I don’t particularly enjoy reading about perfect characters–maybe because I’m so far away from being perfect myself. 🙂  Instead, I liked to read about characters who are flawed.

Oh, yes, give me a flawed character any day of the week–and you’ll have a happy woman.  I like characters who are real–and to me, real folks, well, we’re flawed.  We have anger issues, some obsessive compulsive moments, and some food addictions (chocolate, anyone?).

More than that, though, in order for me to feel fully connected with a character, I like to know about the character’s past–the events that shaped and hardened the person–and the results of those events.  Got a heroine who can’t commit to a relationship? Why?  Was she abandoned by a loved one?  Betrayed by someone she trusted?  What made her into the person she is?

Or, have a hero who is single-mindedly fixed on vengeance?  Why?  Did he lose a sibling to needless violence?  Was he the victim of violence?  What made the hero the way he is?

The past…no one can escape it, certainly not the characters that writers create.

My favorite all-time example of a flawed character with one twisted past?  Come on, if you’ve read my blog before, I bet you can guess…Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  That guy had so many issues–no way should he have been the one I rooted for, but I did.  Over and over again. Why? Because his flaws made him into the (im)perfect character that I could love.

Oh, yeah, give me a flawed character instead of a perfect one any day of the week…

There are so many wonderful books scheduled to be released over the next eight weeks. I’ve got a list (one that keeps growing) that is full of books I want to read. (My plan is to profile a book a week.)

The next book that I want to get my greedy hands on?

Butterfly Wishes by LaDonna Paulette

Here’s the blurb:

“A magical place beneath a willow brings joy and heartbreak, as two children experience the power of belief and miracles in this world and beyond.

After the death of Colin O’Brien’s parents and Fey Wright’s mama, the two children find a magical place beneath a willow tree that they believe is a doorway to Heaven. When tragedy strikes during a summer storm, a devastated Fey flees. Years later, she returns and meets Ethan Godfrey, a man familiar with unresolved pain. Learning to let go of the past is a lesson both desperately need. Can these two souls find solace in things unseen? And will the willow reveal more secrets to those in need?”

* * *

I know LaDonna–she’s a great lady. And her book sounds like it will be a beautiful read. I wish her much success with this book–and with the others she’s already got in the pipeline!

I firmly believe this.

I’ve written a lot of books over the years. Some that never sold to a publishing houses, some that I never sent to publishing houses, and, well, yeah, some that have sold, too.  🙂  I like to think that, regardless of the final outcome with those manuscripts, I learned something with every story that I wrote. I learned about character development. Conflict. Pacing.  Each story taught me something.

I know some folks who’ve said they want to try their hand at writing, but they don’t want to go to the “trouble” of writing a book that won’t sell.  Well, here’s something else I’ve learned–there are no guarantees in the publishing business.  You could write a fabulous book…and it may, indeed, not sell.

But is that book a wasted effort?  No, I don’t think it is.  If you enjoy the writing process, if you’re writing and creating because that is what you love to do–then the process itself can be a reward.  And then there’s the whole business I mentioned previously about learning something with each book…

Today, I’m blogging about the writing bug over at the Brava Blog.

Have you been bitten?

Today, Larissa Ione is guest blogging over at The Bradford Bunch. I love Larissa’s work.

And the lady is one busy writer. She’s got contemporary stories and paranormals available under her name, AND she writes as Sydney Croft (with her writing partner Stephanie Tyler). I recently read “Sydney’s” latest release-–Unleashing the Storm–what a wonderful (and hot!) read.

If you get a chance, check out her post (and her books!).