A couple of times, readers reviewing Almost an Affair said that they were unsure whether they liked the main protagonist, Celia. To be fair, I find it hard to really get to know a character before the end of the first chapter, and sometimes the protagonist is unlikeable at first and then the reader warms to them.
Let’s face it, sometimes the ‘good’ characters in a book are forgotten about or over-shadowed by the more intriguing ‘bad’ characters. I tend to like characters with dark edges, they seem to be more alive and energetic than the bland and insipid ones.
One could say that as I have my own dark edges, I relate better to the characters with the same flaw. Perhaps that is why my characters are written that way, and yes, some people may find them unlikeable.
One reviewer called Celia an enigma – which is a step in the preferable direction.
I like to think that my novels like to explore life in all its glory, which includes characters who are dull, boring, edgy and so forth; after all, perfection doesn’t exist in my life – I don’t know about yours of course!
I want to celebrate characters who have flaws that won’t necessarily been resolved by the end of the novel. I have a propensity to have a character commit suicide at the end of a novel, but I’m trying to be less radical, perhaps seeking an open ended resolution, where the reader can make up their own mind, or perhaps get them thinking about it for a few hours.
Happy Word Flow One & All
Hemmie Martin 