Hosted by Liv at Liv K. Fisher

Well, in my storyworld, they don't really have music...but I have to think it would be her theme song, Natural by Imagine Dragons. It sums her up so perfectly and she would love it. 

*smiles sheepishly* She'd deny this out loud and it's probably problematic, but she thrives off violence xD as well as light, sleep, tea, and Derek, her best friend.

3. Describe their typical outfit.

Kariana tends to dress in loose-fitting, comfortable clothing that makes movement easy. She wears mostly gray and brown clothes, and usually has a riding coat on. And her makeup is never, ever far from her.

4. What do they look like? (Share a picture, if you will!)

That's the thing...no one knows what Kariana looks like in reality. She's even hidden that from herself, covering her face with layers of makeup and paint. Part of that is for her job--she's a spy--but part of it is because of her shame and deeply hidden secrets.

She looks about like this for a lot of book 1, though:

Credit: Pinterest

5. Who cares most about them?

“I’m so sorry, Kara. If I could, I would take those memories from you and carry them myself. I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
She lit up her hand so that she could see his face. Derek's blue eyes gleamed at her a few feet away, glistening as though with tears.

Derek xD But in terms of people she loves, there's a list, and she repeats it to herself every time she needs centering. Prominent members include Esma Pentegreen, Queen Bernathel and King Martin, Captain Errol Redow, her deceased mother, her missing brother, and...that's about it. XD Although there is one additional person who will be added to that list over the course of the story...

6. Have they been called names beyond their own? (i.e. nicknames, insults, etc.)

Most everyone refers to her as "the spy girl" or just "the spy". A lot of people call her "Miss Winslet," which has been used as a term of respect by some people and as an insult by others. "Kara" is a pretty commonly used nickname for her. And the villains like to swear at her.

7. What is their Hogwarts house and/or MBTI type?

Oh, goodness. Hogwarts house. *scratches chin* If any of y'all think I'm wrong, feel free to correct me, but I almost want to say she's a Slytherin? She's got the cold, cunning, ambition, and smarts for it.

MBTI is easy. She's an ESTJ.

8. Is there a Psalm they identify with? What is it?

I think Kariana is both terrified by and comforted by Psalm 139 ("You search me, you know me...") because it implies that she is known. And that would both be a reassuring thought because she's not an utter mystery, completely alone...but it would also mean that her secrets are completely known to Someone. And that would be terrifying to her heart.

9. How do they handle defeat?

Kariana is used to taking all her emotion, balling it up like a towel, and hurling it somewhere deep into the back of her heart, where it can't get in her way. She's never dealt with grief in a very healthy way. Defeat is similar, and oh, does she suffer some serious defeats in this series. My heart breaks for her. Between betrayals, losses, and feeling like she's never enough, Kariana bears a significant level of the pain I dish out to the characters I like to call my Big Five (aka the main five characters and the ones who get the most POV chapters xD) 

aka the Big Five (all pics from Pinterest)

10. Without spoilers, how are they the hero of this story? 

Oh, goodness, this is SO HARD to answer without spoilers. *bites lips* Let's just say that Kariana's role is huge and vital. She would do ANYTHING for Esma Pentegreen and her family, and she demonstrates that time and again throughout the series. She'd give up everything, anything at all, for them. Her loyalty isn't so much to the city of Misue or the nation of Lascogine, but rather to its rulers. She's strong, stronger than she knows...but she also stands far closer to the edge, tottering ever-closer to falling, than she'd ever admit or even notice. She's so broken, but she pushes on. I love this girl so, so very much (also she keeps trying to take over and BECOME the protagonist and I have to step on her to make her STOP IT NOW).

That's about all for this post! This linkup was so fun and I hope you enjoyed reading about Kara. She really is one of my favorite characters I've ever written xD I've got a couple more Pentegreen posts, and then we'll be returning to actual non-Pentegreen content for a while xD I hope y'all aren't absolutely sick of me talking about those books! Chat with me in the comments about some of YOUR favorite characters in your WIPs. 

This linkup is brought to you by Christine Smith, who is only one of the sweetest and most wonderful bloggers on the internet. I highly suggest you go check out her blog...after you read mine, of course. 

This linkup is basically just an excuse for me to rant more about my Pentegreen series, because I have no other WIPs right now. However, this time you get to hear about the THIRD book! Wahoo! (Aka the book that is the BANE of my EXISTENCE.) 

Questions: Here we go! 

1. What inspired the idea for this novel?

Well, I put my characters through a TON of crud in book 2 of my series, The General's Children, where there was death and torture and destruction and fire and wrath and exploding buildings and games of cat and mouse and...yeah. Basically, book 2 was a mess, and its ending very much changed the game for my protagonist, Esma, and her friends. For a while I was thinking about giving them very little time to recover from this, but since a large part of this book goes into keeping emotions and reactions realistic, I realized...there was no way these kids were going to be back on their feet in time. They needed a break. So this is where that happens: my book 3 where there is currently no plot for half my characters, and the other half are off being a train wreck by themselves. 

2. Share a blurb! 

Well, I'm lazy, so I'll just grab the one from my other post about this novel: 

3. Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite things about the setting? 

Most of this story takes place in my storyworld Sildalone's northernmost nation, Venaria, and more particularly in the wild rugged part of the country. There's mountains, forests, and since it's wintertime, lots and lots of snow. 

A huge part of not just this novel but the whole series in general is the contrast between warm and cold. Describing the cold and chill and snow is lots of fun, but it is a challenge to come up with different ways to describe it over and over, especially on the third book that has that as a theme. (Thankfully, I feel like the fourth one might deal with that topic slightly less...which is good xD) The rugged wild beauty of Venaria is my favorite part of this setting, as is using it as metaphors for what my characters are going through...mwahahaha. 

4. Tell us about your protagonist. 

5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?

There's a LOT of baddies in this book (probably the most of any book in the series). The main one Esma contends with is probably the elements. Snow, cold, blizzards, a lack of shelter and nowhere to hide...a HUGE part of the story.

Although there's also plenty of human bad guys. A couple of the ones from the previous books are still hanging around, and in this book, Lord Dauthang, the big big baddie of the whole series, is actually active as well. Then there's lots and lots of assassins, and my five main characters all end up being each other's own worst enemies...

6. What excites you the most about this novel? 

Really getting to spend time around my characters, and the challenge of forcing them all to get over themselves when the whole world is crashing down around them. 

7. Is this going to be a series? Standalone? Something else?
Series! As you all surely know at this point ;) Definitely four books, and I have an idea for a prequel novel and a sequel novella (as well as a plethora of short stories) that could go with it. 

8. Are you plotting? Pantsing? Plantsing?
I have an idea of a lot of the stuff that needs to happen in this book, and I know how the next book is going to go and what needs to happen in this book for the next one to work properly...but at the moment I dunno. Mostly pantsing, because what's happening is constantly surprising everyone, including me. 

9. Name a few things that make this story unique. 

My characters? The fact that they're vaguely realistic? Honestly I don't even know, haha. I love that a certain romance between two of my character is actually sort of happening now, and that's kind of encouraging. 

10. Share a fun “extra” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!).

Well, I made Esma a Pinterest board: HERE

And I've found two more songs for two more character relationships in these books (I do everything by characters--I'm so character-driven it's ridiculous):

I Don't Know Why by Imagine Dragons

A Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay

The second linkup today is by Liv K. Fisher, also one of the sweetest bloggers I know! This linkup was about a particular character, and since I rant about Esma a lot, I thought maybe I'd try someone different this time. A lot of these questions were huge spoilers for the two characters I most wanted to do, so I went with my personal favorite character instead: 

Captain Derek Ternarnthien

Language of Worlds

1. What does your character fear the most? 

In the end, Derek's worst fear would be to wake up and find out that there was no hope left anywhere in the world. He can find the bright side in most situations and he's a firm otimist and believer that things will always work out, and he's always been in control of the situation. 

2.) How would they handle it if they were to face their fear?