Megan's Comic Relief

Before anyone else, Caleb and Megan were the first two characters that I knew would live inside the world of Awakened. Megan was more than just comic relief, although she did provide the vast majority of it. She was Caleb's sounding board, his motivation to get out of 29 Palms, the person he could always rely on, and his conscience. 

When I imagined Megan early on, I came across pictures of Kaela Humphries, a model who fits the exact mental image I had of Megan when I was writing her. She is a sexy, multicultural girl who doesn't take shit from anyone, especially the guys she dates, which is a good thing because some of them have been a bit much, as you see in the books. Kaela fit that mold for me in the photos I found of her. She exudes confidence and looks like she would always feel like the prettiest girl in the room. That is Megan exactly. And this confidence jumped off the page as I was writing, shaping her into the character she was.  

When the character of Adam was introduced, I had intended for him to become Caleb's love, but when Megan met him, all that went out the window. The character of Megan, in my mind, very much like her character on the page, took over and claimed him as her own before anyone else had the chance. 

I really liked how it turned out, however, because I didn't want to fall into the same pattern of storytelling that was happening at this time, where a female character was caught between two eligible male love interests. Or the other, more specific story arc, the unpopular gay character falls for the athletic straight character and pines after him until finally giving up hope. I hope the way it all turns out, in the end, is enjoyable for the readers, but it very much met and exceeded my wishes for what would happen between these characters. Without Megan, I don't think the tension or end result would have been as powerful or enjoyable.​