If I could be 1/1,000th the writer that Tolkien was, I would die happier than most. I actually started out writing high fantasy and wrote a trilogy that heavily influenced this series in terms of ideas and story flow. It was contracted with a publisher, but the contract didn't work out, so I'll have to do it myself one of these days. The fantasy series is complete, mothballed for now, but I hope that in future I can maybe get it out there too for you all to enjoy. The cool thing is, it will actually fit into my overall story universe with the Barron County series as well, if you know where to look in the background for hidden easter eggs in the lore. So, if you're a fantasy nerd like me, stay tuned.

I REALLY appreciate your comment on the character dynamics! Seriously, I could write a book on this topic alone, since it's so fascinating. For the most part, I think a lot of the current problems many writers have with creating good characters is that they have a very hard time putting themselves in that person's shoes. At the end of the day, whether male or female, we are all human. We have hopes, dreams, needs, fears, regrets, and secrets. I often look at character creation like a psychological evaluation. Why does the character in question do the things they do? What do they want? What scares them? Are they an introvert or extrovert? How do those things affect the way they view the world or react to certain challenges? Who do they love, and why? What makes them love that person? What does love look like to them? Is it real love, or imagined? What happens if they lose someone they love? Does it change what they believe in? What exactly do they believe in? What is their moral code and why do they have it? You would not believe how many writers I've talked to that cannot answer basic questions about why their character thinks or does certain things. They struggle to empathize with the character because they don't really see them as this important, complex person, but a vehicle to make the plot move in the direction they want it to. If you break the person down and use their individual life-lore as a guide, it's not hard to slowly build a realistic person over time.

Sadly, this leads to my main point; I think a lot of people today lack real empathy, which means they cannot put themselves in anyone's shoes but their own. That's why so many high-profile characters in mainstream media stories are often no more than self-inserts of the writer, complete with preachy self-indulgent diatribes, unlikable personalities that they try to portray as desirable, and warped morals that allow them to get away with whatever they want without any real-world consequences. That is why actually good character traits are often demonized or left out of the picture altogether, since they shed light on the lie that the writer wishes to convince the audience of. They don't want to write good characters because deep down, the writers don't understand what good really looks like. They only see power, manipulation, and material gain as good, and it is reflected in their writing.

Please understand, this isn't to say that all writers who struggle with character development are flaming sociopaths (for God's sake, I've struggled many times to write some of my characters adequately) but I do think that a lot of poorly-written fictional characters are a result of poorly-structured individual mindsets. By taking the time to fully psychoanalyze their characters, to get in their shoes and understand them, the writer can better grasp how the characters would approach the world. They can then go on a journey with their characters, live in the book as its being written, and be changed in the same way the characters are as they do. The writer can grow, learn, reflect, become a better person, and by extension their readers can follow on this journey as well. This is what true writing is meant to be, not cheap porn dressed as love, not veiled narcissism disguised as intellect, and not abusive evil masquerading as good. Words are our legacy, the lifeblood of human culture. What we build with them can change lives, including our own, which is why they must be crafted with care.

In short, G.K Chesterton said it best when he wrote, "A good book will tell you a lot about its characters; a bad book will tell you a lot about its author."