Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books!
Today we are welcoming Mike Arsuaga, author of Subspecies as well as several other books. Mike is dropping by to guest post for us today! He’s going to talk on the creation of strong characters!
Creating Strong Supporting Characters
When speaking or writing about a supporting cast of characters, movies usually come to mind. Starting in the 1920’s first British and later American film makers recognized the importance of them. Interestingly writers used the tool practically from the first novel written. Robinson Crusoe had his man “Friday”. Don Quixote had his squire Sancho.
This type of supporting character complements one or more main story figures, either by contrast or through some form of supplementation. The relationship is designed to enhance both personalities and make them come alive.
A good example is the character of Linda in “My Life as a Dog”. She is private investigator and shape shifter Drake Martin’s secretary. I used her insouciant competence to showcase his frequent inattention to detail. She is the classic “I am woman; I am strong” female who balances work and family keeping both on course, while complaining of being under appreciated by all.
The character of Cynthia in “Subspecies” and the rest of the series is one of my favorites. In “Subspecies” she provides a sometimes humorous, sometimes guileless, high energy teenage foil to Sam’s cool adult behavior, with insights only the young can come up with. The contrast between her persona and that of the main characters, Sam and Jim, more clearly defines all three of them. She’s the kind of character you can both laugh and marvel at. Without her the personalities of hero and heroine would be watered down. As she matures into a world class beauty, celebrity, and humanitarian, she grows to understand the overwhelming presence she has become. Her greatest wish, to have children, threads through “Subspecies, Inc.” and is achieved in a sadly left handed way in “Children of Subspecies”. After ducking “The Tenth Legion”, she returns in “Lagrange Point” as “the stuff goddesses are made from.” In her last appearance she guides main character, her granddaughter, Cynthia May, toward understanding of her destiny. As characters, the two enhance one another.
You build a supporting character using the same methods as any other. Plan them out. They should have unique and believable attributes. In “My Life as a Dog” I contrasted Linda’s teased hair, East Texas speech, and general confident sassiness against Drake’s more laid back deeper thinking persona. That she doesn’t know about his shape shifting ability keeps tension in the interactions between them.
On the other hand nothing beats a good villain. Where would Superman be without Lex Luthor, or Batman without The Joker? The character of Jethro from “Subspecies”, on the other hand, is what Mark Twain called “flourishing villainy”, that most despised of all creatures by humankind. Holding sway until the very end he keeps the hero and heroine on their toes, without respite.
A villain can also be other than humanoid. The 2026 plague in “Subspecies, Inc.’ kills with relentless dispassion. You can’t reason with it or evoke its sympathy. It makes no allowance for beauty or wealth as it exacts its toll from mankind in the book. After creating much mayhem and defining the heroes by its misdeeds foiled, the plague relinquishes the stage.
So, build the supporting cast with the same care you take with the lead roles and the work, whatever the genre, will benefit.
Raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Mike completed careers in the United States Navy Submarine Force and the Transportation Security Administration. He lives in Orlando Florida with wife and Editor in Chief Cynthia, daughter Jennifer, six year old granddaughter Larrna and partner in crime Thumper, a Yorkshire terrier.
Mike’s extensive travels in the Navy took him to throughout the US, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Middle East, providing accurate and vivid settings for his stories. He has a five book series under contract with Muse It Hot Publishing. All are installments to The Subspecies series. The first, “SUBSPECIES’ released in May. “Subspecies, Inc. comes out September 2011. The third, “Children of Subspecies”, comes to life in December, followed by “The Tenth Legion” and the concluding installment “Lagrange Point” in February and May 2012 respectively.
The five books trace the evolution of lycans and vampires from being nature’s most reviled creation to its finest. They progress from lives of hiding in the shadows, hunting, and sensual but fruitless mating to become the key to saving humanity. In the process, they experience salvation and redemption, explore space, colonize Mars, travel in time, and learn the grand design of Creation.
Mike also co-wrote “My Life as a Dog” with his wife, published by Secret Cravings Publishing. MLAAD is a lighter hearted tale of a very special shape shifter and his quest for true love. Drak Martin’s animal persona is an eight pound Yorkie, of little use in a scrape but irresistable to women.
A Professor on Campus
Dr. Jim White, a 130-year-old Vampire, as a mathematics professor and man of science, rejects the ways and lore of old in favor of modern solutions. Lycans and Vampires, The Subspecies, live invisibly in society, because discovery is their worst fear. Resulting from a chance meeting, he has the best sex of his life and regrets the intriguing girl had to be his next victim. But she has a secret. As a Lycan, she hunted him as he hunted her.
The Girl in the Library
Samantha “Sam” Johnson, a Lycan, lived through world wars and The Great Depression, counting Al Capone and Babe Ruth as acquaintances, before settling into decades of anonymity, quietly preying on humans to live. On a chance meeting with an intriguing professor, her decision to devour him comes into question. Kill after a night of exquisite sex?
A Dynasty is Born
After discovering each others secret, neither can resist the physical attraction. Together they hunt and reach out to others of their kind using modern technology to form a support group which becomes more than either imagined.
Follow The Subspecies’ journey as they open a universe of possibilities with the promise of life being more than hunting, living in shadows, and fruitless mating.
“SUBSPECIES” EXCERPT
This is my favorite scene from SUBSPECIES. One of the main characters makes only a cameo appearance but I smile every time I read it.
Let me set the stage:
Jim, Sam , and an attorney named Oscar Young returned to Jim’s apartment from having rescued seven month pregnant Sam from police interrogation. Lycan Cynthia and vampire Ed Myers are already there. The police suspect Sam and the support group have something to do with the disappearances. Attorney Young has just finished explaining attorney/ client privilege, including how anything a client tells him will not be repeated.
The scene unfolds:
Encouraged by his answer I morphed, with fangs, pallor and red eyes. Oscar instinctively jumped back but recovered and said with another chuckle. “What an excellent effect. How did you do it?”
By then I returned to human form. “You don’t understand. I really am a vampire,” I said.
Oscar stood and sternly replied, “Doctor White, if you think this is all a joke perhaps you should seek other representation.” He retrieved his briefcase preparing to leave.
A vampire morph is not dramatic. Most of it happens internally, expanding joints and modest bone growth. Except for the fangs I could pass for large pale man with a bad hangover. We needed a more dramatic demonstration.
I turned to Cynthia. “Show him what you can do,” I said to her.
“Do I have to?” she complained. “This is a brand new outfit.”
“Please, it’s important, dear.” Sam added. Besides, I sewed in Velcro morph seams.”
Cynthia stood and stepped to the middle of the room. She faced Oscar who paused at the door. Shimmying out of her panties, she kicked them to the side with a last flick of a bare foot. Stretchy lingerie fabrics didn’t tear. Because a lycan grew when morphing, most underwear bound them painfully. Ed’s eyes locked onto the sexually aromatic wrinkle of white material shimmering at her feet. She stood erect with legs apart and hands on hips. As it molded to her butt, the black miniskirt sparkled with sequins, round like half of a disco ball. I surveyed the pleasingly dramatic arching cleft of her spine under the white blouse.
“Okay,” she said. “You asked for it.”
With a ripping of Velcro, the garments separated and fell away. She expanded in all directions nearly touching the ceiling, seeming to fill the room. Arms and legs elongated as if made of modeling clay. A curved fanged snout grew out of the face some said could launch a thousand ships. Upon completing the morph she peered down on Oscar. Casual predation emanated from the height of coal black eyes.
“Convinced now?” I asked above the sound of Cynthia’s low growl.
Bug eyed, Oscar slowly retook his seat.
I’d like to thank Mike for dropping by the blog and sharing his thoughts with us! He loves to chat with readers and can be found a variety of places:
Please find below the variety of places that Mike’s books can be purchased:
ALL ROMANCE BOOKS: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-subspecies-546381-139.html
BOOK Strand: http://www.bookstrand.com/node/812004
https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=151&category_id=9&keyword=subspecies&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1
http://www.amazon.com/Subspecies-The-Series-ebook/dp/B004ZH3DYE/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1
“SUBSPECIES” TRAILER on YOUTUBE:
Hi from a fellow Muser!
Very good article. I think authors get so wrapped up in the main characters that we forget about the supporters. Afterall, the main characters’ voices are strongest in our head – at least in mine. However, I have favorite supporters in my book. When I first started Concilium I wasn’t that interested in the supporting “cast,” but they made themselves known as the story progressed and now I couldn’t imagine the story without them.
Michelle
Concilium, July 2012
http://www.conciliumbooks.com
http://www.michelle-pickett.com
Hi Mike! *waves* Great post on secondary characters. Thanks for sharing your expertise. Congratulations on your series…I have one of those books. It’s an interesting, spellbinding series for sure. Keep up the good books, Mike.
Thanks to both of you for such lovely comments. I may not be able to stop at five books. The characters keep calling to me.