When it comes to crafting an irresistible novel, let's not forget the secret sauce—an equally irresistible main character! It's as clear as the nose on your character's face! Take it from Lee Child, the genius behind the Jack Reacher series. In an interview, he spilled the beans on how he meticulously constructed Reacher's every detail. From his brawny physique to his penchant for solving problems with a good old punch, Child went all in. Months of brainstorming brought Reacher to life—a loner investigator with a taste for violence and a brain to match. Talk about a character worth knowing!
One of the writing courses I took had this advice: "Create a character profile that's juicier than your protagonist's favorite snack! Know them inside out—their backstory, family, quirks, hobbies, literary obsessions, and culinary delights!"
Why? Because when you write, you want those characters to jump off the page like they've had one too many espressos. Trust me, the journey of molding my main character has been one wild ride. Stick around, and I'll spill all the delightful details in future posts. After five novels, though, I had an epiphany—I didn't know her as well as I thought.
That's when I decided to embark on a thrilling "origin" story called Forged in Ancient Fire. Buckle up for this epic tale where our protagonist, Jia Peach, turns sixteen and discovers jaw-dropping truths about her sorcery powers and her roots in Seoul, Korea. It's her true beginning, and boy, was it a blast to write!
But wait, here's a little secret to get to know your protagonist even better: interview them! Yep, you heard it right. Sit down with your character and dig deep into their magical powers, crazy adventures, and everything in between. Let me tell you, my chat with Jia was like fireworks on the Fourth of July—explosively fun!
So, stick around, my friend. This journey is just starting, and there's much more excitement in store. Let's bring those characters to life, one page-turner at a time!!
(Note: there are a couple of spoilers in this interview regarding the details of the novel, but given that it’ll be awhile before the story sees the light of day and the fact that very few people subscribe to this list at this point, I ain’t too worried about it!)
Q: Let’s start at the beginning. Is Jia Peach your real name?
Jia: Nah, that was the name I chose for myself. My real name is Jia Park. My mom, God rest her soul, was a high school teacher, and my dad is a computer nerd who used to work for some big tech company in Seoul. We didn't spend much time together when I was growing up. But Mom and Grandma always called me "Peach," so after Mom passed away, I decided to change my last name to honor her.
Q: How old are you?
Jia: Just turned 16 earlier this summer. I'll be starting my junior year in high school this fall. It's been a wild ride, you know? After my mom died, my dad started supporting me from Seoul. He visits more often now. Since I'm emancipated in California, I get to live in the house I grew up in with my Mom in Concord, California.
Q: What's it like living by yourself? A teenage girl living by herself...
Jia: It's not as exciting as it sounds, trust me. I'm kinda shy, so I don't have many friends. Zilly's always around, though. She's been my best friend since fifth grade.
Q: Word is you have some sorcery skills. Tell me about that.
Jia: (laughs) Yeah, it's a bit crazy, right? Not everyone gets to live a life like mine. Both my mom and dad come from families of sorcerers. They were the firstborn children, and to pass down the power through generations, they had these Triquerta amulets made. Each side of the family got one. The amulets enhance the powers of the firstborn children.
Q: What kind of powers do you have?
Jia: (rolls eyes) Everyone's so curious about that. I don't like talking about it much, to be honest. But, yeah... I can talk to animals, control the weather, conjure up some badass weapons when needed, do glamours—ya know, like making myself look like something else. And a whole bunch of other stuff that I’m still finding out about.
Q: Can you give an example?
Jia: Sure, I remember this one time when I needed to sneak into a building without being seen. So, I caused a distraction by making three people bump into each other, spill their drinks, and create a scene. While everyone was busy with that, I slipped in unnoticed. You gotta be creative with it.
Q: What else?
Jia: I'm still learning, you know? When I was in Seoul helping to find a missing 6-year-old girl, Ji-Won and I got attacked by some bad guys. One of them held a knife to Ji-Won's throat, and I just yelled as loud as I could. It broke a bunch windows and knocked out the guys, and even demolished a streetlight. It was pretty intense, and I'm still trying to understand how I did it.
Q: Sounds like quite an adventure.
Jia: Yeah, you could say that. At times, I had no idea what was happening. I can also create light balls with my mind and make sparks fly with a flick of my fingers. But Ji-Won says there's so much more I can do. I'm still learning, though. My grandfather used to say he'd never seen someone so young with so much power.
Q: Why is that?
Jia: (takes a deep breath) It's a whole thing, really. I'm the result of forty generations of magical families. The legend goes that after a hundred years, the Irish side of my family decided to go back to Ireland, and the two families lost touch. When my parents met, they had no idea they were both from ancient families that created the amulets.
Q: How did they meet?
Jia: Funny story, actually. Dad was an exchange teacher from Seoul, teaching computer stuff at the high school here in northern California where my mom was a teacher. They met at a welcoming event and got to know each other, and it was apparently, pardon the pun, magical.
Q: And they eventually discovered their sorcery connection?
Jia: Yep, one night they were at the San Francisco wharf. Ya gotta remember they were in their early 20s. Dad wanted to show off, so he created these dancing light dragons using his sorcery powers. Mom couldn't resist and started her own light-dragon battle. That's when they started talking about their magical abilities and realized they were from the families that had forged the ancient amulets.
Q: What did they think about that?
Jia: They freaked out, to be honest. They were already falling for each other, but they put things on hold because they had no idea what would happen if they had a child together, with all those inherited powers. Dad told me I was a "happy accident." But by the time Mom found out she was pregnant with me, Dad had already gone back to Seoul.
Q: So you have powers from both sides of the family and possess both amulets.
Jia: Yep, that's right.
Q: You mentioned Ji-Won. Who is he?
Jia: Ji-Won is an old colleague of my grandfather, Dae-Won. I met him when we were searching for Dae-Won's great-god-daughter, who went missing. Since Dae-Won passed away, Ji-Won has been helping me with my powers.
Q: Is Ji-Won a sorcerer too?
Jia: Nah, not exactly. He's less and more at the same time. It's hard to explain. He's like my coach, I guess.
Q: But being a sorceress isn't your ultimate goal, right? You have another passion you're pursuing?
Jia: Oh, definitely! Music is my true calling. I've been playing the piano since I was a little kid, and it just clicked for me. My mom was a huge fan of 70s music, so I grew up listening to Elton John, Billy Joel, Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell—all those amazing artists. It's like music runs through my veins; I can't imagine my life without it. Zilly and I have this dream of starting our own band. We still need a girl drummer but it’s like looking for a unicorn.
Q: How do you balance your musical aspirations with sorcery?
Jia: Well, that's the tricky part, isn't it? I'm still figuring it out. But maybe, just maybe, there's a way to blend both worlds together, at least sometimes. I mean, I did manage to bring my cousin Mee back to life by playing a song.
Q: Wait, what? Tell me more about that!
Jia: Yeah, it's a pretty wild story. The song I played was an unfinished one I started writing a few months ago. My mom loved it, but she never got to hear the whole thing. When Mee got hurt—hit by a fireball from my aunt Jun-Young, no less—I went into this sort of trance. It's hard to explain, really. There's been so much death in my life, and it's not something I like to dwell on.
Q: I understand. Let's change the subject a bit. Are you planning to go to college?
Jia: Yeah, that's always been my mom's dream for me. I'm looking at a few colleges, but I'll figure it out when the time comes.
Q: And then what?
Jia: Life as a pop star who does magic? Working at Starbucks? I dunno. Maybe I’ll make records and hide away from the world.
Q: So cool! Good luck with your adventures.
Jia: (rolls eyes) I can hardly wait.