Regular readers of Fantasy-Faction will remember that following the closure of Strange Chemistry – an event that saw many writers thrust into the unfortunate position where they were unexpectedly out of contract – we offered our site to those authors who were going to pursue the self publishing route. Because the closure of Strange Chemistry was so sudden, a number of authors were mid-way through a series or expecting to have a place to publish further work… As a community site it felt right to support these members of our community by doing everything we can – although it isn’t much, we will be bringing you a number of guest posts, interviews, reviews and so on from these authors in an attempt to get them further exposure and to help them broadcast the fact that they’re still right there writing as planned. More here.
Those who have read Eliza Crewe’s first Young Adult Urban Fantasy novel, Cracked, will know all about Meda. For those who haven’t, the blurb will tell you all know need to know:
Meet Meda. She eats people.
Well, technically, she eats their soul. But she totally promises to only go for people who deserve it. She’s special. It’s not her fault she enjoys it. She can’t help being a bad guy. Besides, what else can she do? Her mother was killed and it’s not like there are any other “soul-eaters” around to show her how to be different. That is, until the three men in suits show up.
They can do what she can do. They’re like her. Meda might finally have a chance to figure out what she is. The problem? They kind of want to kill her. Before they get the chance Meda is rescued by crusaders, members of an elite group dedicated to wiping out Meda’s kind. This is her chance! Play along with the “good guys” and she’ll finally figure out what, exactly, her “kind” is.
Be careful what you wish for. Playing capture the flag with her mortal enemies, babysitting a teenage boy with a hero complex, and staying one step ahead of a too-clever girl are bad enough. But the Hunger is gaining on her.
The more she learns, the worse it gets. And when Meda uncovers a shocking secret about her mother, her past, and her destiny… she may finally give into it.
Evidently then, Meda is not your normal heroic protagonist: she is snarky, only half human and must devour our human souls in order to survive. Keeping in mind that this novel was marketed to young adults, I wanted to ask Eliza not only how she came up with such a unique character, but also how she took this character – with some pretty evil traits – and made her likeable, humorous and appealing in a way that readers wanted her to succeed. Here’s what she had to say:
I think Meda feels unique because I was in the mood for something different when I wrote her. At the time I invented Meda, I’d just finished revising a different manuscript for the millionth time, and the heroine in that story is much more standard fare: good-hearted, innocent, sweet, humble, self-sacrificing, etc., and after months in her head I was ready for something else. In direct contrast, Meda is absolutely terrible. She murders someone in the first chapter and plans her second by chapter three. She is selfish and greedy and manipulative. Even her decision to murder only bad guys is largely self-interested.
With all that working against her I needed something to make the reader turn the page. Blake Snyder, a famous screenplay writer, calls this the “Save the Cat” rule. The rule basically says the main character must do something in the beginning of the story to make the readers like her, such as saving a cat. The example he gives is Aladdin in the Disney movie. Aladdin’s a thief–not usually hero material–but then he gives his stolen bread to a couple of orphans and everyone realizes he’s a thief with a heart of gold and we’re all invested in his happy journey to marry the princess and live happily ever after. Aladdin saves the cat. Unfortunately, Meda is far more likely to kick the cat (chapter 6) than save it. So, instead of having her do something nice, I decided to use humor to make her likable. They might not root for her, but I wanted them to like her.
Adding humor to her character came naturally, because writing terrible main characters is fun. Wicked main characters can be outrageous in a way good characters can’t. Good people follow the rules; bad people play the game without them. Wicked main characters can see a hero hanging of a cliff with one hand –no, make that hanging off a cliff with one hand, in the other holding a basket full of corgi puppies–and walk on past. Or, if she’s stealing particularly devilish, step on his fingers. Meda is a guilty pleasure. I wanted the reader to giggle along with her even as they know they shouldn’t. There are not a lot of anti-heroes in YA literature, and even fewer anti-heroines, so Meda’s outrageous wickedness is unexpected (and in some cases, polarizing!), and makes her a different breed of YA MC. I just hope my readers have at least half as much fun reading about her as I did writing about her.
If you haven’t picked up the first book in the series, Cracked, you can pick it up here. If you have, you will be excited to hear that Eliza is self-publishing the second novel following her split from Strange Chemistry. Here’s what you’ve got to look forward to:
Meda’s back. This time, she has a friend.
The battle is over; the choice has been made. Meda Melange has officially hung up her monstrous mantle and planted her feet firmly on the holy and righteous path of a Crusader-in-training. Or, at least, she’s willing to give it a shot. It helps that the Crusaders are the only thing standing between her and the demon hordes who want her dead.
The problem is, the only people less convinced than Meda of her new-found role as Good Girl are the very Crusaders she’s trying to join. So when a devilishly handsome half-demon boy offers escape, how’s a girl supposed to say “no?”
After all, everyone knows a good girl’s greatest weakness is a bad boy.
You can pick up Crushed and keep up-to-date with all of Eliza’s latest goings on by visiting her website, http://www.elizacrewe.com/
Geoff Matthews
Julia Kitvaria Sarene