My newest book, The Ghosts of Wolf Island Creek, is now available for purchase on Amazon.com. This book was a unique experience in a few ways. First, the cover art was created by my talented husband, Mike. I gave him a short synopsis of my book, which was barely in skeletal form at the time, and he spent the afternoon taking pictures and trying to capture the setting that existed only in my imagination. Secondly, this is the first book that I’ve written that came almost exclusively from my own family history. Although all of my historical books contain some element of my ancestors (who I obviously find fascinating!), in The Ghosts of Wolf Island Creek most of the characters were real people. The Cantrell family (who I first mention in Saved by Grace) really did have twenty-three children, all but two of them sons. Little records exist of Gabriel Cantrell, so he seemed like a logical pick for my main character. I was able to develop him into a fictional character without stepping on any toes of historical accuracy. Finally, this book is different from my others in the characters themselves. As I’ve mentioned before, I love flawed characters. There’s nothing worth reading in perfection. However, I have never developed a female character with as little gumption as Charlotte. I have never developed a male character who was as much of an oddity as Gabriel. I like them, though. They are like those slightly off-beat friends that you don’t quite understand but you enjoy your time with them anyway. Besides, they are perfect for each other. I love a little literary match-making even if I have to bring two people from different centuries together. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Tag Archives: flawed characters
Flawed characters
There’s a saying: Perfect boys only exist in books. Although certainly true, you’ll never find a perfect boy in one of my books… or a perfect girl for that matter. I like to write flawed characters. I prefer that my characters say the wrong thing or wear the wrong clothes or think the wrong thoughts. Doesn’t it feel so much more satisfying when you come to the end of a book and the flawed character has found happiness or love or peace? He or she has learned a lesson and through doing so, is so much more deserving of our affection. When I was a young girl, I loved reading romance novels with perfect men. Then I became older and began to date such very imperfect men. I even married an imperfect man. This works out really well, since I’m nowhere near perfect. Perfect is boring. Perfect is a fairy tale. Bring on the flaws.
Sandy Huth 