Today we are joined by Alina Popescu, who talks to us about dealing with stubborn characters. Thanks for the tips, Alina Don’t forget to check out the book trailer and there’s a Giveaway too!

Strength to Let Go

by Alina Popescu

Series: Tales of the Werewolf Tribes, Book One

Synopsis

After being abandoned by his mates, Shiki Kirishima, beta of the Dragons of the Fang werewolf tribe, returns to his home in Tokyo.

Crippled by grief, Shiki decides to end it all by going into the territory of the Siberian Killers tribe and challenging them to a battle to the death.

His death.

Ganzorig, beta of the Siberian Killers, however, sees the potentially disastrous consequences of having Shiki die in battle.

Instead, he saves him.

Having suffered loss himself, Ganz takes it upon himself to help Shiki deal with his pain.

Blake, Shiki’s best friend since childhood, is as determined to show him there is life after a wolf’s ultimate loss.

Could there also be something ‘more’ for them after friendship?

Guest Post – How to Deal with a Stubborn Character

Here’s an easy guide to dealing with a stubborn character. Why? Because I had to deal with Shiki, main character of Strength to Let Go, and maybe you’ll find this useful. Shiki is stubborn, never shuts up, and never rests until he gets his own way. My way was to publish his brother’s book first, to introduce Shiki in it, and then move on to tell his story. Sounds good, right?

Not to Shiki, it didn’t! He kept talking and talking until I changed the order and wrote his book first. So how do you deal with such a character? Simple: you give in. You stop fighting it and just go along with him until the story is written and he finally lets you be. And breathe!

Sounds scary? I imagine having one crazy character ruin your carefully laid plans is frightening. You can’t hate the brat, can you? You’ve created him and you love him. But is it okay for a character to have such power, to dictate how you tell a story and when? Yes, yes it is! The voice of a character demanding attention is the one you should listen to. It’s what inspires you most  at that point of your writing career and if you try to force yourself to focus on something else… you will fail.

This was not the first time my characters and I wanted different things. I tried to fight them before, it still ended up being as they said it should be. They also happened to be right, the story made more sense that way. So with Shiki, I already knew what happened when I tried all the other ways – ignore the character, just keep writing it like you wanted it, make up reasons you were right and they were wrong… I knew for a fact it wouldn’t work, so I readily gave in.

Does that make me a pushover in how my characters treat me? Every. Single. Time! I still think it’s all worth writing a better story.

Book Trailer

Buy Links

Don’t miss the Tickle Me Pink sale on the Wayward Ink Publishing site – 25% off all list prices till July 21st.

WIP: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/product/strength-to-let-go-by-alina-popescu/

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010ITT1VG/

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B010ITT1VG/

Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B010ITT1VG/

Amazon DE: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B010ITT1VG/

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-strengthtoletgo-1840807-145.html

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/strength-to-let-go-alina-popescu/1122233801?ean=9781925222555

Giveaway

Prizes: $10 WIP Gift Card, 3 signed Bookmarks, and 1 ecopy of Strength to Let Go

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author

Writer, traveler, and coffee addict, Alina Popescu has been in love with books all her life. She started writing when she was ten and she has always been drawn to sci-fi, fantasy, and the supernatural realm. Born and raised in Romania, she finds her inspiration in books of all genres, in movies, and the occasional manga comic book. She is a proud geek who needs her fast Internet and gadgets more than she needs air.

Social Links

Site & Blog: http://alina-popescu.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/authoralinapopescu

Twitter: http://twitter.com/alina_popescu

Instagram: http://instagram.com/alinapopescuwriter

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/alina-popescu

Google+:  https://www.google.com/+AlinaPopescu

Amazon:  http://amazon.com/author/alinapopescu