Friday, June 19, 2015

Beautiful People Linkup--June

Cait at "Paper Fury" is co-hosting a linkup called "Beautiful People." Each month she announces a new set of questions to answer about your characters so you can learn more about them. This month's theme is parents! There aren't a lot of parents that play big roles in MG and YA books nowadays (including a lot of mine . . . whoops), but the ones I have I absolutely love. I like writing the interactions between them and all of the other characters, including their kids and their kids' friends. This month I'll write about Celeste's parents from Cosmo (Timothy and Quentin Smitherson) and Lane's parents from Beneath the Moon and Stars (Christine and Paul Hawthorne).

http://paperfury.com/beautiful-people-10-parental-edition/


1. Do they know both their biological parents? Why/why not?

Celeste was given up for adoption as a baby, and as it was a closed adoption, she never knew who her parents were.

Lane may not be close with either of his parents, but he still knows and loves them, even if they frustrate him to no end some days.

2. Have they inherited any physical resemblances from their parents?

Celeste has no idea what she may or may not have inherited, though she definitely seems to have Timothy's playful smirk and Quentin's laugh.

Lane looks almost exactly like his father did when he was a teenager, since he has his dark hair and bright blue eyes.

3. What’s their parental figure(s) dress style? Add pictures if you like!

Quentin wears jeans and a t-shirt of some kind on most days, usually with an apron over top that's covered in flour. Timothy's almost always in a suit for work.

Christine and Paul, no matter the day or what they're doing, dress to impress, never a hair out of place.

4. Do they share any personality traits with their parental figures? And which do they take after most?

Celeste and her dads are all sarcastic. She and Quentin are definitely more outgoing between the three of them, but she's also thoughtful like Timothy.

Though Lane won't admit it, he and his mother share their stubborn qualities, but he gets his creative side from his dad.

5. Do they get on with their parental figure(s) or do they clash?

Celeste is super close with her parents, especially since they move around a lot and she didn't always have the best of luck finding friends at her schools.

As far as Lane goes, well . . . he and his mother aren't exactly the best of friends. They've been known to have screaming matches. They butt heads constantly. But Paul is hands off to the point of hardly knowing his children, so he and Lane barely talk, which makes it almost impossible to find anything to fight about.

6. If they had to describe their parental figure(s) in one word, what would it be?

Besides kind and loving, Celeste would describe Quentin as "fun" and Timothy as "witty."

Lane would pick "obstinate" for his mother and "apathetic" for his father.

7. How has their parental figure(s) helped them most in their life?




Celeste's parents have always been her best friends, but especially when she had to go through so many bullying problems at her various schools. When none of the students were nice to her, they were, and home's always been a safe place to sit back and relax.

As much as his parents drive him crazy, Paul and Christine have helped Lane to be driven and get good grades and take on some responsibility. He had the potential to be someone who could've decided he didn't care about how he did in school or what college he went to, but they focused him.

8. What was their biggest fight with their parental figure(s)?

The Smithersons hardly ever fight. Once in a blue moon, and it doesn't last for more than a couple days, at which point they're all tired of the tension and silence and apologize to each other. But Celeste did get into a heated argument with Timothy about dying her hair. The problem wasn't even that she'd dyed her hair, it's that she did it without asking and ended up making a huge mess in the bathroom. She stained several towels and one of his expensive shirts for work. But it all worked out soon afterwards.

The biggest fight Lane had with his mother actually happens in the novel, but I can't say when or why because spoilers . . .

9. What’s their favourite memory with their parental figure(s)?

Baking with her dads when she was little. They made a batch of chocolate chips cookies but it turned into a huge flour fight. It looked like it had snowed in the kitchen by the time they were done. She still has the picture in a frame in her bedroom.


His dad took him on a fishing trip once when he was about twelve, and it had to be the only time in his life he's spoken to him for longer than ten minutes. They talked nonstop for hours, and even though nothing had really changed the next day, he remembers every bit of it. As far as his mother goes, Lane actually had a pleasant time learning how to fold napkins into cranes at about the same age. They may not have talked much--they don't exactly have a lot in common--but they were both in a good mood and even laughed a few times.

Your turn! Tell me all about your character's parental figure(s). Do they get along? Are they related by blood? Leave a comment!

5 comments:

Alyssa Carlier said...

Timothy and Quentin sound like fabulous parents, and I really look forward to seeing how their family dynamics work! (I mean, a family of sarcasm? That can only be awesome.) Christine and Paul sound a lot like Asian parents, actually -- push their kids a lot, but really care. Great parents -- like you say, there aren't enough in YA!

~ Alyssa @ The Devil Orders Takeout

Boquinha said...

Oooh, fun to read. Both of these books look so good to me!! I've loved EVERY Cosmo thing you've ever posted. What's going on with that manuscript? Is it done? It looks so good!

The Magic Violinist said...

@Alyssa Carter Ha ha, they have a lot of witty banters. ;) It's great, I love writing them. And yes, the Hawthorne's are strict and can be totally frustrating sometimes, but their kids usually do well and end up with good jobs and families and lives.

There really isn't! That's also part of the reason why I love "Teen Wolf" so much (not a book, I know, but still). They actually involve the kids' parents. And they treat them and the kids as equals. It's great.

@Boquinha Ha ha, Cosmo is actually the manuscript that's given me the most trouble recently. :P I love the characters and the story but I ran into some plot problems and have no idea where to go with it. I'm hoping to get it sorted out this summer. When it's finished, I'll let you know!

Lara Liz said...

Timothy and Quentin sound AWEsome to me - have you read Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins? Because reading this post reminded me of Nathan and Andy, Lola's parents. I'm also really intrigued by Lane's relationship with his parents - do they make up?

Great WIPs / finished manuscripts, as always. I wish I could have the patience to get past the first page of one!

The Magic Violinist said...

@Lara Liz No, but I really want to! :) Anna and the French Kiss is on my summer TBR list. Does it matter which order I read them in?

He he, I won't say exactly what happens, but I will say the more that he and Becca get older, the easier it is to deal with them.

Thank you! :) It's definitely hard to stick with it, but so worth it in the end.