Side-Characters Speak Up

By Clarissa Johal

I enjoy writing side-characters as much as main characters. They can flesh out the story and make it interesting, alter the path of a protagonist, or stop the actions of an antagonist. There are no “throwaways” in my novels. Each side-character has a back-story, motivation and voice of their own. 

I try to write them as quirky and as interesting as possible. However, when Struck was released, I never expected that my readers would fall in love with, not one, but two of my side-characters.

Struck is about a young woman who is struck by lightning. Soon after, she’s repeatedly visited by a stranger offering her a gift to stay the hands to death. The novel is focused upon Gwynneth, the unfortunate protagonist. Poppy is one of the side-characters. She’s a smart and sassy mortician who can speak to the dead. Dante, her co-worker, is a moody funeral director who’d prefer not to speak to anyone. They made the perfect pair. When Struck was released, I thought that was it—Poppy and Dante’s story was done. They had fulfilled their rolls as side-characters.

But Poppy was not to be forgotten, and Dante was right along with her.

“I loved Poppy! Are you going to do a spin-off?”

“Dante is so sexy. Can you write a book about him?”

“Are you doing a sequel to Struck? Poppy was my favorite character, can you include her?”

The requests went on and on. Who knew a mortician and a funeral director would get so much love? I usually don’t write sequels or spin-offs, but I had no choice but to give their story a try. After spending a day writing, I concluded that yes, Poppy had a story to tell.

It takes me a year to write a novel and this one was no exception. But it was beyond difficult. Poppy is a mortician, and with that came a ton of research. I researched mortician job duties, I researched the chemicals and machines they used, I read mortician blogs (yes, they exist), and I interviewed a local mortician about what it was like to work at a funeral home. I even watched YouTube videos on embalming procedures (I don’t recommend watching those, they’re quite graphic). I came face-to-face with my mortality, and I have to say, it was quite depressing. There were times I had to set my writing research aside in order to breathe. The story and characters weren’t depressing, but the research was kicking my butt. Oddly, Poppy is one of the most upbeat characters I’ve ever written—even in the face of peril. Like many morticians, she views her job as “the last help” she can offer the newly departed. Kudos to her, and kudos to the profession. I couldn’t do it.

My side-characters are speaking up more now. Rowan, a side-character from Poppy, has her own story. But…that’s another novel. Right now, I leave you with Poppy.

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Clarissa Johal is the bestselling author of paranormal novels, THE ISLAND, POPPY, VOICES, STRUCK and BETWEEN. When she’s not listening to the ghosts in her head, she’s dancing, taking pictures of gargoyles, or swinging from a trapeze. She shares her life with her husband, two daughters, and every stray animal that darkens their doorstep. Find Clarissa Online: Author Website Blog   Facebook  YouTube  Twitter  Goodreads  Amazon Author Page   Pinterest

Making Time to Write

By Clarissa Johal

If you’re like me, you juggle writing time with other obligations. It can be extremely difficult to carve out writing time. In my case, it’s not just the time I need, but isolation. Isolation allows me to listen to the voices in my head, and experience what my characters experience. That may sound a bit cuckoo, but most of you will get it.

Last year, when I started writing THE ISLAND, I mentioned to my husband that I was having difficulty finding “isolation” time. I was also struggling with concrete details of where my story was situated. The story takes place on a remote island off the coast of Canada. I grew up around the area, but hadn’t visited the island since I was a kid.

My husband is my hero. As a surprise, he gave me a writing trip for my birthday. I’d never been away from our kids for longer than one night, so this was a big deal to me. But I took it. My agenda was to take an airplane to Canada, a ferry to one particular island, and then kayak to another, smaller island. There, I would reconnect with what was essentially the heart of my paranormal horror novel.

It was quite the trek but totally worth it. I was able to recapture the details I’d been missing. That feeling of remoteness and isolation.  That feeling of wilderness. That feeling of, “what if everything went haywire and you were stuck here?” Plus, I spent a week doing what I love to do—hiking, exploring, and day-dreaming. Crucial things to my writer brain.

I’m going to do another one of these writing trips next year. This time, I’m searching for a lighthouse. One that I can sleep in, and preferably abandoned. If it’s haunted, that would be a plus. More exploring, more isolation, and more day-dreaming. All of what make up a good paranormal story.

If you’re intrigued, take a peek at my new release, THE ISLAND…which isn’t as abandoned as it seems. 

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Clarissa Johal is the author of paranormal novels, THE ISLAND, VOICES, STRUCK, PRADEE and BETWEEN. When she’s not listening to the ghosts in her head, she’s dancing, taking pictures of gargoyles, or swinging from a trapeze. She shares her life with her husband, two daughters, and every stray animal that darkens their doorstep. *Member of the Horror Writers Association Find Clarissa Online: Author Website  Blog   Facebook  Twitter  Goodreads Amazon Author Page  and Pinterest