characters - Sacha T. Y. Fortuné

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Book Reviews

Bloggers – The Holy Grail of Reviewers

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I’ve been fortunate enough to have snagged the attention of a couple of bloggers recently with my debut novel “Climbing The Walls“.

Mind you, to date I must’ve emailed over 100 bloggers, with about a .0000000001% response rate, and then after sending my book to the few who DID respond… ***crickets***!!!

So I’m eternally humbled and grateful, and so thrilled that these two bloggers took the time and attention to lovingly describe aspects of my book that I myself couldn’t have written better.

I’ll share a few snippets here from my two recent reviews from:

 

The Difference of Detail with a “Blogger” Review

While there are more verbose reviewers who write quite a bit, a typical review usually ranges anywhere from a one-liner to a few paragraphs and focuses on what the reader “liked” and “didn’t like” about the book.

A blogger’s review may do the same, but I’ve found most bloggers would go deeper and unpack the themes and issues they experienced while reading.

As a past Literature student who spent hours ripping apart themes of the books I studied, it’s such a weird and warm feeling to have that done to your own works, by bloggers who in their own right are writers themselves!

I love how Debjani’s review opens, with the line:

“We’re Kris and Nicole. We’re supposed to fit.”

This goes straight to the essence of the story — Kris and Nicole intended to defy all the nay-sayers by having the best relationship possible, and that quote from Nicole shows her insecurity in that moment of doubt where she feels so out of sync with Kris.

Similarly, Eileen also goes straight to the heart of the story:

“How much is too little, enough, or too much sex?”

Kris and Nicole, and their friends with whom they interact, are often talking about sex — which Kris and Nicole have loads of, sure, but it doesn’t make their marriage perfect. Behind closed doors, sex becomes a weapon or a mind game, and it’s the reason Kris has often buckled and gave in, against his better judgement.

The Theme of “Friendship”

Eileen brought up the important theme of friendship, and she was the first reader to zero in on that in her review:

“Are friendships outside of marriage ‘real’, or limited to what the other partner allows?”

Friendship is a key undercurrent theme of the series. Nicole, a sexy and promiscuous waitress prior to marrying Kris, has always struggled with female friendships, and finds more in common with her career-driven boss Darren. But male-female relationships get complicated fast, particularly when his own marriage is on shaky ground.

Kris is close to both men and women, primarily his coworkers Bryan and Vicki, and he also has a close friend from his past, J.J. His world and Nicole’s world don’t often collide in terms of friendships.

Notably, when they are struggling in their relationship, neither Nicole nor Kris initially reach out to confide in these “friends” — even Nicole, who has been hearing Darren’s marriage woes for months.

As these relationships all intertwine inextricably, it brings to the fore whether “friendship” is as important to either party, once their “relationship”/”marriage” begins, and which should take precedence.

Children’s Role in a Marriage

I love that Eileen brings up the topic:

“Would marriages of the various couples in the book survive if they did not have young children to raise?”

This is a question I ask myself when writing, all the time.

When you first fall for someone — chemistry, fireworks, explosion — it’s not the same relationship you will have years down the line, when you have children and your days are preoccupied with school runs, dirty diapers, and chores.

For Darren and Luisa especially, the fact that they already had two kids surely would have impacted their decision to stay together despite her infidelity.

Those kinds of questions are at the heart of my genre I like to call “real-life” romance.

In my series, children are important, yes. And they get the best, cutest scenes! Debjani mentions:

“Fortuné’s writing is vividly descriptive. I could picture Kris planting a sloppy kiss on Kiki, his five-year-old precocious daughter’s forehead. I could also picture him kissing the two-year-old Khai’s chubby cheeks. Lastly, I could also picture Nicole watching all of them… from afar.”

It takes a lot for Nicole to eventually come to a point where she is really ready to surmount her own damaged past and make her family a priority.

 

Adultery & Forgiveness

And finally, we come to the overriding crux of the “Hart & Cole” series. As Eileen asks:

“What is forgiveness? Is adultery the worst crime in marriage, how do couples deal with it whenever one or both of them commit adultery?”

Adultery is everywhere throughout the book — Nicole’s parents’ relationship was fraught with it, Darren’s and Luisa’s marriage is tainted by it, and there are dashes of it everywhere you turn with other minor individuals and couples.

At the end of the day, a relationship isn’t often what it looks like on the outside, and it can be a daily battle just to maintain that façade among friends and family.

Eileen notes:

“Reading the book kept me reflective on issues of friendships in and out of marriage, parenthood, work and employment, and what it takes to live with another adult.”

And Debjani states:

“If you want to read a gritty, real, and raw romance novel, then pick up Climbing the Walls by Sacha T. Y. Fortuné. If you are married, then you are bound to glimpse a slice of your marriage in this book.”

It isn’t all hearts and rainbows, but there is a lot to unpack here, and a lot of love. Overall, the story of “Climbing The Walls” aims to show that adultery doesn’t happen in isolation, and there are no easy answers to how to cope with it.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my recap here. Be sure to read the two full blogger reviews, and check out their other book reviews on their sites:

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Hart & Cole Series

Bits Of Me: Characters & Alter-egos

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I’m not kidding when I say, in my official Author Bio, that there’s a little bit of me in all the ‘Hart & Cole‘ women.

The photo — which I recently stumbled upon while looking for something else on an old, massive hard drive — was taken circa 2005, when I’d gotten a white rose at a party because I’d been voted best dressed.

I was studying in Lancaster, England at the time. It was one of the best nights I’d had since I got there. I remember the experience was the bright spot of my existence, for a moment.

I’d completely forgotten about that photo, which I took when I got back to my dorm room that day.

Now, seeing it so many years later — and realising the similarities between my own photo and my main character Nicole, it’s uncanny!

A memory of a girl…

I remember when my mom first read the book, eons ago, she commented that I’d written my dream job for my character: a novelist, who was also a journalist.

Here’s the thing… I’m now a published novelist (not quite as accomplished as Nicole, however!). I also have an International Journalism Master’s degree (which is collecting dust as we speak!).

…So my character’s actually done much better than me!

She’s also slim-bodied, super-talented and fashionable and oh-so-sexy. Ha. If only I could be! I’m also totally envious of her main physical characteristic: the huge curly hair. Sigh. I’ve got scanty of this myself, and not for lack of trying.

But the point is, I guess we have to get inspiration from somewhere. Nicole was the first character to POSSESS me like that, to write her story. Like I’ve said before, I’m a pantser; she’s the plotter! I swear, there are parts of the story that I don’t even feel I wrote; I think she did!

So maybe Nicole is my elevated version of myself. Everything to the extreme!

She’s also hella crazy to the extreme, and thankfully I am not. She’s all fiction, of course, and so is her story… but sometimes I wonder if part of her was always rooted in fact.

Writing What You Know…

It’s no wonder I feel her like a presence, like a real person sometimes.

She’s a part of me. I didn’t even realise it consciously while writing her, all those years ago.

Now, when I spot this old photo of myself, after publishing and re-tooling my novel so many times, it feels so concrete that I’ve had this girl in me all along.

So strange, to realise that even back then — 14 years ago, which would’ve been about a year or so after I’d finished my first draft of Climbing The Walls, I knew exactly what Nicole looked like.

I’m glad to learn, in retrospect, that I stayed true to her 15 years later, when putting her likeness on the book cover.

Like I said, there’s parts of me in all the ‘Hart & Cole‘ women, who have been pleading with me for over a decade to do them justice.

My second novel — Book 2: Pandora’s Poison — is almost here (it will be live on Jan 22, 2019), and it focuses on a new female character, Luisa. But Nicole was my first girl, and parts of Nicole’s story are intertwined here in Book 2, and also in Book 3: Pandora’s Price.

Nicole’s not done yet.

…Sometimes, I wonder if she ever will be.

Get Book 1 now on Amazon – free on Kindle Unlimited! And pre-order Book 2 – coming January 22, 2019!

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Hart & Cole Series

Character Development: The “Book Bible”

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First of all, you have to remember that Darren loves Luisa.

…To hell and back.

And she’s taken him there, so she knows.

Second of all, you have to remember that Luisa owes Darren.

Even when he behaves badly (and oh boy; does he!)… she owes him…

* * *

My friend and beta reader was determined to dislike Darren, after the end of Book 1 of my Hart & Cole series.

I don’t want to give away spoilers — particularly when I’m not entirely sure when Book 2 will be polished and ready for mass consumption, but basically:

A very, very good man [despite his flaws] did a very, very bad thing. 

It’s easy to look at a character like Luisa and label her “weak”, and wonder why on earth she even makes an effort to forgive him, as she does at the start of Book 2. But you have to remember that everyone’s story is not the same.

This a man who loves his mama, and his two girls; and is raising his precocious son to be a good man.

This is a man who did the unthinkable, years ago, to try to save his marriage.

This is a woman who has always loved strong, imposing men.

This is a woman who broke THIS strong, imposing man, time and time again… and she knows this.

So, I repeat: everyone’s story is not the same.

My character is my longest relationship…

So, yes, up to the end of Book 1, I’m on board with my beta reader friend. I myself, as many women have, have been at the receiving end of a man that crossed the line.

Despite the outcome (and fortunately mine was a “good” outcome), there is that moment of fear, when you’re in an intimate setting… and you’re not 100% sure if your words are going to be enough.

So, like I was saying… there’s no excuse for Darren’s behaviour. And I wholeheartedly agree.

But, you see, here’s the thing: I LOVE Darren.

I’ve loved Darren for 15 years. He’s the longest relationship I’ve ever had.

He’s my favourite character I’ve ever created.

He’s kept me up at night. I’ve rewritten every one of his crucial scenes dozens of times over the years.

He is my Book 2 and Book 3 man, and he’s been the most fully formed character since long before Book 1 even had a title.

Though we meet him throughout Book 1, he doesn’t get to spread his wings until Book 2 and Book 3.

I can’t wait to share him, in his full glory, to the world.

He may be in my imagination, but he’s my muse.

…So I’m determined to make her love him, too. I’m determined to make everyone love him.

…Which means, I’ve got my work cut out for me.

The Journey & The Lessons Learnt

That aside, our ongoing squabble about my character led me to think of how we, as writers, develop our characters.

Is it okay to just let them unfold onto a blank page?

Do we have a list of actions they need to get in, before the story’s climax?

I wish I had such an intricate plan — it would help if I had a bullet point list I could plan around.

For me, my characters control me. I have to wait till they tell me.

They tell me their strengths, their weaknesses, what they can do, what they will do in a situation.

I like to make sure that all my characters learn something and go through something to get them somewhere important in their relationship by the end of each novel.

For Book 1‘s Kris and Nicole, their tumultuous 3-4 months was their relationship’s breaking point… when they were each at their worst.

So how do you keep that in mind, while setting up all the scenes that led them there?

Start with a Premise: 4 to 5 lines

I use a premise-based approach.

My Hart & Cole series overall has a simple premise: RELATIONSHIPS. MARRIAGE. PARENTHOOD. INFIDELITY. INSECURITY. There’s a lot you can do with all of that, without writing an elaborate tale. These are things we all go through at some point in time. These are things we all understand.

Assuming you’re a writer worth even a sprinkle of your salt, once you have the smallest kernel of a story, you can build from that into so much more.

Once you’ve got the premise, you just need to mesh the premise with the characters.

I try to break my premise down to 5 lines or less, and make sure that my characters’ motivation (even though it’s never SAID directly) will trace back to the 5-line character premise.

So, here’s my Book Bible for Book 1:

First of all, you need to know that Kris always wanted kids.

…And Nicole always wanted Kris.

But here’s the thing: you can’t half-ass motherhood and still expect to keep your “perfect” husband.

Second of all, you need to remember:

Mommy forgets everything.

I Command You To Love My Anti-hero

Once you keep that clear 5-line thought in your mind as you write, it’s a lot easier to build scenes around your characters.

If you finish Book 1 of my Hart & Cole series, and then go back to the beginning two chapters (available here), you’ll realise the entire plot is covered in the first two chapters.

Everything that happens, was alluded to there.

All the themes were mentioned; the upcoming “breaking point” event (for *both* of the main relationships)… was right there.

I began with the premise, and I used the premise to help with the foreshadowing of events to come.

By the time Book 2 rolls around, you soon realise Darren’s bad behaviour (from Book 1) was inevitable. Events led him to that point; he didn’t get there on his own.

Then Luisa… I had fun with her, because there’s so much about her character to dislike; she may be the least sympathetic to some readers!

But Luisa’s a good girl. That’s important to remember.

What’s more important to remember is that good girls do bad things.

And the bad girls; the bad boys… sometimes, they are the best of all.

“You’re one of the good ones, Darren Hart,” Nicole says to Darren, in Book 3.

And he is… oh gosh. I promise you, he is.

So like I was saying, I need to make everyone love Darren.

I’ve got my work cut out for me. Let me get back to it…

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