Guest Post by L.M. Preston, Author of FLUTTER OF LUV

Hello, everyone! Today I'm excited to feature a guest post by author L.M. Preston, whose new YA novel FLUTTER OF LUV releases on July 28th. In this post, she discusses why authors do bad things to good characters. Take it away, L.M.!

***

THE EVIL THINGS WE DO

While hosting #YALITCHAT one night, we chatted about Author Confessions where we all confess to the evil things we’ve done to our main characters.

WHY WE ARE SO MEAN TO OUR MC’s
Let’s face it, growth is painful. Very painful. In order to develop and grow our characters through the reader’s eyes – we must create trials, tribulations, and odd situations for them. Those situations should be realistically displayed and work within the story but should be used to show either strength, growth, reaction, thoughts, or set-ups that build the relationship with the character and the reader.
Also, we authors create these situations because it’s just darn fun :-D Oops! Did I say that?

MY CONFESSIONS
Well, you may as well hear the truth from me personally. Here are my confessions:

FLUTTER OF LUV - I created the mean ‘friend-emy’ Poochie who got a sick pleasure out of bringing Dawn, the main character to an allround low.

THE PACK – (Upper YA) – I confess to making Shamira (my MC) blind, kidnapping her brother, shooting her, stabbing her, beating her up, trying to blow her up with landmines…sigh, I’m so bad.

BANDITS – (Upper YA) – I confess to murdering Daniel’s father (my MC) trying to eat him, burning him, breaking his fingers, sucking the blood out of his brother and girlfriend, kidnapping his family, trying to burn him in a boiling sea…and I haven’t even really gotten started with all the naughty things I’ve done to him.
Truly I would be sorry if doing these things didn’t create my flawed, a bit on the angry side characters and turn them into heroes – but it was just too darned fun!

EXPLORER X – ALPHA – (Middle Grade Series) – I confess to genetically altering my Aadi (my MC), making his parents betray him by keeping an awful secret, cutting him, enslaving him, blackmailing him, altering his body, kidnapping his crush, capturing him in war…to name just a few.

WITH THE BAD comes THE GOOD
In doing all these awful things to our main characters, we help them grow, take the readign on an adventure, and create a way for there to be a connection.

by: L.M. Preston, www.lmpreston.com

L.M.'s TOP 10
My Top 10 Addictions:
1. Chocolate
2. Coffee with Chocolate
3. Playing hide and seek with my kids
4. Daydreaming
5. Talking to myself outloud
6. Going to the movies and thinking I could do better
7. Escaping in a book I'm reading
8. Going to the beach
9. Baking cakes, cookies, and pasteries
10. Playing board games


IMPORTANT LINKS
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Flutter-Of-Luv-ebook/dp/B0088ELXE2/

Twitter Party: Friday, July 27th, 5pm - 6pm, use hashtag #FlutterOfLuv and follow @Lm_Preston

Facebook Party: Saturday, July 28th, 12pm-9pm EST http://www.facebook.com/events/340720479326022/?context=create

Blog Tour Stops (Past, Present, & Future): LM Preston’s Ramblings - 7/13/2012
http://lmpreston.blogspot.com

Indies Unlimited - 7/13/2012
http://www.indiesunlimited.com/

A Little Bit Of R&R - 7/13/2012
http://www.alittlebitofrnrreviews.com

Doreen McGettigan - 7/17/2012
http://doreenmcgettigan.com/

Writer’s Alley - 7/17/2012
http://writersally.blogspot.com/

I Want To Read That - 7/18/2012
http://www.iwanttoreadthat.com/

Cheryl Rainfield - 7/18/2012
http://cherylrainfield.com/blog/

The Daily Harrell - 7/19/2012
http://jessie-harrell.blogspot.com/

Word Forge Books - 7/20/2012
http://wordforgebooks.com/blog/

Searching For An Escape - 7/21/2012
http://www.officialmhafh.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/MHAFH

The Write Game - 7/23/2012
http://writegame.blogspot.com/

Stephen Penner - 7/24/2012
http://stephenpenner.blogspot.com/

Black Words White Pages - 7/26/2012
http://www.blackwords-whitepages.blogspot.com

Curiosity Key - 7/27/2012
http://www.curiositykey.blogspot.com/

SomeoneWhoActuallyCares - 7/27/2012
http://someonewhoactuallycares.blogspot.com/

LM Preston’s Ramblings - 7/28/2012
http://lmpreston.blogspot.com

Tribute Books Reviews & Giveaways - 7/23/2012
http://tributebooksreviews.blogspot.com/

Tribute Books Mama - 7/24/2012
http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/

The Character Connection - 7/25/2012
http://thecharacterconnection.blogspot.com/

The Plot Thickens - 7/26/2012
http://theplotthickensbookblog.blogspot.com/

City Girl Who Loved To Read - 7/27/2012
http://citygirlwholovestoread.blogspot.com/

Twitter Release Party! - 5pm-6pm use hashtag #FlutterOfLuv

FACEBOOK Release Party! - 7/28/2012
http://www.facebook.com/events/340720479326022/?context=create

Legal Thrilled

My latest book was just released. Yay!

It's titled PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE and is my first legal thriller novel. (Background/confession: My day job is prosecutor, so the hero of INNOCENCE is also a prosecutor, Assistant D.A. David Brunelle.) The ebook is selling well, already a Top 100 legal thriller on Amazon in both kindle and overall sales. Here's the cover (which I also designed) and the "blurb":

Homicide prosecutor David Brunelle faces the most difficult case of his career. An innocent young girl is murdered in a heinous, unforgivable way. The only evidence against the killer is the full confession of his accomplice--another young girl he also victimized. But the accomplice is charged with the murder as well, which means she has the right to remain silent. And she's so scared of the killer, she refuses to take a deal to testify against him. Brunelle can't just let the murderer walk, but how can he get a conviction when he has no admissible evidence and the killer is protected by the PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE?

And if you like the novel, I also have out two David Brunelle short stories: BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT and CASE THEORY, each only 99 cents on kindle.

For more info about all my books, visit www.stephenpenner.com