Character Interview: Zayla from The Resistance Chronicles

Hello! So you all were awesome and gave me some great questions for Zayla's interview... and I finally got her to answer them!
If you don't know her, she's one of the four main characters in my book  The Resistance Chronicles, and you can find out a bit more about her here. This is my first interview with a character, so bear with me.

But it's gonna be fun.

Zayla: *cocks an eyebrow*

Hi there! So you ready for this?

Zayla: *sighs*

Okay then! First Question. have you always suffered from social anxiety?

Zayla: "Way to start out easy." *fidgets with sweater*

It's okay, they only asked because they like you.

Zayla: "Fine. Kind of. I mean, I never was good at making friends. No one ever liked me, either. But when the panic attacks started--" *runs hand through hair, sucks in a breath*

It's okay. How old were you then?

Zayla: "I was twelve when I had my first attack. My dad thought I was being dramatic. My mom thought I would grow out of it. Kids-- the ones that said they were my friends--  didn't get it. They thought I was crazy."

You're not though.

Zayla: *oh really? face*

So how does the anxiety and panic disorder affect your ability to make friends?

Zaya: "I don't make friends. The only reason I have friends now is because they cornered me and forced me into it."

But you like them.

Zayla: "They don't hate me yet. So yeah, I do."

Is it harder depending on the person? Like, if it's a boy, is that easier or harder than a girl? Or is it mostly a personality thing?

Zayla: "Well, with Cameron it was easy. He did all the work. And I think the thing about guys is that they can't directly compare themselves with me. Like with Alyssa-- she's a girl too. And she can do anything, and do it well. So with her it's harder, cause I know she's judging me, even if she doesn't say it."

Well.... we'll just move on.

What sort of things make you panic?

Zayla: "it depends. Sometimes I get an attack over stuff most people just stress out over. And once it starts, it's too hard to fight off. If I get overwhelmed, I panic. If I get stressed out, I panic. If someone starts talking to me and I can't figure out what they're thinking, I panic."

Does it have anything to do with feeling as though you do not have control of a situation?

Zayla: "You know that answer. And since you do, I find it cruel that you stuck me in here and forced me to talk. Do you even realize how-- how hard--" *hands are slightly shaking*

I'm sorry! It seemed like a good idea....
Okay, Let's do something you like talking about. What's the story behind you having a falcon?

Zayla: "Oh. Well, there was always something about the birds that drew me. They got to see parts of the world I'd never know.
And one day, I was coming out of a panic attack in an alley, and there she was. just a fledgling then. She must have escaped from a breeder-- but I didn't care. She needed my help. And to be honest, I needed hers."

You two make a good team. Now, how did Ferucil's control affect you having a pet? Does he decide who keeps pets and who doesn't?

Zayla: "Well, it's like this. Ferucil decides on your career, and day to day assignments, basically other than that he commands you on whim. So as long as he doesn't restrict you, you can keep a pet. So he decided the breeder would raise raptors, proably for rodent control. Then he didn't tell me to get ridd of the bird when I found her."

I see. Okay, so another question you won't appreciate. what scares you the most about being part of the Resistance? have you ever had to kill someone or something?

Zayla: *staring at the ground* "I'm terrified I'll mess this all up. I don't understand it. And it's all happening really fast. But it's like instinct-- i know this is where I'm supposed to be."...."And yes"

So? Tell us about it.

Zayla: "Fine. In Thera, parent's tell their kids stories about an army of creatures Ferucil keeps outside the city to protect us from bad people. They're just supposed to be fairy tales. But the creatures are very real, and the attack us. 
So yeah, I've been attacked, and I fought back."

Yes, yes you did.

Zayla: "I almost lost."

That means you won.

Zayla: *shrugs*

So what kind of creatures do you see?

Zayla: *bites lip* Um-- well, when they attacked the Resistance headquarters, I saw a couple different kinds. One of them went after  Cameron-- he called it a Keraguan, I think. It was short and slow, but strong and-- hideous. Like nothing I'd ever imagined.

But the Strach is what came after me. It's like-- like a-- like a dragon. But no wings. And six legs. And the skin is coated in poison. It touched me here. *pulls up sleeve, there's burn marks on her forearm*

Is that the one that scares you most?

Zayla: *sighs, pulls sleeve back down* Cameron said that Ferucil sends the same kind of creature after you almost every time. The one that can do the most damage to you.
*crosses arms*
So yeah, It's just a little bit scary.

I can imagine. But Ferucils creatures aren't the only threat, are they?

Zayla: *shakes head*

How do criminals like the ones that attacked Alyssa exist in Thera, with Ferucil controlling everyone's actions?

Zayla: You'd think Ferucils control would eliminate, crime, wouldn't you? But he lets them... he /lets/ them stay out past curfew, he lets them-- *stutters, furrows brow* I don't know. I don't understand it.

Okay, two more and you can go home. Is the Resistance tolerant of your panic disorder, or do they get annoyed by it.

Zayla: "Well, they act like they're tolerant. But I don't know how long that will last. I  think Cameron might be the only person who really tries to understand it." *shrugs* "Not that he ever will, but it's something, I guess."

Do you have anything special you think about to calm yourself down when you panic?

Zayla: *smiles faintly* "Now that i'm a Recruit-- when I panic, Adiano speaks to me. So I do my best to ignore everything else that's making me panic and just listen to Him. It doesn't make the panic go away immediately, but it helps a little." *shifts in her seat* "That's it then? I can go?"

Yes. Thank you for being cooperative.

Zayla: "Sure. Bye." *runs off*

Yay! That was so much fun, and helped me beat writer's block.... I finally have a draft of the next part! It will still be a while before it's ready, but I'm working on getting the whole story kinda mapped out. I hope you guys will like it. :D

Thanks for reading! (and asking questions)

Character Interview: Zayla, from The Resistance Chronicles

Hello my peoples!

So I have seen a bunch of people do this and I really want to now.
So I am going to . Simple as that.
What is this, you might ask?

*drumroll*

A CHARACTER INTERVIEW!!!

You ask questions to my babies, and I interview them with those questions. I'll throw in some of my own, just to fill it out a bit.

The first character I want to interview is Zayla, from TRC. Partially because I have writer's block with her and partially because she is where TRC came from!

If you aren't familiar with her, Zayla is one of the four main characters of The Resistance Chronicles. At seventeen, she is new to the Resistance, and is still learning how to stretch her wings, let alone fly. But she'll learn with time. She suffers from panic disorder and social anxiety, which are making her transition difficult, not to mention problems with her family.
However, she's learning new things, too. With her falcon, Kiara, and her new bow, she's ready-- sort of -- to face whatever creatures Ferucil throws at her.

Feel free to ask her anything about herself, Thera or the Resistance.
(Actually don't just Feel Free, PLEASE ask her anything that comes to mind. XD)

As always, thanks for reading!!

The Art of Characters Linkup: Protagonists

Hello!

So over at Stor Tori's blog there is a linkup going on!
And I am super excited, because it combines art and writing.
Here's her picture for the linkup, to give you an idea of how awesome it is.

And here's the instructions, so you can do it too!!

Step 1.) Find three pieces of art that describe your character. This can be your own drawings or cosplays or sculptures, someone else's art (with their permission and/or crediting of course), celebrity pictures, or a combination of the three.

Step 2.) Answer the questions below about your character's description and link back to this [that^] blog so if anyone else wants to participate they know where to go.

Step 3.) Put it all in a blog post.

Step 4.) When you post it, link up here [at the link above] and you're done!


 

So I chose Zayla, from The Resistance Chronicles.

Here's her face. XD

So here is an insecurity map, as inspired By C. F. Barrows' maps for her characters. Revel in it's painful beauty.

And a drawing I did of Cameron and Zayla. 

The Questions:

1.) What does your character's eye, skin, and hair color tell about him/her?

Zayla is pale, with emerald green eyes and black hair. 

In a way, her skin and hair color are results of the fact that she is the kind of person to stick to the shadows. She doesn't want to be noticed, but just like how she has bright and stunning eyes, she has a fire and passion within that makes it's way out in her loyalty and bravery despite her anxiety.

2.) What does your character's hairstyle tell about him/her?

Zayla's hair is choppy and straight. And black. 

And to be honest, she's kinda like that too. A bit blunt. A bit dark. 

Even sarcastic if she trusts you not to hate her for it. 

3.) What does your character's default outfit tell about him/her?

She likes to be comfortable, but also to blend in, so she wears a lot of black sweaters and jeans. But sweaters especially, since they are comforting and she tends to fidget with the loose strands of thread or pull the sleeves over her hands when she's feeling anxious. They're kind of a comfort zone when she's extremely uncomfortable.

4.) Does he/she have an object(s) he/she carries around a lot?

Zayla ALWAYS wears at least one custom falconry glove. She also carries her compound bow a lot of the time.

5.) Does he/she have any particular scars or birthmarks?

I haven't thought of this.... OH WAIT.
She has some slight scarring on her arm from the chemical burns she got from her first battle against Ferucil's creatures.

6.) Does he/she have any piercings or tattoos?

Nope. I mean, I don't even think she's the earring type. She'd probably have panic attack over sleeping in them and that the sharp part would poke a hole in her skull or something. 

7.) How does he/she carry themselves? Shoulders back? Eye contact? Eyes down? Slumped shoulders?

Slumped shoulders, small steps, usually looking at the ground or something in the distance. Except for when she's shooting, then she falls into proper form, because it makes her feel stronger.

8.) What is his/her default expression? Smiling? Frowning? Solemn?

Tense. She's pretty serious, and very introverted, and unless you catch her at a vulnerable moment she's not going to really want to talk about anything. But that's also because she's constantly fighting off anxiety, trying to keep herself together.

So yeah, tense.

9.) Does he/she wear make-up or face paint?

Probably a little makeup, since she wouldn't want to get picked on for not wearing it. But not much more than like mascara and some smoky eye shadow.

10.) Does his/her physical appearance change at any time? For example: If they have a power do their eyes glow or hair turn blue?

Nah. Once she joins the Resistance she starts to wear more navy than black, and stand with a little more confidence. But for the most part she's consistent.

And that's a wrap!

Thank you all for reading! 

And Thanks Victoria for hosting the linkup!

Also, would anyone be interested in a character interview with Zayla? She's my focus this month, since the next TRC part is coming from her perspective and I have writer's block like no tomorrow. 

ANYWAY.

Go do this. It was fun. :D

Officially Introducing: Gifted, a WIP

Before the Resistance Chronicels,
                  Before Zayla and Alyssa and Cameron and Keiko,
                               Before I ventured into the world of allegorical dystopian,

I had a few babies characters.

Today I am introducing my WIP, Gifted.
I can't give too many details, because I am currently revising and going crazy over this thing.

Like, really. I'm adding a whole other plot line and laughing at my past self that thought I would write a book and publish it and be done with it.

HA.

HA HA HA HA.

But I want to introduce you to the story a bit, so that you guys will know what I'm talking about when I mention Gifted.

So here's what's basically the back cover blurb.

Tessa Scott didn't ask to be special. 

She does her best to stay under the radar, but when her dad is taken by the Savet, the organization that rules over her race of genetically Gifted people, she has to face her greatest fears to get him back. 

But does retrieving her father have greater consequences than she had hoped? Will she ever live the life she's longed for?

The characters!!

Tessa Scott is the Main Character. Her genetics gave her heightened intelligence as well as enhanced versions of the five senses. And a few other things. You'll see. 

However, she's not supposed to use these abilities at all, lest someone find out about her race. So she has to hide, and in the end she's miserable. She can't pursue the things she's good at, but she can't really fit into the crowd either. As much as she loves some of the perks of being Gifted, she resents the life she has to live.

There you have her!

Ashton Ryndel-- 

Ash grew up in Foster care, hopping from house to house until the -- finally took him in for good. He's a feeler-- a deep feeler. He knows rejection all too well, but he still reaches out to others, again and again. He won't let any amount of ridicule (or even his own awkward quirks) keep him from doing what's right, especially if it involves someone he cares about.

(I hope whoever this really is never sees this. hahaha)

Ryleigh Sefton--

Ryleigh (don't call her Ry. Ever.) is a toughie. She's got walls built up like the Chinese. XD She needs those defense systems, though, to hold herself together. She comes to live with Ashton's family, but her secrets go deeper than Foster Care. 

Oh yes. Secrets everywhere.

This is fairly close to looking like her.

Zeke (He doesn't give out his last name)--

Oh, he comes in later, but I love him, so you get to meet him now.

Zeke shares Tessa's genetics (a part of the race), but his story's a little different. The Savet captured and killed his parents for betraying the council and refusing to follow their orders. (Well... his mom did kinda fall in love with their prisoner.) So now he lives alone, keeping a close eye on what the Savet is up to.

He's also sarcastic, overconfident, and strong. (In more ways than one.)

*flails because Zeke*

So there you have it: Gifted, my first novel. My main source of frustration. My baby. 

Would you be interested in reading more about it? What about character interviews?

Get to know the characters of TRC!

I am a part of a wonderful beta reading group. This said beta group suggested that I make pages for my characters on facebook...

And the procrastinating kicked in and I took them up on the challenge!

So if you'd like to get to know the characters from The Resistance Chronicles between the stories, you can look them up on facebook!!

Here is the page for the series as a whole:

The Resistance Chronicles

Here are the pages for the individual characters:

Zayla

Cameron

Alyssa

Keiko

Feel free to ask them questions or leave them a note! They'd love to hear from you.

Has anyone done something similar to this?

NEW CAST of Characters....

I've officially started a new series of short stories that, for now, I am calling the Resistance Chronicles.

It's allegorical, centering on four characters that each have their own struggles and strengths, and focuses on real world problems put in a dystopian setting.

But that's the boring part. You want to see the fun part.

Here we go!!

This is Zayla, the newest recruit for the Resistance. She struggles with anxiety on a day to day-- rather, a moment to moment basis. But when she can move past her fear-- she's really one of the bravest, most loyal people around.