The Charlatan

Extras! The Cast

To celebrate the end of this book (and to motivate me, the author, to write and finish the sequel) I want to thank all my readers for giving this story the time of day. 

It started as a simple project in dedication and became something that I poured my heart and soul into. This book has become just as much about me as it is about each of its characters and the world in which they live.

So! To celebrate you guys, the people online who got to see my first draft - unedited, uncensored, and raw - I'm putting up some special content for just my online readers to enjoy.

THE CAST

The Charlatan features Clara, a Veltie courier on the run from her home, but it also follows a number of other characters who all play a part in Clara's journey.

I've included a little blurb about how I write each of my major characters, and I've also included a little graphic that shows what I imagine the characters to sort of look like. (Thanks Black Desert Online for your incredible character creator for this purpose! BDO makes all my characters look super gorgeous. *-*)

I'm curious - which character is your favourite so far? 

Do my personal headcanons match yours? 

Comment your answers!

Clara

I've been told by a couple of my friends that Clara and I share a lot of similarities, and to be honest, I've kind of run with that. I've injected a lot of myself and how I think and perceive the world into Clara's character, and I especially like writing her flaws. Clara is an ever-growing character and she makes mistakes, even when her intentions are good. I am by no means a perfect person either, but the part of myself I've put into Clara is a part of myself I've largely been growing out of as I mature. Clara has been a way of preserving a past part of myself.

Charlie

Charlie began as a side character but quickly evolved into a principal player in Clara's unfolding story. I should have guessed so, because she's Clara's closest friend, and friends always have each other's backs. She's very enjoyable to write and she always motivates me to reach out to my own friends. Funny how characters grow on their own like that.

Air

The enigma! Air is a complicated character and he is the one who has changed the most since his conception. There's a lot I can say about him, but some of it is spoilery material, so you'll just have to read on to find it all out! ;) He's one of the more difficult characters to write because he is sometimes so hard to pin down. His name is fitting in that sense.

Honey

Not gonna lie, she's a favourite of mine. Writing her is always a treat, especially because I don't get to do it often. Honey represents a lot of traits I personally admire in others - particularly, honesty. Sometimes what she says to others is actually what I've been needing to hear, and I often don't realize this until I come to the end of her chapters.

Safiya

Safiya is one of the easiest characters to write. Not because she is dull or one-dimensional, but because she is strongly present. She has a very practiced and deliberate personality and for someone like me, that kind of lifestyle is grounding. Self-assured and self-reliant, she represents a type of person I both love and hate. It's her realness that makes her easy to write, oddly enough.

Priyanka

Priyanka and Clara combined form a good part of my own personality. While Clara's representation of me was deliberate, Priyanka's wasn't entirely. It was about halfway through The Charlatan that I really stopped to think about why I connected with her character so well. She is a lot of things I am striving to be: caring, optimistic, and calm under pressure. She's always a pleasure to write, although surprisingly difficult.