Success only flourishes in perseverance -- ceaseless, restless perseverance.
--Baron Manfred Von Richtofen

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Favorite Character Blogfest: Introducing Derek Halstead

I don't sign up for many blogfests, but this one sounded fun. Plus, I figure it's time to start introducing the Defenders of the Covenant to the world. Laura Josephsen is hosting this one and there are even prizes up for grabs. Go check out her blog to read the other entries.

We're supposed to pick our favorite character (Oh, so hard!) and introduce them to you with a little snippet. There are even prizes up for grabs! So here goes. Introducing my personal favorite, Derek Halstead. (Though, I must say I love all my characters. Really. I feel like a mother asked to choose a favorite child!)

Derek is eighteen years old, smart, nerdy and shy. He's about 5' 8", has dark hair, brown eyes, and can't see without his glasses. Sounds like your typical nerd, huh? But Derek is far from typical. Here's a little snippet from Defenders of the Covenant. Derek, Hannah, Jeremy and McKenzie have just left their hidden refuge for the first time in their lives, and Derek realizes that they won't be able to return:

************

Derek slapped his hand against the stone wall and hung his head. He chastised himself for letting Jeremy taunt him into leaving the refuge. The whir of the flying machine outside echoed through the cave. He pressed his hand harder against the rock. The gritty roughness bit into him, controlling the fear and frustration that threatened to undo him.
 

Hannah stood beside him, whispering through the dark, "The leaders will come for us, won't they?" Her voice shook. She wanted reassurance that Derek couldn't give her. Oh, he longed to put his arms around her, to comfort and protect her, but he was smart enough to know that she didn't want that from him. And he couldn't tell her everything would be fine when he knew it wouldn't. More frustration knotted up inside him. Without answering, he walked away and crouched at the cave's entrance.
 

"Yeah," Jeremy piped up. "We'll just hide in here until they do."
 

The idiot. "Be quiet," Derek hissed back at him. If the leaders opened the doors now, the refuge would be exposed. He could see the machine out there, hanging in the sky, a dark orb barely distinguishable from the night. No one came out of it, though. Probably a probe, he thought.


**************

Well, that's Derek. Defenders of the Covenant will be available from Walnut Springs Press in February or March of this year. In case you've missed my previous posts, here's a description of the book:

Hannah and her friends have been warned about the danger lurking outside of their secret refuge, but some things, like friendship and freedom, are more important than staying safe.

Hannah and Derek have spent their lives hidden underground, out of the reach of the alien invaders who devastated the world years before. When McKenzie and Jeremy decide to run away, Hannah and Derek follow, determined to bring their friends home.

Once outside, the four teens soon realize they cannot return to their refuge without endangering everyone there. Captured, enslaved and separated, Hannah, Derek and McKenzie each learn the unique role they must play in liberating the Earth, because even an alien invasion cannot stop the work of God. 


P.S. The Writing Speculative Fiction series will return on Friday!

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

so young and so many life decisions - his character is very clear - sounds fascinating

Angie said...

Thanks. I'm glad you think so. Appreciate you stopping by!

1000th.monkey said...

Oooh! Very interesting. Would the actual leaders of their underground society come from then, or a less-important figure? I'm curious why they would run away...

One quick question, is McKenzie male or female?

Linz said...

Derek is awesome!!!! :) I can't wait for you book!

Julie Daines said...

Sounds like a super interesting book. Good luck with it!

Angie said...

1000th Monkey, McKenzie is a girl. She doesn't actually appear in the snippet, does she? Didn't think about that. I'm glad you found it interesting.

Julie, Thanks! I appreciate it.

Charity Bradford said...

The whole book sounds fascinating and Derek is great. I love that he didn't lie just to comfort her.

Lisa Kumar said...

Wow, I 'saw' your character very clearly. Great writing! Your book sounds fascinating!

Morgan said...

I love your description of Derek. Great story idea- good luck with its release!

Angie said...

Thanks so much, Lisa and Morgan. Thanks for stopping by!

Christine Rains said...

Wow, that sounds awesome. I always love a good alien invasion story. Derek sounds like my type of character. Us nerds have to stick together!

Keru (a.k.a. Manny) said...

A very intriguing scene! I'm now completely curious about this world you've created.

Thanks for posting on Laura Josephsen's Blogfest! I'm glad I had the chance to meet Derek (and you)! (^__^)

Carolyn V said...

Derek sounds great! How cool that it will be out soon! Whoop! =) Yay Angie!

Angie said...

Thanks so much, Keru. It's nice to meet you too.

Tara Tyler said...

derek is deep! poor guy thinks a lot & assumes a lot!
great story idea, unique =)

Yamile said...

Great character! I love atypical heroes!

Angie said...

Thanks very much, Tara!

Kristy Shen said...

This is great! Congrats on getting published :)

Count me in as a new follower. I hope you can drop by my blog!

Cher Green said...

Angie,

Sorry I missed the blogfest. It would have been fun, but day late as always.

Your book sounds interesting. Good luck with the release and sales.

Cher

Misha Gerrick said...

Derek sounds like a great character. :-) Can't wait to see your story out there.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Sounds exciting!!! Derek sounds like a great character!

Angie said...

Thanks, everybody!

Shallee said...

I loved Derek in the sequel! Now I just have to read the first book to see how he becomes the man he was in the second book. :)

VampedChik said...

Sounds interesting! I'll have to check out the series. :)
-Amber
goodblinknpark@yahoo.com

Angie said...

Thanks, Amber. I appreciate that!