel like a rare one, making it even more precious.

When I think about shows that have been popular over the years, I notice that characters' loyalty to one another has been prevalent. It doesn't matter if it's friends living together or a group of gangster/mobster characters; the basis of their relationship is often loyalty, whether the protagonist is dealing with a broken heart or a broken body. It doesn't matter if these relationships are dysfunctional most of the time; what matters is that when needed, these people show up for one another.

It takes time to demonstrate loyalty. The beauty of writing a series is that I have the opportunity to create and show the strength of these relationships through time, as it continues from book to book. Interestingly, real life is not that different, except it runs over years. 

Let's talk about Jolene Silva 👄(Updated)

Jolene Silva first popped up in this series in the latter part of We're All Animals and has continued to be part of the cast of characters throughout the Hernandez series. 

An interesting aspect of this character is how difficult it is to learn anything about her. She was always a mystery and even as the writer, I was having difficulty pulling anything out of her secret world. As it turns out, she had a lot of surprises that would come out as the series grew. We would eventually learn about some of her vices and vulnerable side.

What I love about Jolene is her strength. Even when she hits some low points, she's a character that always rises above everything and comes back stronger. Jolene is very passionate about what she believes in, and she always does what she perceives as the right thing even though, many times, she chooses to do so in secret rather than share with her tribe. I think that many of us can hide within ourselves and try to avoid sharing our fears and struggles, but in the end, just like Jolene, we discover that there's more support for us than we believed.

Jolene creates a nice balance within the group. Although she certainly makes a lot of mistakes along the way and risks her own life, there's just something about Jolene Silva, a strength that always makes her rise back to the top.

Do fairy tale endings really exist? (Updated)

What's a 'fairytale ending' exactly, and why do people want them? More importantly, why you'll probably never find one in the majority of my books.

This all started a couple of weeks ago when I received an email from a stranger. Let's call her a 'fanemy'. In it, she said that she had 'tried' to read my latest book, And the Devil Will Laugh but couldn't get through it. She essentially found it troubling that the protagonist was not a good guy. Not only was he not the good guy, but he was also winning at being bad.



Of course, this is an unusual concept in books. The protagonist is usually morally outstanding in most books, tv shows, or movies. Then there's another character, usually the bad guy/girl, and of course, regardless of the struggles along the way, the good guy/girl always wins. This is what I refer to as the fairytale ending.

It's probably not the 'fairytale' ending you're probably thinking of right off the bat; it's no Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Disney cute ending. It's not a nicely folded-together finality, the fictional version of a hot, cozy bath. It doesn't make people feel good about the fact that the 'good guy/girl' won and the 'bad guy got what he/she deserved'...and they all lived happily ever after.

Or did they?

This is the part where I come in and shake things up. See, I'm not into that specific kind of ending. I find them a tad predictable and boring. I also find them somewhat unrealistic. I prefer to give people something to think about after finishing my book. Kind of in the same way as the final episode of The Sopranos left me with something to think about when the screen went black with no further explanation. This pissed off a lot of people, but you know what? To this day, I still think about that episode and debate with myself about what that meant exactly. I've discussed it with friends and listened to their thoughts on the subject. Had this been the usual, happily ever after ending, I probably would've forgotten it by now or, even worse, stopped caring.

The thing is that we, as people, are complex, and so is life. Things usually don't end up good or bad, and people are not saints or sinners. Many people would prefer things were that simplified, but they are not. It might work for some people, but it doesn't work for me.