Guest Post by Lucy Kelly; "Holding On and Letting Go."

Lucy Kelly recently wrote a guest post for me. 

She's promoting her new book titled "Holding On and Letting Go."

This should have been up a lot sooner, but due to my recent illness it's been delayed.

However, please feast upon the greatness of this guest post--
This tour is being hosted by "Irresistible Reads."

Writing the Perfect Characters

Some authors may tell you that their characters are nothing like them or their life, but I basically think that's a lie. It is impossible to write relatable characters without a tiny bit of you slipping into the character. Close family and friends often tell me they can hear my voice in Emerson's voice in Holding On and Letting Go, and they are absolutely correct. If you were to have a one on one conversation with me, I would sound much like Emerson's character in the book. The same sense of sarcasm is there as is the relentless need to stand up for myself and others. In that way, Emerson and I are one in the same. With that said, my life is vastly different than Emerson's life. I only have one older brother who is still very much alive, married, and has children. My parents are extraordinarily wonderful people. To put it mildly, I've never been in the situation I wrote for that character. I did, however, consider how I would react if that was my life, and I'm very certain that the reaction would not be pretty.

To write a relatable character, I have to emotionally take the same trip as I've written for the character.  Trust me, there are days when I can't write a scene because I know I'm going to have to break my own heart a little to write the scene in a way it deserves. I am so excited to begin work on the third book once the second book has been edited, but I know where that third book is headed. There are going to be a few days of sincerely ugly crying in my upcoming summer. Do I think it will be worth it in the long run? Yes, absolutely.  Do I dread writing a few of those chapters? Yes, absolutely. If you follow me on twitter, I am certain you will be able to tell which days I'm breaking my own heart.

There seems to be two schools of thought on creating characters. In the first school, you have the authors who write the characters who are so perfect that you fantasize about meeting and marrying them, i.e. Edward Cullen.

Personally, I hate being cold, so I don't think the relationship would last, but he is quite the hit with essentially every female age group. I respect the authors who write those characters. They have had a great deal of success writing those characters.

Here's the thing. I can't bring myself to write one of those characters. I don't want the damsel in distress and knight in shining armor characters because I have no idea how it feels to be in either one of those roles. I have never been the girl waiting to get saved, but I have also never been the perfect person with unparalleled good looks and morals. Like most people, I think I live somewhere in the middle. While I'm not interested in having plastic surgery whatsoever or going on a crash diet, you will also never see me on the Victoria's Secret runway (there goes my shot at meeting Adam Levine). Though I do my best to be a good person, I have my moments where I say the wrong things or get frustrated a little too easily. Like I said, I live somewhere between the two extremes. Again, I think most people do. I want the imperfect and slightly (or really) broken characters because those characters are far more realistic. In the end, I truly believe the realistic characters matter just a little more. They are the characters you see bits of yourself in and you find yourself nodding because you too have had that thought or reaction to something. They are the characters you wish you could talk with over dinner. They are the characters you continue to wonder about finish reading the book. All in all, I am perfectly happy writing the "imperfect" character. 

Information on "Holding On and Letting Go" as well as Lucy Kelly.

Synopsis: Is there a way to describe the ties that bind us together? What happens when one of those ties is unexpectedly severed? Can everything else remain the same? Will the other ties hold strong? Two years after her little brother's death, sixteen year old Emerson Caulfield returns to a home that she spent the last two years missing. In theory, everything should be the same. Her best friend, Matt, still lives next door. Her house is in the exact same condition as they left it. The scenery and hallways haven't changed, yet for Emerson, everything is completely different. The place may be the same, but Emerson is most certainly not. She returns home hurt, angry, and miles away from the girl she once was. The 60,000 word novel alternates between the perspectives of Emerson, who is struggling to keep breathing on a daily basis, and Matt, who wants to have his old best friend back so badly that he is willing to overlook the fact that she has completely changed. Though their friendship and relationship is a major part of the story, it takes backseat to the unique bonds between siblings, what happens when your worst enemy is in fact yourself, and the hardships that come with growing up and changing.

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Blog Tour Hosted by "Irresistible Reads."
Click HERE for the initial Blog Tour post.