Writer of Stories.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Cardrina? (#10InfiniteWeeks)
** SPOILER ALERT FOR THREE SIXTY**
Today, I am here to discuss the property which is "Cardrina". At least, that's what I've decided to call them. I honestly don't think these two characters have a ship name, because unless you are a masochist, I don't think anyone ships Carter with any human being... yeah.
So, the reason I chose to allow this insane relationship to occur is simple. At the time, Audrina felt that her only weapon to wield was jealousy. Carter, at the time, was the only boy within reach. He didn't seem like someone who would mind being used, so she allowed the inevitable to occur. They flirted - audaciously in front of Paxton - messed around, and eventually hooked up. It doesn't take long for Paxton to catch on to the game Audrina is playing. He approaches her, specifically noting that if she's trying to get his attention, it's working. But not in the way she wants. It's making him angry more than jealous. Paxton, despite his conflict of interest, still sees Audi as being a friend above anything else. First and foremost, he will protect her from anything and anyone that might be of harm. Paxton recognizes Carter's bad boy nature and warns Audrina to stop what she's doing.
"Don't fuck with him just because you can."
Meanwhile, it seems that Carter is fully aware of his being a pawn. He seems perfectly okay with being the tool that makes Paxton miserable. As I was writing, part of me considered that Carter never liked Paxton from the beginning. It sounds terrible, but he hated seeing his sister so happy. Jade's ability to move away from home and start over with her life while still managing to find love makes Carter spiteful. This is how the reader finds out what Carter's real motive is by leaving Boston to stay with Jade over the summer.
At this point, the reader is like, "They don't get along, so why is Carter willing to stay three months with her and attend the same college?"
I get it. It does sound odd. But what Carter really wants is to do the exact same thing Jade did. She had a life she didn't necessarily want for herself. So, she stepped away. She moved to a different state, attended a new school, made new friends, and fell in love. As content as Carter seems with his popularity and his social status, by now he's starting to realize that he may be stuck with it forever. How cliché right? The popular boy doesn't want to be popular anymore. But it's true. If he stays in Boston, the meaningless life of parties and sex and wasting time will all be permanent. He may never actually make something of himself. He may never grow up and find real happiness. By staying with Jade over the summer, Carter is trying to copy her. He's trying to start fresh. But Audrina manages to screw with that plan.
When Carter is first introduced to Audrina, there is a natural instinct inside of him that wants to try and catch her. He wants to see how easy it would be to make her want him. Little does he know, Audrina is already trying to do the same to him. So, why would they not be perfect together? They are both using each other for the complete wrong reasons. Both of them are trying to gain something for themselves. Carter is avenging is pride while Audrina is toying with Paxton's heart. For just a split second, the reader might consider the two to be a perfect match. If, at this point, you didn't like Audrina, you probably thought this. But here's the thing: she actually steps away to be the bigger person in the end. Carter doesn't. After diving so deep in between the complication of Paxton and Audrina's relationship, Carter realizes he wants out. But he doesn't do it nicely. He becomes fed up with all of the drama surrounding him and finally sees that what he became a part of was exactly what he'd wanted to leave behind back home.
If you've read Three Sixty, you know how this ends.
Paxton and Carter's brawl was one of my favorite scenes to write. This was my way of beating the shit out of someone that deserves it - in a literary sense, of course. While it was fun for both me and the reader, the action brought about a very consequential reaction. Paxton's choice to defend Audrina brings about a new worry in Jade - one that was already starting to bloom. By the end of the book, the reader isn't quite sure where the story is going to go, but I can promise that we'll be picking up right where we left off. We don't find out the rest of Carter's fate until the very end, but Infinite Limits is sure to answer a lot of questions.
Thanks again for being so patient with me, guys!
I've had a very busy week, so it's been hard to keep up with posting every day.
I've made sure to make it up to you though by sharing part 2 of the TMI Tag video! Here it is!
-Megan.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Carter Walbridge (#10InfiniteWeeks)
I can't believe it's already week 3 of this blog tour! This will be the last week I host on my own blog, so next week I'll be handing the torch over to Lauren from The Bookworm Corner! She'll be sharing everything about Charleigh McAfee from Ninety Degrees! I'll still be sharing a few special things on my social media accounts, so don't forget about me completely!
As for this week, we're talking about Carter. Yes, the younger brother of Jade Walbridge that we all love to hate. There had to be at least one character in the Small Circles books to raise negative emotions, right? Carter isn't necessarily the antagonist of the story, but he's most certainly annoying as hell. There are plenty of reasons why Carter sucks, and I'll have an entire week to dive into them, but for now let's start with who this Walbridge is...
When I created Carter, he was merely mentioned in Small Circles. It is narratively noted that Jade's brother is a typical teenage boy that loves video games and arguing with his sister. I also explained why they attend different schools. Both Jade and Carter were given the option to attend boarding school starting in ninth grade, and they both said no. Incidentally, Jade's decision changes a year later. This is after private pictures of Jade are leaked around their high school, creating an uncomfortable environment for her and Carter. She chooses to take the opportunity her parents gave her and leaves for Chattanooga to start her sophomore year at Foster and Allan Academy.
Carter does not want to go to boarding school. I explain in Three Sixty that he doesn't want to abandon the kingdom he's built for himself. By his senior year, Carter and his best friend have risen all the way to the top of the food chain. Teachers adore them. Students worship them. There's a bit more than popularity to it, but more of that is explained in the books.
The biggest part of Carter that I wanted to touch on today is his relationship with Jade. Unlike the Ashbys, Jade and Carter Walbridge do not have a storybook connection. They don't get along at all, and sibling rivalry is not only to blame. In Infinite Limits, the reader will find out how Jade's mishap her freshman year affected Carter. The rumors about her did more than just damage Jade's self-esteem. Carter's image was also tattered, as well as one of Jade's closest friends at the time. We'll meet her in the final book.
Back to the Ashbys.
I portrayed Larson and Audrina as being more like best friends than siblings. They share everything with one another. They confide in each other on their struggles and their fears. They know all the details about each other's love and hate. It's a closeness that Jade and Carter do not share. I really enjoyed writing those two contrasting relationships. It was enlightening to see two families that are very similar in many ways still be so incredibly different. Money is still a major factor when defining who these people are and what they can accomplish in the world, but what's interesting is seeing how it rounds them in different ways. Both the Ashbys and the Walbridges have good and bad qualities, and this makes for the perfect compare/contrast situation.
**SPOILER ALERT FOR THREE SIXTY**
When Carter and Audrina have their run-in in Three Sixty, it's almost as if these two worlds collide. Carter's life back home - one we find out he actually wants to escape from - is suddenly right in front of him. Audrina reminds Carter of exactly the thing he's trying to rid himself of. What is that exactly? I'll share more in tomorrow's post!
I won't be online until tomorrow evening, so don't be alarmed if the post doesn't show up until then. Throughout this week, I'll share everything I know about Carter and Audrina, Carter's toxic personality, and what the future holds for him.
Thanks for reading!
-Megan.
As for this week, we're talking about Carter. Yes, the younger brother of Jade Walbridge that we all love to hate. There had to be at least one character in the Small Circles books to raise negative emotions, right? Carter isn't necessarily the antagonist of the story, but he's most certainly annoying as hell. There are plenty of reasons why Carter sucks, and I'll have an entire week to dive into them, but for now let's start with who this Walbridge is...
When I created Carter, he was merely mentioned in Small Circles. It is narratively noted that Jade's brother is a typical teenage boy that loves video games and arguing with his sister. I also explained why they attend different schools. Both Jade and Carter were given the option to attend boarding school starting in ninth grade, and they both said no. Incidentally, Jade's decision changes a year later. This is after private pictures of Jade are leaked around their high school, creating an uncomfortable environment for her and Carter. She chooses to take the opportunity her parents gave her and leaves for Chattanooga to start her sophomore year at Foster and Allan Academy.
Carter does not want to go to boarding school. I explain in Three Sixty that he doesn't want to abandon the kingdom he's built for himself. By his senior year, Carter and his best friend have risen all the way to the top of the food chain. Teachers adore them. Students worship them. There's a bit more than popularity to it, but more of that is explained in the books.
The biggest part of Carter that I wanted to touch on today is his relationship with Jade. Unlike the Ashbys, Jade and Carter Walbridge do not have a storybook connection. They don't get along at all, and sibling rivalry is not only to blame. In Infinite Limits, the reader will find out how Jade's mishap her freshman year affected Carter. The rumors about her did more than just damage Jade's self-esteem. Carter's image was also tattered, as well as one of Jade's closest friends at the time. We'll meet her in the final book.
Back to the Ashbys.
I portrayed Larson and Audrina as being more like best friends than siblings. They share everything with one another. They confide in each other on their struggles and their fears. They know all the details about each other's love and hate. It's a closeness that Jade and Carter do not share. I really enjoyed writing those two contrasting relationships. It was enlightening to see two families that are very similar in many ways still be so incredibly different. Money is still a major factor when defining who these people are and what they can accomplish in the world, but what's interesting is seeing how it rounds them in different ways. Both the Ashbys and the Walbridges have good and bad qualities, and this makes for the perfect compare/contrast situation.
**SPOILER ALERT FOR THREE SIXTY**
When Carter and Audrina have their run-in in Three Sixty, it's almost as if these two worlds collide. Carter's life back home - one we find out he actually wants to escape from - is suddenly right in front of him. Audrina reminds Carter of exactly the thing he's trying to rid himself of. What is that exactly? I'll share more in tomorrow's post!
I won't be online until tomorrow evening, so don't be alarmed if the post doesn't show up until then. Throughout this week, I'll share everything I know about Carter and Audrina, Carter's toxic personality, and what the future holds for him.
Thanks for reading!
-Megan.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Sports, Pets, & Pop Culture (#10InfiniteWeeks)
I've had more than one person ask for random facts about the characters I'm posting about. So, today I'm going to take that notion and spin it into something a little different. Each book has a copious amount of real world references, whether it's about movies or television, video games or sports. Some time before, I told you all that these books take place in real time. If you bought them and read each book as it was released, you were reading them in the current year that things take place. Tossing in references to pop culture here and there helped remind the reader of this, but I'll remind you of some today.
I mentioned once or twice in Ninety Degrees that the gang used to spend a lot of their time at the skate park when they were younger. Mostly, it was Charleigh and Logan taking part - Logan on the board and Charleigh on the blades. Silas also hung out there, but a lot of his time was taken up by sports. Tucker, Silas, and Dakota all play baseball in the novel. Baseball is one of my favorite sports to watch, so I knew I wanted to use it for some of my characters eventually. Ninety Degrees was the perfect opportunity. In Small Circles, I didn't want to tie the characters down to extracurriculars. It took away from everything else that was going on. I threw in some sports here and there, having both Larson and Paxton be part of the dive team at one point or another. And Owen's role in playing lacrosse was obviously a big part of the storyline. But there are plenty of teenage boys whose world revolves around sports, so I knew I needed to tack that onto someone's character. I was able to do that in Ninety Degrees.
Other than sports, there are several sources of entertainment for all of the characters in the books. The boys from Small Circles spend most of their time playing video games and watching movies. Foster and Allan is a boarding school, so once curfew strikes, the students are stuck in their dorm building until morning. I managed to throw in several references to some of my favorite movies and series throughout all the books. This was important to me because I am a massive fan of film and television.
A well-noted reference that most people tend to remember is the film Rubber. Yes, this is a real movie featuring a tire named Robert that goes on a killing spree, slaughtering everyone that crosses him with his psychic powers. My friends and I came across this gem while skimming through Netflix one night. We had no clue what it was, but we had to at least try it. I imagined my characters doing the same. When you're bored, Netflix is a great go-to.
Another one of my favorites references is a quote that Larson mentions from the cult classic Airplane: "I take [my coffee] black, like my men."
There are a few other lines from movies dropped in Three Sixty, Ninety Degrees, and Infinite Limits. See if you can catch them!
Really, there's only one other thing I wanted to touch on. Once, I had a friend ask me why I never mentioned any pets in Small Circles. At first, I was like, CRAP! But then I realized I had subconsciously left them out on purpose. For most of the book, the characters are at boarding school. Then, they're at college. Their home life isn't a big part of the story until the other books, so it made sense that pets wouldn't be part of it. I also, for some reason, didn't picture them with any pets. In Three Sixty, however, Silas having a dog named Molly made perfect sense. So, if anyone was wondering why there's only one dog mentioned in all of the books... that's why.
I won't be able to post anything tomorrow, but hopefully you learned enough about Logan to sustain! Until next week! Sunday I'll be posting about Carter Walbridge: the boy we all love to hate!
-Megan.
I mentioned once or twice in Ninety Degrees that the gang used to spend a lot of their time at the skate park when they were younger. Mostly, it was Charleigh and Logan taking part - Logan on the board and Charleigh on the blades. Silas also hung out there, but a lot of his time was taken up by sports. Tucker, Silas, and Dakota all play baseball in the novel. Baseball is one of my favorite sports to watch, so I knew I wanted to use it for some of my characters eventually. Ninety Degrees was the perfect opportunity. In Small Circles, I didn't want to tie the characters down to extracurriculars. It took away from everything else that was going on. I threw in some sports here and there, having both Larson and Paxton be part of the dive team at one point or another. And Owen's role in playing lacrosse was obviously a big part of the storyline. But there are plenty of teenage boys whose world revolves around sports, so I knew I needed to tack that onto someone's character. I was able to do that in Ninety Degrees.
Other than sports, there are several sources of entertainment for all of the characters in the books. The boys from Small Circles spend most of their time playing video games and watching movies. Foster and Allan is a boarding school, so once curfew strikes, the students are stuck in their dorm building until morning. I managed to throw in several references to some of my favorite movies and series throughout all the books. This was important to me because I am a massive fan of film and television.
A well-noted reference that most people tend to remember is the film Rubber. Yes, this is a real movie featuring a tire named Robert that goes on a killing spree, slaughtering everyone that crosses him with his psychic powers. My friends and I came across this gem while skimming through Netflix one night. We had no clue what it was, but we had to at least try it. I imagined my characters doing the same. When you're bored, Netflix is a great go-to.
Another one of my favorites references is a quote that Larson mentions from the cult classic Airplane: "I take [my coffee] black, like my men."
There are a few other lines from movies dropped in Three Sixty, Ninety Degrees, and Infinite Limits. See if you can catch them!
Really, there's only one other thing I wanted to touch on. Once, I had a friend ask me why I never mentioned any pets in Small Circles. At first, I was like, CRAP! But then I realized I had subconsciously left them out on purpose. For most of the book, the characters are at boarding school. Then, they're at college. Their home life isn't a big part of the story until the other books, so it made sense that pets wouldn't be part of it. I also, for some reason, didn't picture them with any pets. In Three Sixty, however, Silas having a dog named Molly made perfect sense. So, if anyone was wondering why there's only one dog mentioned in all of the books... that's why.
I won't be able to post anything tomorrow, but hopefully you learned enough about Logan to sustain! Until next week! Sunday I'll be posting about Carter Walbridge: the boy we all love to hate!
-Megan.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)