**SPOILERS FOR NINETY DEGREES**
Charleigh McAfee is definitely a favorite character of mine. I loved creating her, simply because I didn't have anyone with her type of spunk in my books so far. Ninety Degrees was my way of doing something new. Not only is the vibe much different from Small Circles, but I introduced all new characters. Silas, Charleigh, Logan, and Tucker all attend Chattanooga Prep - the rival school to Foster and Allan Academy. Charleigh stands tall as Silas' best friend, and readers can tell from the very beginning that she's someone we all want on our side.
Charleigh has a passion for the arts. She paints and sketches on every surface available to her, including her shoes. She colors her hair with bright colors and wears eccentric jewelry to create a pop of uniqueness within her mandatory school uniform. She has a very blunt view of the world around her, concluding that what's in front of her is all she gets. I needed a character that was not necessarily a pessimist but a realist. Charleigh doesn't swoon over love and relationships like every other girl her age. She doesn't obsess about her clothes and what other people think of her, but at the same time she still has hidden insecurities. She doesn't think she's beautiful. And secretly, she wishes she was skinny. She notices how boys look at other girls and recognizes that she will never be looked at in the same way. But it doesn't upset her. She's accepted it, and she chooses to focus on other things to make her happy.
That is until she involves herself in a triangle between Logan and Tucker.
Logan Brown is her other sidekick. Along with Silas, Logan and Charleigh have been close for years. They're friends. That's it. But despite this, Logan and Charleigh have started hooking up for a bit of benefits on the side. There's no real spark behind it in the beginning. It's just random and fun. But then they take things further than ever. They have sex, and Charleigh doesn't tell Logan that it's her first time. She's never wanted to be with someone like that before, but after this, Charleigh feels an inseparable connection to him. She finds herself actually wanting a boyfriend. But Logan isn't ready for that. And honestly, neither is Charleigh.
She decides to test the waters with another boy, Tucker Watson. She experiments with the ability of two people being able to have a sexual connection and not feel love. The further she goes with Tucker, the more she understands it. Sex is just a feeling. It's physical, and the thing that's drawing her to Logan is something much more powerful. It's love.
Charleigh brings this to light, and eventually comes to terms with what she really wants. If you've read Ninety Degrees, then you know how it ends. I was very happy when writing those scenes. It just felt so natural and so easy because it was meant to be that way.
In other news, today is the release day for IN THE AFTERLIGHT - the final book in Alexandra Bracken's series THE DARKEST MINDS! I'm planning to drop by Barnes and Noble later this afternoon to pick up my copy! Happy reading to everyone that will be joining me!
Another book birthday goes to Michelle Madow for her sequel to The Secret Diamond Sisters, Diamonds In the Rough! Congrats to my fellow YA Mania author!
-Megan.
P.S. Charleigh McAfee has been portrayed by the beautiful Catheryn from The Book Lioness!
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