Fresh Fiction asked me if I would hang out with my main character in real life and I found the question intriguing (Fresh Books: Follow the Shadows). Of all the human characters in the book, I think Marise Leeson is the most interesting, but I’m old enough to be her mother, so there’s that. She does get on pretty well with the adults she interacts with and even forges some good alliances with them. I think Marise and I would get along alright, and could hang out if circumstances threw us together.
Marise is a pretty typical teenager as the story begins. She’s focused on her own interests and isn’t above engaging in some mischief to get what she wants, but underneath it all, she’s got good values. When all her plans turn upside down and she suddenly has to deal with deserts, dragons, and a whole host of weird plants and animals, she proves resourceful. And when things are life and death for others, she sets aside her personal interests and gives everything she’s got to help out. She’d be a good person to have on your team in a tight situation.
The end of Follow the Shadows leaves a lot of questions unanswered in both Cadogan Mills and Moerden. Marise will be focused on those questions for quite some time. I think she’ll grow up to be one of those people who doesn’t hang out much. She’s always going to be busy with various projects, including witchcraft, dragons, and travel between worlds. Possibly worlds beyond Moerden. Anyone who wants to hang out with her will have to keep up somehow, which could be challenging, given the inherent risks of such travel. The safest place to hang out with her is likely between the pages of a book.
© Rosemary Drisdelle 2024
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