By
Christine Amsden
We are delighted to welcome
Christine Amsden to MB4, in the eve of the release of her new novel, Madison’s Song. Congratulations Christine! Today, Christine shares with us a little about her inspiration for
her new novel and how the characters that we know so well sometimes surprise the writer.
Some
characters arrive on a blaze of inspiration. They bowl you over, shout their
secrets into your mind, and won't shut up until you've written their story.
Such was the case with Cassie Scot, the ungifted daughter of powerful sorcerers
who became the heroine in her eponymous series.
Other
characters sneak up on you, perhaps whispering their secrets, perhaps trying to
grab your attention when it's spent somewhere else. Such was the case with
Madison Carter, Cassie's shy, plump friend who outgrew her role in the Cassie
Scot series.
I first
met Madison as I built a world around Cassie. I'd already given Cassie a large
family, a romantic interest, and even a bad guy to fight, but she still didn't
feel complete. Of course! She needs friends. Normal friends, I decided, not
part of the supernatural world she doesn't quite fit into. Friends who could
express doubts about magic. Friends who ended up getting drawn into her world.
If Cassie
is, in some ways, the person I would most like to be, then Madison started out
as the person I felt I truly was. Maybe this connection made it inevitable that
she would grow into something more than a background figure, there to play the
role I'd set for her. I don't know. I only know that over the course of four
books she turned from sidekick to real person. Ultimately, I couldn't finish
her story from Cassie's point of view. Madison deserved a story of her own.
Madison
Carter went through hell during the Cassie Scot series. She was outed as a
songbird – someone whose voice can influence emotions in others. Worse, she was
outed as a very low-powered sorceress, with no training or skills to protect
her from those who would take advantage of her. That's what happens to her in
the prologue to Madison's Song, which I wrote shortly before writing Mind Games
(Cassie Scot #3). That's when it happens, as a matter of fact. An evil
sorcerer, having heard about her gift, and believing her unprotected, attempts
to steal her soul in order to trap her songbird gift.
Whew.
One of the
biggest challenges I faced when spinning off Madison's story was that it began
in such a dark, horrifying way. The Cassie Scot series begins in a lighthearted
manner, and though it has its ups and downs, the lighthearted tone remains true
to the end.
But
Madison isn't Cassie. And Scott, the romantic hero, is not Evan.
Madison
nearly loses her soul in the prologue to Madison's Song. Scott saves her, but
at a terrible cost. And that's not the only bad thing that's happened to her in
the past. In the final two volumes of the Cassie Scot series, Madison is
betrayed by her father, her fiance, and her mentor. Already prone to feeling
shy, this combination of hurts sends her into a real panic, with fear of
werewolves at the heart of it all. Yet I had plans to set her up with a
werewolf who loves her.
This was
not going to be a lighthearted story, not if I wanted to stay true to the
character I'd spent four books building.
I'm a
character girl. I've always said so because I see great characters as being
more important than anything else in telling a good story. Madison put this
mantra to the test as she took me in directions I wasn't sure I wanted to go.
When
characters outgrow their roles, when they take on lives of their own, all an
author can do is channel them onto the page and hope for the best. They may not
have come to life in a blaze of inspiration, but they are alive. Perhaps even
more fully realized than the ones who just show up.
And
they'll be the ones writing the story.
****
About Madison's Song
Her voice is enchanting;
his soul is black...
Madison Carter has been terrified of Scott Lee since the night
he saved her from an evil sorcerer – then melted into a man-eating monster
before her eyes. The werewolf is a slave to the moon, but Madison's nightmares
are not.
Despite her fears, when Madison's brother, Clinton, is bitten by
a werewolf, she knows there is only one man who can help. A man who frightens
her all the more because even in her nightmares, he also thrills her.
Together for the first time since that terrible night, Scott and
Madison drive to Clinton's home only to discover that he's vanished. Frantic
now, Madison must overcome her fears and uncover hidden strengths if she hopes
to save him. And she's not the only one fighting inner demons. Scott's are
literal, and they have him convinced that he will never deserve the woman he
loves.
About Christine Amsden
Christine Amsden has been
writing fantasy and science fiction for as long as she can remember. She loves
to write and it is her dream that others will be inspired by this love and by
her stories. Speculative fiction is fun, magical, and imaginative but great
speculative fiction is about real people defining themselves through
extraordinary situations. Christine writes primarily about people and
relationships, and it is in this way that she strives to make science fiction
and fantasy meaningful for everyone.
At the age of 16, Christine was diagnosed with Stargardt’s
Disease, a condition that effects the retina and causes a loss of central
vision. She is now legally blind, but has not let this slow her down or get in
the way of her dreams. In addition to writing, Christine teaches workshops on
writing at Savvy Authors. She also does some freelance editing work. Christine
currently lives in the Kansas City area with her husband, Austin, who has been
her biggest fan and the key to her success. They have two beautiful children.
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