character development • character questions • Characters on the Couch • historical fiction • historical romance • romance
Character on the Couch: Sawyer McCade
April 6, 2017
I’m declaring April to be Cowboy month here on the blog. Well, the first two weeks, anyway, but I’ll see what I can line up. I’m thrilled to welcome author Kim Turner and her cowboys to the couch this week and next to celebrate the release of Kim’s second novel Wyatt’s Bounty on April 12. This week we get to meet Sawyer, the hero of the first in her series.
Can a sheriff set on avenging his father’s death find love with a mail-order-bride who has secrets of her own?
As if he doesn’t have enough to handle between running outlaws out of Cheyenne, keeping his brother’s out of trouble and avenging his father’s death, sheriff Sawyer McCade’s meddling mother just dumped a mysterious mail-order-bride on his doorstep. One woman can be more trouble than a band of renegades and while this one has him all stirred up, he’d rather get to the bottom of the story she isn’t telling.
Rose Parker had it all. Until she discovers a web of danger and deceit that sends her running to Cheyenne, posing as a mail-order-bride. Escaping the evils of New York seems sensible until she meets the unsuspecting sheriff who didn’t ask for her, has no intention of marrying her and won’t rest until he uncovers her secret and sends her back home.
Cecilia says: I’ve always been fascinated by the whole mail-order bride concept and am excited to read this one. Let’s meet Sawyer…
If your character were to go to a psychologist – willingly or unwillingly – what would bring them in? Yes, a court order is a valid answer, although I doubt Sawyer would require one.
Sawyer would likely be there to figure out someone else, but he would be more curious about figuring you out. His issues are taking care of everyone around him and keeping Cheyenne safe as the sheriff. He is pissed his meddling mother sent for a mail order bride for him, but he falls for her quickly. He spends a lot of time trying to keep his brother’s out of trouble along with his mother and mid book a 14 year old boy arrives claiming to be his son.
Is the presenting problem one of the main internal or external conflicts in your book? If so, how does it present itself?
Sawyer is set on avenging his father’s death…doesn’t want to admit he is falling for the mail order bride his mother sent for…then a son he didn’t know he had shows up…He has a lot going on trying to take care of everyone else and caring little for himself but he realizes his true love for Rose when [hidden by Cecilia for spoiler – read the book to find out!]
It’s always interesting to see how people act when they first enter my office. Do they immediately go for my chair, hesitate before sitting anywhere, flop on the couch, etc.? What would your character do?
Respectfully removes hat and waits to be asked in. Cautious about your questions and will sit after you to be courteous. He’d fidget a bit
Does your character talk to the therapist? How open/revealing will your character be? What will he or she say first?
Cautious again. Would chat and want to know your background and how you know well what you do. He won’t share but what is needed as he protects the innocent. Not sure what he would say first. “Welcome to Cheyenne, state your business.” Ha.
CD replies: Ha! I’m sure he’d ask to see my professional and business licenses to make sure I’m legit.
Your character walks into the bar down the street after his/her first therapy session. What does he/she order? What happens next?
Sawyer rarely drinks. He orders sasparilla. (Rootbeer) He’d be frustrated but hold it all in, not bother to tell anyone.
When you’re building characters, do you have any tricks you use to really get into their psyches, like a character interview or personality system (e.g., Myers-Briggs types)?
I map out on story boards who they are and their GMC [goal, motivation, conflict] and details and I also keep a list of things for each character that shows up in a book, any quirks or issues or fears.
You can find Sawyer’s Rose on:
Kim Turner writes western historical romance, and discovered her passion of writing at the age of eight by writing poems, short stories and journals. Kim graduated from Clayton State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing and holds a Master’s Degree in Adult Education from Central Michigan University. Working as a registered nurse educator for over twenty-seven years, she enjoys studying the medical treatments of the old west as well as keeping up with the latest western movies and television series. While she loves reading anything from highlanders to pirates, she claims to have an unquenchable thirst for the American Cowboy when choosing her reads. Kim lives south of Atlanta with her husband and calls her greatest accomplishment the birth of one daughter and the adoption of another from China-neither of which came easy. Kim is a member of Romance Writers of America and Georgia Romance Writers and calls her critique group from Southside Scribes the best thing that ever happened to her writing, that and a pretty wonderful group of beta readers. Kim’s Motto: It’s All About A Cowboy and the Woman He Loves.
You can find out more about Kim on her website kimturnerwrites.com.
