BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE FOR WRITERS #6

What is Beautiful People?

Beautiful People is for writers. Every month, Cait and Sky post a list of ten questions for you to answer about your characters. It’s designed to help you get to know your characters – their quirks, their personality, their flaws, and who they are. You can satiate your curiosity about this feature: HERE. Please join us!

Sorry about the smallish font. No matter what I do the size will not change. I even tried changing the pixel size in the html, but nothing happened.

FEBRUARY VALENTINES EDITION

These romantic questions are going to be a little tough because the MCs in both of my WIPs are middle grade age!

So... I have decided to answer them about the friendship between Saffron and Fig, the entity in the attic from Hidden Magic: The Adventures Of Saffron Browne.

Also, if you make it to the end, I am adding the snippet I was finally brave enough to post on an author's weekly meme.

1. How did they meet?
Saffron's mother told her about her childhood friend, Figment, and that it might be nice for Saffron to go and have a visit, in her grandmother's attic, with the entity every now and again because her mother was sure it was lonely.

2. What were their first impressions of each other? 
Saffron's first impression of Fig was fearful because before she ever laid eyes on Fig she heard it moaning and wailing in the attic. After her mother explained about it, Saffron felt better, but was still afraid to go up into the attic at first. Fig was just glad to have a visitor.

3. How long have they been together?
At the beginning of the first book they have known each other for almost three years. Saffron is nine and first met Figment when she was six.

4. How loyal are they?
It is good thinking about this because I don't know. Neither of them has had the opportunity to be disloyal. Fig really has no choice because Saffron is the only person that comes to visit in the attic. I can't imagine Saffron being disloyal, but  she is only nine and if a flesh and blood person her age, that she liked a lot, showed up would she abandon Fig in order to be out and about? I don't know.

5. Do they know each other's food quirks?
Fig knows everything about Saffron because she confides everything to them. They know Saffron is lactose intolerant and chooses sorbet rather than ice cream, and that pear sorbet is her favorite. Fig knows she loves yellow cake with chocolate frosting and hates guacamole. Fig doesn't eat, but Saffron can tell it's different moods by the texture and density of its "form".

6. Does anyone disapprove of their relationship?
Saffron's grandmother doesn't so much disapprove as she does frown upon the amount of time Saffron spends with Fig. Saffron's cousin Cyx teases her about it because she thinks their friendship is weird. Saffron's little brother Thorne (yay, he has a name now) is jealous because at home he had Saffron all to himself.

7. What would be an ideal "play date"?
For Fig it would be playing chess and listening to old jazz records on the gramophone. Saffron prefers to play old classical records and pretend she is a ballerina. She also likes more modern boards games like Monopoly and The Game Of Life, which Fig looks down their imperceptible nose at. Saffron also loves it when her friend reads to her.

8. Personality dynamics? 
They both take turns being the leader/decision maker. Fig is the one who gives advice because they are the "adult". Fig only gets ruffled when Saffron prods for information about her mother's past, or she tells about something unwise she did. Saffron gets angry when Fig won't tell her certain things about her mother, or when Fig sides with her grandmother. Saffron also gets angry that Fig gleans so much joy out of scaring her little brother.

9. Best and worst friendship moments?
Number one would be when Saffron finally got up enough courage to go into the attic and introduce herself to Figment. Worst would be when Fig scared Thorne on the back kitchen stairs, and he fell and had to have stitches in his forehead. Saffron didn't visit Fig for two months after.

10. Where do they see themselves in the future?

All I know is that Saffron hopes Fig will someday tell her if they know who her father is and Fig hopes Saffron will be able to help them figure out who they used to be when they were alive, or even if they ever were alive.

Now for the snippet!

   Saffron's grandmother, Isabelle, arrived rather noisily in the front hall closet three days later, shortly after lunch; her brindle French Bulldog, Leo, barking excitedly and scratching at the door.

   Isabelle hadn't had to ring the doorbell for assistance before Saffron, upon hearing tne commotion, raced down the hall from helping Mrs. Knickerbocker make pear sorbet for dinner. She quickly unfastened the chain lock, needing to twist the large brass doorknob with both hands, and heaved the heavy oak wood closet door open.

  There stood her grandmother, in a beautiful black linen pencil skirt with matching high collared blouse, on the welcome mat, her dark blonde hair swept up into an elegant French knot. Leo was straining at his harness to get into the house which made her wobble a little in her high heeled shoes. Her grandmother's eyes narrowed.

   "Were you running in the house?" She asked her granddaughter calmly, but firmly.

  "Sorry," Saffron answered. "I was just..." Her grandmother's free hand went up, palm facing out, in her well-known signal for silence, "so excited," the girl lowered her voice and then whispered, "...you were home."

   Isabelle handed Saffron Leo's red velvet leash. "Take Leo out behind the potager and let him relieve himself." Saffron grabbed the leash and started to dash back down the hall; then stopped abruptly when she remembered not to run in the house. "And make sure you clean it up," her grandmother added. "Also, tell Charles my bags are here in the closet if you see him." 

   Saffron stopped halfway down the long hall in case her grandmother had any more instructions because she knew Isabelle didn't approve of shouting in the house. Just as she started to walk again, after a few moments of silence, she heard, "And thank-you, dear."