Don’t know about Melina, catch up with her in the SHE BECOMES DEATH universe starting with Wearing His Ring.
MELINA CAMP
Melina didn’t show up in my mind fully formed. In fact, she came out of a desire to write my first YA novel. Yes, I knew Wearing His Ring, as it would become called was a YA novel before I ever started it. Why? Because I knew it had a teenage girl protagonist. My teenage years were fraught with times I wanted to be special and different, when I wanted to be strong and capable. For those of you keeping score at home, I was a smart but not particularly athletic teenager with a little bit of a anger management problem. Which Melina has sort of inherited. Considering the first book starts with her nearly ripping the face off a classmate, I would say she’s got it honest.
Why did I pick her? She was loud and the idea she screamed in my ear seemed interesting. She told me about her friendship with Death, whom you think would have been the first character I thought of instead of the second and from there, I knew I had a story. How did she, a human teenager, become the avatar of an Immortal? Perfect way to go.
I also knew, like I did, Melina would have a growth arc worthy of talking about. My own journey out of being perpetually angry was worth it for me. Don’t know about for anyone else, but it was worth it for me. All things considered she had a growth arc and a good story, so I choose her. I just didn’t realize I would get so attached to her. Three books, three novellas, and another three books planned, I’m still telling parts of Melina’s story along with the others of the universe she is a part of.
If you haven’t caught up with Melina, you really should. You can get her opening story, Wearing His Ring, for .99 until the beginning of the new year.