Yesterday, I reviewed my first ever adult romance book, Promise by Kristie Cook. Today Kristie was sweet enough to pop by and give us the low-down on some of the characters. And she’s also offered up one signed copy of Promise for me to give away.
Oh, today is also a double whammy special day for Kristie. Not only is it her birthday, but it’s the official release day for Promise!
Happy birthday release day sweetie!
Meet the Cast
At least for me, what makes a book great is the cast of characters. A good plot with twists and turns is necessary, too, and the setting can also contribute a great deal. It’s the characters, though, that really bring the story alive. Here’s a little introduction to the cast you’ll meet in Promise.
Alexis Ames – She’s the main character and the story is told from her first-person perspective. We meet her at 18 years old, but she grows and matures through the series. At the beginning of Promise, she’s young and pretty inexperienced in many things. She’s in most ways normal, but she has a few quirks – an unusually powerful sense of smell, a sixth sense that detects whether someone’s overall intentions are good or bad and the ability to heal almost instantaneously. Also, certain emotions bring out an inhuman strength. So she knows she’s not normal and she wants to know why. She’s been teased and betrayed by kids and even adults in the past, resulting in emotional pain, loss and suffering, so she trusts no one but her mother. When she gets attached, though, it’s for life. Because it takes so much for her to get to this point, her feeling of loss and pain when she loses someone is exponentially greater than most of us. She desires a career as an author, and more than anything, true love and a normal family with a stable life. At the beginning, she’s focused on finding out whom she really is so she can make adjustments and still reach her goals. By the end of the book, her priorities have changed, with survival at the top.
Tristan Knight – Aaahhh, Tristan. Yummy. That’s all we care about. Okay, not really. Because he’s much more than eye-candy. He’s an artist, an athlete and more educated than most people will ever be. He enjoys almost any activity, but mostly…well…I’ll just call it extreme sports. Tristan has had a rough past – one that he’s not proud of. After all, he was created by Satan’s minions. Converted to the good side for many years, he strongly desires to be good, but the nature bred into him tries to fight this, especially with Alexis. It’s an internal battle he struggles with every day. There’s much more to share, but I think I’ll let you find out in the books. I don’t want to ruin the fun of uncovering his secrets. J
Sophia Ames – Alexis’s mother, who at first seems uncaring and not very loving, but she behaves the way she does for very good reasons. She actually loves Alexis more than anything and always has her best interests at heart. She’s inhumanly beautiful and doesn’t age, so she looks like she’s about twenty-seven…forever. She’s abnormally strong and can kick some serious butt when necessary. She tries to raise Alexis as normally as she can, though, so she hides her abilities and powers. Though her role in Promise and Purpose is pretty rigid, I had a lot of fun doing her full character sketch. She has a difficult but really colorful background that I hope comes out in future books.
Owen Allbright – Owen is one of those characters who I thought would serve a very small role, but he becomes a major player in the following books. At first glance, he’s extremely laid back and doesn’t seem to have a care in the world. But, like everyone else, there’s much more to him than what meets the eye. He’s been a fun character to develop and write. He also has an unexpectedly interesting background. And that’s all I’ll say about him, so I don’t spoil anything.
Those are the four main characters. There are several characters that seem to play a minor role in Promise, but don’t dismiss anyone. They are all more than what they seem. There are even a couple that you’ll think we’re completely done with, but you never know who might pop up later. They surprise even me.
I’ve learned to let them tell me what happens, not to try to force them into how I think it should be. When I do that, they really come alive and the story becomes better than I could have ever done on my own. Do you get the feeling that I think they’re real? Yeah, we writers are weird like that. But if our characters don’t feel real to us, how could we even begin to convince you that they’re worth knowing?
The Giveaway
So, I have one signed copy of Promise to give away to a lucky ready. To enter, just comment below and let me know which of the four you are the most curious to get to know in the book. I’ve already read Promise, so I’ve met them all, but I am most curious to get to know more about Owen. Sure, Tristan is drop-dead gorgeous and a dream in a tight t-shirt, but Owen’s more my speed.
Contest is open until the 6th of August. US and Canadian entries only, please.
Tags: books, giveaway, Kristie Cook, paranormal romance, Promise
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