Hey bats!
I love side characters in stories, especially when they get a lot of love from the author. I’ve seen on more than one occasion that a side character can be more interesting than a main character, which is fair given some people just connect with various characters differently. Often, a reader might want to see more of a side character but be disappointed to not get that.
I think, for readers, it’s important nowadays to speak up about this. After all, indie authors are on the rise from what I’ve seen, as is the quality of our works. I know I want to have a strong connection to my audience, so if someone wants a side character’s story expanded, I want to listen to them.
That said, I’m the type of author to snatch up a side character and turn them into a major protagonist. It happened with Ares and Robert Smoke. Actually, I think most of my characters fall into that category. I plan on writing an adventure-fantasy (finding the city of dragons in the “Vampire Wars” universe) with Clarice, Rufus, and Gaelira as a few of the main characters, for example. That’s far future stuff, but definitely on my mind.
Sometimes people, or the author themselves, just fall in love with a side characters, and I think that’s highly beneficial to those who love characters and worlds. I can’t count how many times I’ve really wanted a character’s story expanded, only to never get that.
Keep that in mind! Authors, don’t discount your side characters! Readers, make sure to speak up!
Now if only we could get other creative mediums to hear us too…
Fun facts from The Kingdoms of Blood:
Sam Viper
“Sam has chased her tail in dragon form a few times. Yes, she’s been caught doing so by Goliath.”
Ares Arachnida
““The Crows”, or the vampire gang that guards Elapid city, led by Ares, act tough but are actually very gentle and kind toward innocent humans, often going out of their way to help with mundane things if called upon.”
Cecelia Smoke
“Cecelia never attended university and had limited education due to her past. Despite this, she worked very hard in Cobratongue University and with magic. She turned out to be a very intelligent student. She never had a chance to express this prior to Elapid’s stabilization.”
