I had a great call with my agent last week. She said Dreamwalker is ready to go out on submission, which in the publishing world means… more waiting. The process is what it is, but I’m really excited that she thinks I’ve got a manuscript worthy of pitching to acquisition editors at publishing houses. I did my part to get the manuscript into good shape, and she will do her part to package it up and present it. The rest is out of my hands.
Dreamwalker is a departure from my other work. My last trilogy was science fiction, and all the writing I’ve done so far under my pen-name, Maggie Clare, has been romantic suspense. Dreamwalker is an urban fantasy with a strong thriller component featuring an anti-hero.
In all my previous books, the heroes were truly heroic. They were flawed, made occasional questionable decisions and real mistakes, but at the end of the day, the fundamental qualities that made up their personalities were loyalty, bravery, compassion, and commitment. In other words, heroic qualities. But this new character – she’s a different animal entirely. As her personality unfolded over time, I thought a lot about what made an anti-hero an interesting and effective character.
Anti-heroes evolve. Characters shouldn’t remain stagnant throughout any story. They are necessarily changed by the trials and tribulations they face, and an anti-hero is no different. She should face challenges that rub against her nature and force her to evolve. Dexter, one of my all-time favorite anti-heroes, falls in love (in his own sociopathic kind of way), something his damaged character shouldn’t have been able to do.
We can relate to them somehow. An anti-hero is by definition a flawed character. She’ll have shortcomings, vices, and bad habits for sure, but those qualities shouldn’t turn readers off from her entirely. Rather, those qualities should make her seem human - complicated, but human. Wolverine’s brooding nature fits with his life history and experience, and we understand why he is the way is. We may see ourselves reflected in Ron Weasley’s bumbling nature.
They have redeeming qualities too. An anti-hero is still a multi-dimensional human being and should have positive personality traits mixed in. Maybe she’s snarky and drinks too much, but she’s also fiercely loyal. Han Solo may be a sarcastic, intergalactic smuggler, but he’s also street-smart, funny, and eventually a loyal friend.
They have a moral code, even if it’s outside the legal one. The fundamental difference between an anti-hero and a villain is intent. An anti-hero doesn’t intend to purposefully do harm to innocents. Carried too far in an irredeemable direction, we will, in fact, have a villain. Dexter only kills bad people. Severus Snape was protecting Harry all along. Han stuck around to help Luke blow up the Death Star.
I’m really excited for you to meet my new anti-hero, Brigid O’Leary, an assassin who kills you in your dreams, but only if you really, really deserve it! You’ll have to let me know what you think of her.
IN OTHER NEWS:
My alter-ego, Maggie Clare, will be releasing the next book in the Tactical Solutions International romantic suspense series on June 21st. I manage all my work as Maggie independently, which means I have to take charge of every part of the publishing process from editorial to cover art to promotional. Of course, that doesn’t mean I do all the work. I have a great editor, a great cover artist, and a great support team for marketing and advertising, but it does mean that I have to manage and coordinate all the pieces. It’s a lot, but it’s rewarding. Stay tuned!
If you’d like signed copies of my books, you can order them through my websites: tabithalordauthor.com or ms.maggieclare.com.