3rd Place winner in "favorite character" contest

Today's post is Suzane Ritch's 3rd Place winning entry in "who is your favorite character and why" contest. Her favorite "character" is the world my books are set in. I thought her entry was well done and very original. Suzane wins a collection of fridge magnets for all three of my books as well as signed and personalized postcards and bookmarks.

Here's Suzane's entry . . .

As in many books, including your own, the most important, and therefore my favorite, character is the "world" where the story takes place. It alone drives, affects and defines the societies dwelling within it. By the same token, society then dictates the development of an individual's personality and their lot in life. Without the world as the main character, nothing would be possible. As does paper need ink for a story to become flesh, so does that same story need a world to exist in.

Since you've only touched on the edges of what your world and its cultures are like, outside of the small pieces you have already shown us, I understand how much still remains available for our imaginations, and future expectations, to chomp on. With each new book we see just a little more. As the characterization of the world grows, so does its chain of societies and inhabitants. It's like being given a continual supply of presents, each being a single piece in a much larger puzzle. And since I love puzzles and logic, I'm hooked.

As a novice writer, I have become very conscious of how important world building is to a story, and thus to the characters who inhabit it.

Thank you for helping to satisfy my seemingly insatiable appetite for things beyond the norm.

- Suzane

Congratulations! And thank you to all of you who entered. I enjoyed reading all of your entries and believe me, choosing three was a tough job. So, for those of you who entered the contest, you all get prizes, too. If you would like signed & personalized bookplates or bookmarks for yourself and/or friends, just email me with your address and I'll send those to you.

And don't forget that tomorrow (Friday) is the last day for you to send me your entries in the "Name that Bordello" contest. Go back to my Monday, January 12 blog entry for the details and uber-cool prize. ; ) I'll announce the winner on Monday.

And coming up on the Saturday Fun Pic is a video clip of Andy the Greyhound seeing and playing in snow for the very first time. He raced at a Florida track, and as a southern Florida boy, he'd never seen snow before this week. Great stuff.