Before we kick off the Q&A series, I wanted to do an exercise in Beautiful People! And since I’m back in revisions for Illuminate while my agent evaluates The Eleventh Trade, the character I’ll be talking about is Perl. I need to refresh my memory.
What is Beautiful People?
Beautiful People is a blog meme hosted by Sky @ Further Up and Further In and Cait @ Paper Fury. Every month, they post ten questions to help writers get to know their characters better. I haven’t done it before, but I’ve wanted to for a while now! (Mostly to share pretty pictures. Shhh.)
How do I join?
Just jump in! Snag the June questions (this month is all about your character’s childhood), post them on your blog, and come back to add your link! I also recommend checking out the posts of the other participants. It’s a great way to make new friends.
Beautiful People: Perl
What is their first childhood memory?
Vacations to Shell Island – a small abandoned island off Alistryn – with her mother and father on the rare occasions when he wasn’t gone to sea.
What were her best and worst childhood experiences?
Best: Discovering that she had magic when she freed a palace dove.
Worst: Spilling ink all over a nearly-complete illuminated manuscript, effectively ruining both it and her career as a scribe.
What was her childhood home like?
Alistryn is a Venice-like island, crisscrossed with with canals, and for the first eight years of her life Perl lived in an elaborate townhouse/small palace with her mother. After her mother died, she was placed in a school for girls.
What’s something that scared her as child?
Drowning. This only became more terrifying when she turned 13 and free magic spread to Alistryn, turning drowned women into man-eating mermaids. Yeah, so.
Art by burge
Who did she look up to most?
Even though they drive each other nuts sometimes, Perl’s closest friend is her cousin Elatha. Perl admires her artistic talent, her cool head, and her unbeatable stone-skipping skills.
Favorite and least favorite childhood foods?
Favorite: Cinnamon scones.
Least Favorite: Liver. Gross!
Art by The Silver Eye
If she had their childhood again, would she change anything?
She would spend less time dreaming, and more time with the people she loves (like her mother).
What kind of child was she? Curious? Wild? Quiet? Devious?
Perl has always been a dreamer and adventurer. Nothing thrills her more than maps and ships.
What was her relationship to her parents and siblings like?
Perl loved her mother and was very close to her. She loves her father, but doesn’t see much of him, as he’s often gone to sea. She doesn’t have any siblings – the closest thing is Elatha, who is very much like a sister (in all the best and worst ways).
What did she want to be when she grew up, and what did she actually become?
She wanted to be a sailor.
After a little floundering, she became an adventurer.
