Intangible (The Aerling Series, #1)by DelSheree Gladden
Mason is not imaginary.
He's not a ghost, either.
And he's most definitely not a hallucination.
Mason is an Aerling, and the Sentinels' number one target.
Separated to keep each other safe and alive until Mason's eighteenth birthday when Olivia is expected to guide him back to the world of the Aerlings, neither one was prepared to be stripped of their best friend, of the person they love most. The pain being away from each other causes is the least of their worries, though, as the Sentinels intensify their search for Mason and bring the threat of danger to a whole new level.
Inside the Mind of the Author (Guest Post from DelSheree Gladden, author of Intangible)
The mind of an author is an interesting place. Where else will you find dozens of voices all clambering for attention and begging for their story to be told? Not only that, but it’s perfectly acceptable for an author to talk back to the voices, carry on conversations even. Some of those conversations can last days, weeks, or even years.
Authors think they are the ones writing a character when they first start out, but that’s rarely the case. If authors try to force their characters into a scene, it doesn’t work as well as if they just let it happen. Characters know who they are from the beginning. It’s the author’s job to get to know them well enough to tell their story in the right way.
I can’t tell you how many times I have lain awake at night replaying a scene over and over in my head until I get it right. I swear sometimes I can feel a character’s frustration when I try to bend them into a roll they weren’t meant to play, or have them say something they just wouldn’t say. The characters slowly become friends and writing their story takes on new meaning. When you’re done, you miss them sometimes.
Arguing with characters isn’t all that goes on in an author’s mind. I try not to base any of my characters on one particular person from real life. Bits and pieces of reality get incorporated here and there, but it’s hard not to do that, and I wouldn’t want to limit myself like that anyway. So, many casual interactions, random moments, and phrases get stored in my head throughout the day. They marinate there, building into a piece of dialog or a setting for a scene.
Creativity, at times, seems to be on the outs. It seems like children are pushed more and more to live in little boxes that limit their curiosity and desire to explore. Authors give themselves the freedom to think about outlandish, impossible situations and how to survive them. They may be in the middle of a heartbreaking scene of loss one minute then switch to a fight scene that still needs improvement. There are no limits to what you can do because it’s all just pretend. Half of what an author imagines up most likely will never be written down, but it took all that imagining and arguing and observing to finally arrive at the one idea that does make the cut.
Fiction encompasses so much. Romance, action, mystery, fantasy, history, myth, legend…there are no limits. I think authors have the kinds of minds that embrace that idea. There are no rules that dictate what kind of story you can write. Even invisible teenage boys like Mason can take center stage. No one is standing over an author’s shoulder telling them how the plot should develop. If it’s impossible for something to happen in the real world, no problem, all an author has to do is create a new world.
Of course, not every piece of fiction is based in fantasy. Crime and mystery are good examples of reality based fiction, but even dramas and romances with no fantasy or sci-fi leanings must stay within the constraints of reality. That hardly diminishes an author’s creativity, though. There is still so much to imagine and develop. Characters’ reactions, situations they will find themselves in, outcomes of their choices, and what drives a character are all up for grabs, just waiting for a creative mind to step in and experience the developing story firsthand.
About The Author
by DelSheree Gladden
Olivia’s best friend is not imaginary. He’s not a ghost, either. And she’s pretty sure he’s not a hallucination. He’s just Mason.
He is, however, invisible.
When Olivia spotted the crying little boy on her front porch at five years old, she had no idea she was the only one who could see him. Twelve years later when new-girl Robin bumps into the both of them and introduces herself to Mason, they are both stunned.
Mason couldn’t be more pleased that someone else can see him. Olivia, on the other hand, isn’t jumping at the chance to welcome Robin into their circle. Jealousy may have something to do with that, but honest fear that Robin’s presence will put Mason in danger is soon validated when a strange black car shows up outside Olivia’s house.
The race to find out what Robin knows in time to protect Mason from whatever threats are coming becomes Olivia’s only focus.
