Preview: The Ugly Little Bloke

Breathing life into new characters is always a challenge. You sketch them out in your notes and think you know how you want them to sound, but invariably, once you begin the actual prose, things change. They develop a bigger vocabulary or sound snarkier than intended. You let things flow because it feels right and after all, they’re your characters.

It’s vastly different when you’re putting words into characters’ mouths for the first or second time when you’re collaborating with others. Such was the case with Latchkeys when I began writing The Ugly Little Bloke the second installment. Steven Savile focused quite a bit on our point-of-view character Matt and the Wardens’ leader Jeremy but less so on the others so it fell to me to find their voices.

I grabbed on to the story when it was offered because it centered on Kaitlyn, the young teen who can access the electromagnetic spectrum but has no clue just how powerful she is. She’s young and fun and enjoys being a Warden so she had a lot to learn. Finding her voice was pretty easy and the dialogue flowed smoothly.

For the others, such as the twins Mercy and Marguerite, it was a creative challenge and with luck, as time passes and they all grow in depth and complexity, their voices will also evolve.

Right now, you can get a peek for yourself as we present a sampler to my tale, The Ugly Little Bloke, which will be available on Nook and Kindle around March 4.

Steve, myself, and the other members of the HiveMind are deeply curious as to your reaction to the series, its characters, and the stories we’re telling. So, if you have read Unlatched post a comment. If you haven’t, you should.

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