Welcome to the Meet My Character Blog Tour, where you get to learn a little about my main character, Biz, from FLICKER, FRACTURE, and the still-in-the-works FADED.

Special thanks to my BFF Stacey Graham, who forced nominated me to join the fun! Her post introduces you to Clementine, the character in the novel she’s writing, but she has a ton of non-fic spookiness that you can check out, too!

Hopefully ALL OF YOU are already familiar with Biz, but in case you aren’t, grab a cup of tea and buckle up!

1) What is the name of your character?

Biz Clement.
(Little secret: she never had a last name in FLICKER. I had to create one for FRACTURE. Author fail.)

2) Is he/she fictional or a historic person?

She is fictional, but she has a lot of personality quirks borrowed from yours truly.

3) When and where is the story set?

The story is set in present day, in a non-descript town near a river. When I was first developing the story, I was thinking of Virginia (where I went to high school & college) but a lot of the terrain is influenced by where I live now in west Michigan.

4) What should we know about him/her?

She’s a normal 17-year old with one minor detail: she uses sunlight to flicker back to yesterday. She uses the ability the way any teenager would, by retaking tests, fixing fights with friends, and reliving fabulous dates with her hottie boyfriend Cameron.

She has surgery at the end of FLICKER which leaves her with a shaved head, and that starts a ton of problems for her at school.

5) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?

Biz wants nothing more than to be like everyone else, but she has this strange ability where when the sun filters through the trees and causes a strobe-light effect, she time travels back to yesterday. She doesn’t want anyone to know her secret, so she only has a couple close friends and she tends to push guys away before they can learn too much.

As fun as flickering can be, it gives her wicked migraines that strike when she returns to the time that she flickered (so if she flickers at 3:30 on Wednesday, she goes back to Tuesday, and the headache hits at 3:30 on Wednesday), proving that fun things can have consequences.

6) What is the personal goal of the character?

Her goals have changed over the course of the series. In FLICKER, she’s figured out how to use flickering to her advantage, then a situation arises where she realizes she can use her ability to help other people (stop a kidnapper). In FRACTURE, the stakes are more personal and she’s trying to save someone closer to her, while grappling with the knowledge that flickering can harm her. In FADED, she wants to learn why she flickers (plus some other stuff that I can’t tell you yet!).

7) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

The third book in the series is called FADED. I post tidbits on my author Facebook page (you should go like it!) and here on my blog. (And there’s a sample at the end of this post!)

8) When can we expect the book to be published or when was it published?

FLICKER and FRACTURE are available on Amazon now. FADED will be published in 2015.

And now for a sneak peek at FADED: (WARNING: spoiler if you haven’t read FRACTURE)
My thumb hovers over Mom’s name on my phone. I’d much rather call Dad—he knows that I flicker and could help me spin this so Mom doesn’t freak out—but he’s been so weak that even talking on the phone is sometimes too much for him. I take a deep breath.

Just get it over with.

I press the button and while it rings, wonder what I’m interrupting. She’s probably cleaning up after dinner, curious why I’m not there.

“Biz, you missed dinner.”

“Hi, Mom. I know. Listen, I—”

“It’s not like you not to call. I would have appreciated a little notice that you wouldn’t be eating with us.”

More guilt piles on top of the guilt I already feel. She does so much for me and Dad, and I hate to think of her worrying about me. “I know, I’m sorry. Look, I’m in trouble.”

She inhales quickly. She doesn’t know about the truly dangerous situations that I’ve been in, but she’s been more protective since Katie’s death. “Are you hurt? What happened? Do you need me to come get you?”

Buster glances at me in the review mirror, brows furrowed.

I close my eyes and rest my head against the back of the vinyl seat. “I was in an accident. I’m okay but Amelia’s hurt. They’re bringing us both to the hospital.”

“I’m on my way.” Her keys jangle in the background and I picture her slinging her purse over her shoulder and heading for the door.

“What about Dad?”

“He’ll be okay by himself for a little bit.”

I get that he pretty much only leaves the house for doctor’s appointments, but this would be a lot easier with him by my side. “Okay, I’ll see you soon.” I should tell her the rest of it, but I need a few more minutes of my mother not thinking I’m a delinquent. I end the call and open my eyes to find Buster glaring at me.

“Not telling her isn’t going to change that you drove drunk.”

“I know.”

***

Here are the other authors who volunteered to play NEXT Monday:

Erica M. Chapman is a young adult writer represented by the lovely Christa Heschke of McIntosh & Otis. She writes dark/light YA contemporaries & thrillers at night while working for the man during the day. She’s a lifetime Lions and Michigan football fan who loves alternative music. In addition to her own blog, she contributes posts for the YA Misfits, All The Write Notes, and The Kindness Project. She currently resides in Michigan where she quietly types her next story on her macbook in a Detroit Lions Snuggie.