QUEST BLOG : MAKING AN ARROGANT "UPPER-CLASS" MAN LOVABLE?

Let me introduce you to Aurora Lightbourne the first Guest Blogger ever to appear on For The Love of Reading! The next stop on her Virtual Book Tour is at Ink Puddle on Oct. 3rd, where the author stops over at that blog for a guest blog as well, so make sure you don't miss out on that!

A. Lightbourne is the author of Brass Hearts: A Steampunk Fairytale classic Romantic tale, set in a picturesque steampunk world.

"All Dulcy Spry wants in life is to inherit her father's small, family business, and help run it while she waits. But after a fateful encounter with the snobbish Mr Pridget on the roadside Dulcy's best friend, Alise, and younger sister, Rosa, drag the reluctant Miss Spry into high society, where lies, manipulations and family secrets threaten to ruin her peaceful life and cast her into the dismal prison of an unwanted marriage.

Brass Hearts is a Cinderella-esque type story. It is a sweet, old fashioned romance, complete with bad impressions, lies, misunderstandings and social divide."

When asked "How one goes about making an arrogant "upper-class" man lovable?" I have to pause for a moment. I am not sure if Pridget was 'lovable', but I at least hope he was 'likable'.

I think in order to get past the readers', and main character's, first impressions you have to know, and like, the character pretty well yourself. You have to have determined why he would give a bad impression, how it would come about, why would it not iron itself out, what events or people would help instigate it or keep it going and for what reasons.

With Pridget, as you learn during the book, he was raised to be a very serious person, groomed to be the head of a business from a young age. So he really has no appreciation for the value of anything outside of his social/economic circle. He doesn't even really have an appreciation for his own business, his father treated it more as a burden he could not wait to pass of on his son as soon as he was legally able. That doesn't make Edmund a bad guy, just possibly a socially awkward one, especially with those of inferior income. The people he grew up with also fueled his snobbish notions, Synthia Vonn for one.

When he comes in contact with Dulcet for the first time, you have to admit, she did not present a good first impression herself. They both got off on the wrong foot. If they had met for the first time as Alise's mini-ball when Dulcet was all dolled up, clean and presentable, things may have taken a different turn. Especially once her connection got out. But as it was, Edmund had to start appreciating her value in a non-monetary way, which was not something he was taught.

 Little things added up for him. He was wary of her from the start because in his position every woman he came in contact with fawned all over and pestered him once they knew how much money he had. He kept suspecting, and watching out for, her to do the same, but she never did. So while he was watching her suspiciously he got to witness her interactions and start to see how others valued her.

Before he knew it he was doing things he didn't quite understand and tried to make excuses for. But eventually his 'real' nature is revealed, but not to Dulcet right away.

To keep her from noticing his good points too soon I have to keep her distracted. Which wasn't hard with her sister butting in at all the 'good moments' , her worrying over rumors, sidetracked with Deerek, concerned about her sister's interference with Alise and her ever present desire to just get the heck out of there and go back home.

So as far as writing Edmund Pridget; you start out with a basically good guy, throw up  a barrier to his true self with some misunderstandings, acquired social prejudices and general distrust and then slowly peel back the layers to 'hopefully' reveal the real softie inside. And Voila! You got yourself a rich teddy-bear that is wild about your misfit Heroine, and a pretty sweet little romance story to boot.

But only the reader can say if I succeeded in making him 'lovable', why not read it and see for yourself?

About A. Lightbourne : 

I began writing stories almost as soon as I learned to write. From my 1st grade 'journal' full of tales of rabbit adventures to my first full length book at 14.  I have always had a love for writing stories.

Besides words I also have a love for tech. From an early age I built 'bread boards', soldering diodes and components to create such things as a light detecting alarm clock and other such ...useless things.  I moved on to building my first DOS PC at 15. I also graduated School at 15. Later on I became a certified PC tech.

I am happily married with lots of furry little 'children'.  Most of which I raised by hand when a local rescue group or friends brought me orphaned babies to bottle feed.

Most of my writing is SciFi/Fantasy based, and almost all of it contains humor. I like short, fun, humorous stories.

My favorite authors are Jane Austen and Douglas Adams.

I hope you enjoy reading my work as much as I enjoy writing it. 

You can visit the author at her website and buy Brass Hearts there as well!

Tour Stops:

September 27 - Guest Blogging at Playground 51 

September 29 - Author Interviewed at The Magic Attic

October 1 - Guest Blogging at For The Love of Reading!
October 3 - Guest Blogging at Ink Puddle
October 5 - Author Interviewed at The Booksisterhood

October 7 - Guest Blogging at Bookish Delights

October 11 - Author Interviewed at Laurie's Thoughts & Reviews

October 13 - Guest Blogging at Librarian Mouse
October 17 - Author Interviewed at The Fairytale Nerd

October 20 - Brass Hearts Review & Giveaway at Reviews By Molly