Trinity Blog Tour & Giveaway–Clare Davidson’s Top Tens

 

Today Clare Davidson will be stopping by to share her Top Ten Favorite Fictional Characters to celebrate the release of her fantasy novel Trinity. Clare will also be giving away a signed copy of Trinity and a set of bookmarks to one lucky winner as well as an ebook copy of Trinity via Smashwords for 5 additional winners! Be sure to leave a comment for Clare and enter the giveaway before checking out the other stops on this virtual book tour.

 

Top Ten Fictional Characters

Just for fun, here's my very eclectic top ten list of fictional characters. I'd like to say they're not in any particular order, but that would be a lie: they're in the order I thought of them, which says a lot.

Eilonwy, The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander

Eilonwy was my first favourite character from a book, that I remember. If you ask my mum, she'll probably tell you that I liked something really embarrassing first, like Kimba the White Lion… wait… I did! Anyway, I digress.

Eilonwy is feisty, quick witted and the queen (or princess) of similes as put downs. Unlike the other female character I loved in my early teen years (Alanna from The Song of the Lioness books), she wasn't a tom boy. However even though she was feminine, she was tough and capable of taking care of herself (except for in the third book in the quintet, but there was magic involved). I also loved the way she could leave Taran lost for words :)

Merida, Disney and Pixar

Merida is probably second because I saw Brave for the second time last week. Again, Merida a fiery young lady who knows what she wants and is brave enough to change her fate. She's also willing (eventually) to admit to her mistakes and put them right.

Bastian, The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

I have read the book, even though it was a heavy slog at the time, however most of my memories of Bastian come from the first two films. The subsequent films should be forgotten. They never existed, honestly. No… really… Sorry, I'll get back on track.

Bastian is the boy who dares to dream. Whose imagination and bravery saves an entire reality. Do I need to say anything more?

Deedlit, Record of Lodoss War

My token character from anime. Record of Lodoss War was the first anime that I fell in love with. Sure, you could tell that they'd created the characters using the D&D system, but it was still tons of fun.

Deedlit is the haughty high elf, who eventually falls for an inexperience warrior. I'm not sure why I love Deedlit so much, but for a long time I used her name as my online alter ego.

Ralph, Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Confident school boy turned hunted child. Ralph is a raw and powerful character, who has his view of humanity crumble. Even at the start of the novel, Ralph is far from a perfect character. Overly confident and sometimes cruel to Piggy, he takes charge of the group of British schoolboys and tries to find away for them to not only survive, but be rescued too.

I love his slow decline from leader to victim and the way that he is capable of admitting his culpability in Simon's death, especially when those around him can't. Ralph is a truly flawed character and he is all the more amazing for it.

Ry Sabir, The Secret Texts trilogy by Holly Lisle

I'll admit, there were points in this trilogy where I wanted to slap Ry Sabir for being an idiot. But on the whole I adored him for his strength, passion and determination. I'm not sure I'd really class him as a villain turned hero, but he certainly came from a villainous family. He dealt with his curse and love for his enemy with bravery and courage, even when everything looked bleak. Plus, I'll admit, Ry was the first book character that I fancied ;-)

Eponine, Les Miserables

I'm not even going to pretend that I'm referring to Eponine as she appeared in Victor Hugo's novel. I have read it. I wasn't much of a fan of Eponine, especially when she is dying and she becomes hysterical and glad that "we're all going to die". Slight case of melodrama there.

Eponine in the opera musical is a much more likeable and heroic character. She's part of a love triangle that works (sort of)… well… it at least adds to the story and doesn't feel like a pointless add on. The daughter of thieves, the poor girl never really stands a chance with Marius who doesn't notice her feelings for him until it's far too late. Despite his insensitivity, she not only delivers a letter to the girl he does love, but she also risks her life to join him at the barricades, presumably so she can protect him.

Then of course there's her solo: On My Own. That song gives me goosebumps and brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. And yes, I do cry during Little Fall of Rain. Yes. Every time. I'm a real softy!

I once dreamed of playing Eponine on stage. Sadly, I can't sing. At university, I wrote a play script based on the love triangle as it was portrayed in the novel. That's probably the closest I'll ever get to "performing" my favourite musical character.

Henry V as re-created by Shakespeare

Yes, I know, Henry V is an historical figure. He actually existed. He was king of England. He did defeat the French troops at Harfleur and Agincourt and he did marry the French princess. And that's probably where the similarities end.

Shakespeare wrote his historical play as propaganda. He'd established Prince Hal as a play boy during Henry IV parts one and two, a price determined to act the fool so that no one had high expectations of him when he became king. It's actually a pretty good plan, for a fictional character.

Shakespeare's depiction of King Henry is outstanding. He's a new king, struggling to prove himself in the wake of his bad reputation. He's concerned about his right to be king, about pleasing god and his people. He doesn't want to go to war, but cannot ignore the insults of the Dauphin. He knows the cost of war, but still inspires his troops to fight. In short, he's a conflicted character who comes across as truly noble.

Henry is and always will be my favourite of Shakespeare's characters.

Martin Dysart, Equus by Peter Shaffer

While I'm on plays… I don't think that anyone will deny that Equus is a dark and disturbing play. I fell in love with it long before a new generation went to watch it to see Daniel Radcliffe. In fact, I directed it when I was in Sixth Form. But enough about the play itself…

Martin Dysart is a disillusioned psychiatrist who doubts that his methods will actually help troubled Alan Strang. In fact, he has a crisis of faith in his job when he realises that he will be stripping Alan of something vitally important by "curing" him: faith.

After I directed this play, faith started appearing in my writing as a recurring theme. Faith is at the heart of Trinity: Kiana's faith in her companions (especially Skaric), her faith that the destroyed trinity of gods can be restored.

Martin Dysart ends the play without having resolved his issues. He has more questions and doubts than at the start. For that I've always pitied him. He is a character that leads you to question your own life and way of thinking. And, like him, I agree that faith is an important part of life.

Wow… that last one was a bit heavy, wasn't it? Let's end on some fun!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Do I really need to say anything? She's a true hero. A normal teenager that's thrust into saving the world from hoards of bloodsucking vampires. She's tough, brave and yet vulnerable at the same time. She doesn't always get it right, but at the end of the day, she's willing to sacrifice herself for those she loves. Yes, I firmly believe that Buffy should have ended with season 5–how can you top self sacrifice?

Kicking vampire butt long before vampires were "cool", Buffy is a true modern day heroine.

I told you it was an eclectic list!

Who are your favourite fictional characters?

 

Thanks so much Clare for stopping by and sharing what is definitely an eclectic list of favorites! I admit, I’m not familiar with many of these but of the ones I know, I also have a fondness for Shakespeare’s King Henry V and Merida from The Brave is awesome too!

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Trinity
Clare Davidson

Genre: Young Adult/High Fantasy

Number of pages: 279

Word Count: 88,000

Cover Artist: Bramasta Aji

Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/H0OfIk4jfZY

Amazon ebook Amazon paperback

Amazon UK ebook Amazon UK paperback

Smashwords

Book Description:

Kiana longs to walk through a forest and feel grass between her toes. But she is the living embodiment of a goddess and has enemies who wish to murder her. Her death will curse the whole of Gettryne. Locked away for protection, she dreams of freedom. Her wish comes true in the worst possible way, when her home and defenders are destroyed. Along with an inexperienced guard and a hunted outcast, Kiana flees the ravages of battle to search for a solution to the madness that has gripped Gettryne for a thousand years. Pursued by the vicious and unrelenting Wolves, their journey will take them far beyond their limits, to a secret that will shake the world.

About the Author:

Clare Davidson is a character driven fantasy writer, teacher and mother, from the UK. Clare was born in Northampton and lived in Malaysia for four and a half years as a child, before returning to the UK to settle in Leeds with her family. Whilst attending Lancaster University, Clare met her future husband and never left. They now share their lives with their young daughter and a cranky grey cat, called Ash. Clare juggles family life with writing, teaching and a variety of fibre craft hobbies.

Website: http://claredavidson.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClareMDavidson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClareMDavidson

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6445758.Clare_Davidson

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