Shared Quirks

Join me in welcoming Ayden Morgen, author of Fade. Ayden is a dear friend of mine, someone I've been through a lot with in our publishing careers. I also had the pleasure of editing her novel, and I hope you all enjoy Fade as much as I did.

I asked Ayden what character traits she shares with her main character Arionna, and this was her response.

Shared Quirks

Conventional wisdom says that a first novel is a bit autobiographical. If that's the case, Arionna Jacobs, Fade's heroine, is probably thanking her lucky stars that Fade is the first novel I've published, and not the first I've written. Those I've buried beneath old textbooks, in a pile labeled "what was I thinking?" It's for the best, trust me!

I have to admit though, Arionna and I do have a few things in common. We're both college students in love with gorgeous, mystery men . . . Oh wait. That's my dream world, isn't it?

In reality, I married my not-so-mysterious mystery man when I was Arionna's age, and finished graduate school this year, leaving her behind to wrangle Dace Matthews on her own. The man is a menace, but Arionna holds her own. I'd have tied him to a chair and left him long ago, but that's just me. ;)

You can find little pieces of me in Arionna's quirks and passions though. We both firmly believe that patience is for the birds. For the birds, I tell you! We both over think things far too often, and lack anything remotely resembling a verbal filter. She shares my love of the outdoors, especially the woods. And I may have also shared my love of history and fear of metal sinks with our stubborn heroine.

Yes, you read that right. Fear of metal sinks. More specifically, the area where the rim of the sink overlaps onto the cabinet. That area is lethal! Especially when it's not settled quite right. *shudders*

But I digress. Despite sharing a few quirks with me, Arionna is very much her own person. Her world is falling apart, but that doesn't stop her from going after the things she wants. She's a little bit broken, but meets each new challenge and loss with her head held high. She's courageous, intelligent, and has no intention of letting her mystery man make choices for her. And no matter how much she hurts, nothing keeps her down for long.

Not even the fact that her boyfriend is part wolf and can access her mind in the blink of an eye.

Me? Well, you're more likely to find me hiding under the bed with a shot of vodka and a shoe, speed-dialing the husband to come save me from anything that creeps, crawls, or goes bump in the night. Arionna? She prefers to save herself, no matter how scary things get or how much life hurts.

With a possible apocalypse hanging over her head, that's probably a good thing.

xoxo,
A.K. Morgen