Venom and Blaze has been out for over a week. I thought it would be fun to introduce you to the characters and tell you a little about the inspiration for each one. If you haven’t already read the book, this will give you a flavour for who everybody is.
The book is set in a fantasy world where every character is divided into either Good or Mirrors – with the Good being as wholesome as their name suggests and the Mirrors being their twin that is the opposite of good in every way. Where the Good are incapable of killing, lying and stealing, their Mirror is capable of all that and more. In this world, every Mirror is banished upon birth to Mirror Island, where they all live together.
Venom
One of the titular characters in the book is Princess Venom, who lives with her abusive father. When we start the book, Venom is anxious to please her father and, although she is rather lonely and sad, she very much tries to be one of the Good. When she is given an assignment from her father, she is forced to make a decision that ultimately affects the entire world around her.
The inspiration for Venom actually came in a backwards way. I had completed what went on to be the third book in the series, in which Venom is a grown up character. A throwaway remark in that book made me think “I need to explore this a little more and delve into Venom’s backstory.” Venom and Blaze was born!
Favourite quote from Venom: “You’re the worst father in the world. I’ve always wanted to tell you that.”
Blaze
Blaze is a Mirror who has had probably the most traumatic experiences of any of my characters. As part of a cruel experiment, King Viper decided to keep Blaze and four other Mirrors locked up in the dungeons to see if he could ‘tame’ them or turn them Good.
Like Venom, Blaze also makes an appearance in the third book. His initial inspiration was because I wanted a character to challenge Venom, almost as an antagonist for her.
Favourite quote from Blaze: “I was nothing more than a pawn in your twisted chess game.”
The spiders
This book is definitely not suitable if you have arachnophobia! Venom’s main friends are spiders – and she can actually communicate with them!
I particularly wanted to include spiders in the book as I have always felt really affectionate towards them and I really hope that by anthropomorphising them, it might encourage people to, instead of squishing them on sight, pop a glass over them, slide some paper over the hole and gently let them out into the garden.
Thorn
Thorn is a Lawkeeper, one of the law enforcers assigned by the reigning monarch to transfer babies to Mirror Island. Thorn is deliberately painted as quite an insipid character – but is there more to him than meets the eye?
Favourite quote from Thorn: “I had this all under control.” (Did you really, Thorn?)
King Viper
Every good story needs a good villain. King Viper fills that role splendidly. Venom’s father is a cruel and tyrannical ruler – even though he’s meant to be one of the Good. His one aim in life is to increase his power and social standing – and if that means using Venom as a pawn, that’s exactly what he’ll do.
As the villain, Viper definitely gets some of the best lines in the book, so it was a struggle to pick a favourite quote from him. Ultimately, this is the one that won out, simply because he delivers it with such conspicuous sarcasm and unsettling calm.
Favourite quote from Viper: “Do you have any idea how disconcerting it is to awaken from your slumber and find a corpse in your chamber?”
Queen Saffron
Hailing from the Sealands, Queen Saffron is one of the few characters in this book that manages to perfect the balance of being decent and self-serving. It’s a brief association with her that ultimately ends up shaping Venom’s character and causes her to make the choices she does.
The queen has such an air of calm serenity about her, as if she’s always in control. She is the only woman in the series that even King Viper shows a modicum of respect for. Perhaps future chronicles will explore her backstory – because there’s definitely a story to be told there.
Favourite quote from Saffron: “Saying you don’t have a choice is an act of weakness. Because there’s always a choice. Often, we’re just too afraid to make it so we make excuses instead.”
Fable
Fable may not get much of a starring role in this story – but watch out for her in the second book. Fable and Legend is out this autumn.
Like Venom and Blaze, Fable’s original appearance is in the upcoming third novel. However, in both the first and second books I wanted to explore her backstory. Fable is one of The Five, the group of Mirrors imprisoned in the dungeon by King Viper.
While she doesn’t immediately have the leadership skills of Blaze, she does possess a determined spirit.
I don’t have a favourite quote from Fable, but she does elbow Blaze hard in the ribs, which takes a certain amount of courage as Blaze is rather fierce!
Have you ordered your copy of Venom and Blaze? If not, you can do so here. And, when you do, come back and tell me which character is your favourite!
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