Meet My MC: A Writers Linkup

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Quote, Unquote!

Today I’ll be participating in a writers linkup hosted by one of my dear friends, Maya Joelle. After participating in the one hosted by Christine Smith about my NaNo novel and having a blast, I know that this one is going to be amazing.

The MC I will be introducing today is Austin Blake Finch from my newest project, Seaglass. Here’s where I’d tell you a little about him, but since that’s what this entire post is about, I’ll refrain.

On to the questions!

1. Introduce your MC. What’s their name? Age? Appearance?

Austin Finch is a 16-year-old junior in public high school. He lives in a small town in southern Florida with his sister, parents, and golden retriever. He has brown hair that falls into his eyes, a lean build, and prefers to dress casually. Austin genuinely enjoys going to church and youth group and hanging out with his buddies there. He’s secretly a bit of a romantic and loves sports and the beach.

Here’s his faceclaim:

source: Bing Images

2. Explain how your MC fits into the plot of your book (as best you can without spoiling it all…).

Um… To be honest, even I don’t really know yet. Seaglass is still a half-baked idea floating around my brain. I do know, however, that he will play an important role in introducing the other MC, Kira.

3. What’s the first thing your MC says in the story? The last? A random quote from the middle that you like?

Again…half-baked idea. But here’s a quote that I randomly came up with in the middle of the night:

“It’s all right,” I told her, touching her shoulder. “Things aren’t okay, and that’s okay.”

“How can you say that?” Kira sniffled. She buried her face in her sweatshirt.

I gazed out over the ocean, relishing the way the sun set in so many firey shades. Just another display of God’s splendor and glory. “You know how they say ‘There’s always darkness before the dawn’? That’s what this is. This is the darkness, and it’ll get lighter.”

She raised her face and looked at me, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

“Just trust me,” I whispered.

4. Which other character would die for your MC?

Austin’s sister, Chloe, a nineteen-year-old. They’re very close, despite their (many) differences. Chloe would without hesitation take a bullet for her “baby” brother.

5. Would your MC die for them?

Definitely. Austin loves his sister, even when they disagree.

6. Have any major details about your MC changed since you first created them?

When I first came up with Austin, he was going to be a background character. I’ve never had a male MC before now, simply because it’s hard for me to get into their heads. But then I realized that the story could much better be told from his point of view and made him an MC.

Also, originally, Austin was going to be a generic, nonreligious character, but I decided to make him a Christian. It fit his personality somehow, and I’m excited to explore this aspect of his personality.

7. What characters (from books/movies not by you) remind you of your MC? Why?

In a way, Austin reminds me of Fitz from the Keeper of the Lost Cities series by Shannon Messenger–eager, earnest to do the right thing, and protective. He also emulates Tristan from Kara Swanson’s The Girl Who Could See, a steadying sort of person you can always rely on.

8. Share your MC’s favorites!

Ooh, this is going to be fun. *rubs hands together and grins* I’m not exactly sure how to do this in an interesting-to-read-yet-not-repetitive way, so…a list it is!

• Colour: Navy blue or maroon. Dark colors.
• Style of clothing: Comfortable and casual. Sweat shorts and t-shirts, like any normal teenaged boy.
• Pastime: Skateboarding or playing Ultimate Frisbee at the beach with friends.
• Food: Spaghetti! He also has a strange love for green vegetables, but probably only because he dumps tons of butter and salt on them.
• Place: The beach a few minutes away from his home.
• Animal: Golden retrievers, purely because his family owns the sweetest, nicest one in existence.
• Season: Winter. It’s not nearly as brutal, because he lives in Florida. Despite the tourists infesting his town, it’s the best time to be out and about when the weather is perfect.
• Type of music: He secretly enjoys classic rock from the 80’s, but would rather die than admit that to his friends.
• Book: Austin loves the Kane Chronicles trilogy by Rick Riordan.

9. If your MC wasn’t involved in your story, what would they be doing?

Austin would be trying to navigate his last two years of high school, working on getting into a good college, figuring out what he wants to do in life, just doing the normal high-school things normal high-school boys do. Of course, life isn’t always normal, so he’d probably get a lot more than that, but I’m not exactly sure what that would be.

10. Share a fun extra.

As much as I love my characters, I don’t usually make collages or playlists or anything for them. But here’s a collage that I enjoyed making for Austin! I feel like it captures Austin’s “essence” perfectly.

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So there you have it! I’m so excited to start Seaglass. I’m in the process of outlining right now, and it’s actually not too painful!

Would you enjoy reading a character interview where you submit questions for one or several of my characters and then my characters answer them?

Thank you for reading! See you next time!