Meet My Main Character Blog Hop

I've been tagged by Dianne Ascroft to take part in this blog hop about main characters in our latest work in progress. Dianne is a fellow member of Writers Abroad and has self published a novel set in World War II - Hitler and Mars Bars.
I'm currently working on a fantasy novel but do have other historical works in progress, so I shall showcase one of those. However, there is no reason why the characters for the blog hop can't be from any genre as you will discover from my tagged authors below. Makes things a little more interesting...

1) What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?
There are two strong female characters in this project, Eve Lacey and Isabella Bloomfield. Neither of them are based on any particular person—more they are a mix of women I have read about in my research around World War II, particularly about the ATA girls. When I lived in the UK, I met and interviewed an old lady, Pat Brandon, who had nursed in London during the war and she also inspired me to write about this time.

2) When and where is the story set?
The story is set during the years of World War II and starts with Eve and Isobel meeting in a field hospital in France. They continue their friendship when Isobel joins the ATA and Eve is posted back to England.

3) What should we know about him/her?
The two friends couldn’t be more different. Eve is from the country and ran away from her cruel aunt after her father died. Isobel is a wealthy debutante who it seems has everything she could wish for. The women, however, share a birthday and from the first time they meet, their lives run along parallel lines.

4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?
Eve and Isobel fall in love with the same man, Jack Wallace, an ace fighter pilot. Eve has a brief liaison with him and falls head over heels in love but never sees him again. Isobel is pursued by Jack and eventually agrees to marry him. Soon after, Jack is killed in combat and Eve reveals the consequences of her liaison.

5) What is the personal goal of the character?
Both women want to live life in the moment as dictated by circumstances out of their control. However ultimately they both want to be loved and seek to secure their future. 

6) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?
The working title at the moment is All Will Be Well but it has been known as The Flying Angels as it features quite a bit about the ATA girls.

7) When can we expect the book to be published?
This was the first full length work in progress I penned. Having self-published The Duke’s Shadow, on March 1 this year it has given me the confidence to rewrite all my works in progress. Hopefully, 2015. You can find news updates on my website Louise Charles.

The two authors I have tagged are: 
Vesna McMaster - a fellow member of Writers Abroad and 
Pam Burkes, who writes with her sister as the author, Ellie Campbell. Together they have published four novels, How to Survive Your Sisters, When Friends Go Bad, Looking for La La and To Catch a Creeper.

Following Your Writing Dreams

It is every writer's dream to see their work in print. I don't believe that any writer really wants to keep their work all to themselves. We write so that others can read. But as we all know, writing just isn't about putting words down on paper or tapping them into a PC. There is so much to the writing process that is not about writing.

Marketing is fast becoming the No 1 skill that we writers have to get our heads around. And it's not easy. Generally, writers are not good at selling themselves or their work. It's not what we do best. But we have to learn, whether we are picked up by a publishing house or choose the self publication route, we have to shout out and shout out loud to be heard (and therefore read).

And for me, I learn through my failures. My last marketing plan sort of fizzled out. The promises I made to myself to stand tall and be counted weren't followed through. Most of all I lacked a consistent approach. Next time will be different. It is a hard mountain to climb and sometimes results are slow.

I've had some wonderful comments about The Duke's Shadow. People have taken the time and effort to go out of their way and say constructive things about my book - they've actually read it! So my dream of getting into print and reaching out to readers has been fulfilled in some part. It is these testimonials that I will treasure and return to when I need a confidence boost rather than wallowing in self pity about what I haven't done. 

And in the meantime, I shall continue to follow my writings dreams, by preparing my next publication (more of which to follow).