Guest Post: Samantha March

Yesterday I reviewed the fabulous novel The Green Ticket by the equally amazing Samantha March. Today, I have a guest post from the author herself! I knew Samantha had tried something a little different when it came to planning her second novel so I wanted to know how she got to know her characters in this book. I hope you enjoy this post as much as I did!

Meeting the Cast

Getting to know your characters can be a tall order. Some simply pop into my mind all planned out – I can visually see them, I know instinctively what they like and what they do for a career, etc. Other times, I have no clue. That is when I like to use a character interview. I have a set of questions that range from what do you drive to what is your favorite food to what is your favorite childhood memory. Some questions might not seem like they would mean a lot to a plot, but as you put together each answer, a little sliver of your characters comes to life. By the time I have them all answered, I have a much better idea of who my character is and what they bring to the story. I tend to only do these for my major characters. In THE GREEN TICKET for example, some I used the interview on was Lila, Henry, and Hannah. (I had Alex pretty well planned out and didn’t feel the need to use one.) I think this is a great tool and have already started using the interviews with the characters to book number three!