Developing the Characters of Embittered Justice by Michael Riley

When I read the synopsis of Embittered Justice, a debut novel by author Michaela Riley, I was more than intrigued.

What if everything in your life was changed because you opened a mysterious package?

Jennifer Campbell is a beautiful, talented woman with ambition and drive to succeed in corporate America. Moving to Virginia into the tightly knit community of Norfolk was a dream come true. A house on the beach, famly and security for the first time in many years providing the comfort and serenity Jennifer had searched for.

All is well, until the fateful day Jennifer received a telephone call. “Jennifer, go someplace and hide; don’t trust anyone. You can’t trust the police or internal affairs. Just go somewhere you can’t be found. I’ll call you in a few hours.”

So, I decided to ask Michaela how she went about developing her characters. Here she'll tell us about Kyle:

Character development for Kyle St. James, the last attorney in the long drawn out fight for freedom was actually based on a real person. This character--the hero in the book--isn’t what some would say has the appearance of a hero. But heroes come is all sizes and shapes and don’t have to be aesthetically beautiful. Kyle is kind, loving and passionate about fighting for Jennifer and this makes him more attractive as the story unfolds. I am sure we have all had an occasion in our life when that first impression of a person was incorrect. We begin to trust and care for someone because of who they are on the inside; not the outside. Kyle is larger than life in many ways; he is the knight in shining armor as far as Jennifer is concerned, and he comes to rescue her from the evil prosecuting attorney.

I find that is essential to know the character inside and out and attach a feeling to that character either good or bad. When emotion is tied to the character development it helps the character become a real breathing person on paper. It is also important to give as much detail as possible to allow the reader to become emotionally attached to the character. When a reader doesn’t have this attachment to the character, then I have lost the reader all together.


EMBITTERED JUSTICE VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on May 1, 2008 and continue all month long. If you would like to follow Michaela's tour in progress, visit http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in May. Leave a comment at any of her blog stops and become eligible to win a free copy at the end of her tour! One lucky winner will be announced on this tour page on May 30!

This virtual book tour has been brought to you by: