Eden Ashe

Archive for the ‘Off Topic’ Category

I admit it. When I first started writing, I might have scoffed a little when authors would say something like this. Or insinuate that their characters were driving them mad. Or worse yet, declare that they were only writing what the characters wanted them to write.

Yeah.

Right.

I mean, c’mon. Obviously you as The Writer were writing what you wanted to write. What you wanted to see on the page. And the characters were only doing what you were making them do. Because, really, characters do not have minds of their own.

Then I created Emma, the fantasy artist. Emma with a mind of her own who knew things about characters I hadn’t even realized I’d created yet. Emma who sees the links in the things that I write and manages to connect the pieces six months down the road when I’m ready to give up. It was Emma who dragged me kicking and screaming into the fantasy romance world so I could give her and Micah the story I’d never been able to fit in the nice, normal everyday world.

I know what you’re thinking. Why do I think this is Emma, and not just me talking to myself? Easy. I know Emma’s voice. And if I told you some of the things Emma has done that has made me believe she is a living, breathing character in my head, well…you’d think I was nuts. But I’m getting off topic. As much of a pain in my backside that Emma and her Micah are, they’re not a part of the world I’m working on right at the moment. Well, that’s not entirely true.

See, my characters are now forming split personalities. When I started writing, I had Luca and Keeley and Micah first. Then I created Emma to go with Micah, and gave the brothers a sister, Seren, and a mate, Adrian, for her. Of course I have other characters for other series, but these were the three couples for the Dragan world. They were supposed to stay in that world and I expected them to be happy and content with the fact that they were all going to get their own stories which of course meant their own Happily Ever Afters. I really should have known better.

To make a long story a little bit shorter, the story I’m working on now started off as Luca and Keeley’s original story. It’s turned into something SO FAR beyond what the first draft was, that it’s not even the same story anymore. It’s not even the same world. But I couldn’t separate Luca and Keeley from it. I could give them new names, but this was still their story. See, they want both–their dragon story, and the Guardian story. Which meant that everyone else from the dragon world expected to be part of both series, too, since brothers have to stay together, and NO ONE gets near those guys except for their women, unless I want to end up in the emergency room because my characters have revolted and split my head open. And yes, I am now blaming my migraines on them.

So…yes. I am in charge of my own personal insane asylum. It’s just not as bad as it sounds, because I fully believe with all of my heart that if I don’t know my characters and love them absolutely, that no one else ever will, either. And they really, truly deserve to be loved. After all, they have to put up with me.

~Eden

As I was driving the other day, I had the new Flyleaf song cranked up on my stereo and I had to smile a little as Emma, my fantasy artist heroine, came rushing to the surface. You see, Emma has adopted Flyleaf as her theme music. The music, the feel of the music itself, just fits Emma, down to her stubborn little toes. So I started thinking about my characters, and what kind of music they like because as a writer, music is extremely important to my creativity.  I can write entire chapters based on just what a certain song feels like to me. For example, it only took the first few seconds of Godsmack’s Serenity to write the PERFECT, elusive prologue for Adrian.

So this is what I’ve come up with, for my main pain-in-the-backside cast of characters.

Emma: Flyleaf all the way.

Micah: He likes the hard stuff. Disturbed, Rage Against the Machine, Seether…and hardcore rap. Anything to get his blood pumping.  Which usually results in him getting caught in another fight with someone wanting him dead, but if the man has ever met someone who hasn’t wanted to kill him at some point or other, I’ve yet to find them.

Keeley: She listens to a lot of Norah Jones, Duffy, A Fine Frenzy, and Alicia Keys. She loves the way their music makes her feel.

Luca: Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, Hinder. He doesn’t do the angry at life stuff, he has enough to be pissed off at without using music to add to the fire.

Seren: Within Temptation and Plumb. I’m sure she probably listens to other artists, but those get her where she needs to be in her head so she can do the things she needs to do. And with Adrian as her husband, I don’t argue with her much.

Adrian: Godsmack.

Welcome.  Did you like the title of my first post? Let me explain. I have a character whose answer for all his irritating, over-bearing, and stubborn behavior is “I am Dragan.” As if that explains it all–which, sadly it usually does. He’s just that arrogant, and apparently, I’m starting to sound like him.

Anyway, welcome. I am Eden Ashe. Mother, wife, author. Up until last night, I was Eden Stone, but the web domain was taken, and just like my heroes, I don’t like to share. Though I have to admit, I am a little more flexible than they are. Thank God, or I’d be locked up somewhere by now.

So what do I write? Romance, of course, though recently my mostly-calm, normal, well-behaved characters decided they didn’t want to play nice anymore, and decided they needed a fantasy world to play in. With the help of my friend and co-author, Emma Weylin, we were able to make them the true, dark, bad asses we always imagined them to be.  You can read more about them, and our journey to make their world come to life, here.  It’s not always fun, it’s an awful lot of work, but it will be worth it in the end.

Welcome to my world, and I hope you’ll love it as much as I do.

Take care,

Eden