Sydney – Cindy Young-Turner

When good characters make bad choices

This post has been rattling around in my head for a while. A few people who have read Thief of Hope have commented that they didn’t like Sydney, the heroine, at first. It’s an interesting comment. Sydney may not be the most likable of characters at the beginning of the book. She’s a pickpocket, she’s been a prostitute, and she also dealt with drug addiction. And you find all of this out in the first chapter. My hope is that despite her faults, she’s compelling enough to draw the reader into the story and want to find out more. She does make some bad choices over the course of the book because it’s a struggle for her to become the person she wants to be. Under pressure, she sometimes falls back on bad habits. I think that’s part of life, though. People don’t change overnight. Sometimes it really is a struggle and, to be cliche, sometimes you take two steps forward and one step back.

I’ll admit, I like to read about characters who have a bit of a dark side. Rogues and scoundrels who are trying to make a change or do the right thing appeal to me. Life is not black and white. Shades of gray are much more interesting. It may not come as a surprise that my favorite character when I first saw Star Wars was Darth Vader. Man, he was cool. Maybe I knew subconsciously that there was still good in him. A character’s inner journey also appeals to me. I enjoy reading about characters who grow and change over the course of a book. Some of my pet peeves about books these days are when I’m reading about a character who doesn’t change, at least not enough for my liking (yes, I’m talking about you, Hunger Games trilogy).

Sydney certainly isn’t meant to be seen as a role model. But I think her character is realistic for someone who’s been in her situation. This novel is fiction and meant to take you into a fantasy world where you’ll be entertained for a short while, but one of the best compliments for me as an author would be for people to look at Sydney and be inspired by her desire to change to follow what she believes to be right.

A Midsummer Night’s Blog Hop – Interview with the God of the Sea

Happy midsummer! The blog hop has finally arrived, so without further ado, let’s get right to our interview with Poseidon, of Medusa, A Love Story. Will Sydney gain any insight into the God of the Sea? Or will egos get in the way?

The Interviews!

Gregor Caine + Circe
(Christine Ashworth & Claire Gillian)

Sydney + Poseidon
(Cindy Young-Turner & Sasha Summers)

Caleb + Arland and Kate
(Kinley Baker & Krystal Wade)

Leigh Baxton + Micah Fuller
(Lindsay Loucks & Diane M. Haynes)

Shayla Dormyr + Kara Magari
(Raven Bower & S.M. Boyce)

Kellyn O’Brien + Julianna
(Louann Carroll & Siobhan Muir)

Ivory + Sara Wiley
(Rebecca Hamilton & Sandra Bunino)

Xylia and Landon + Avant
(Avery Olive & Kary Rader)

Asar + Matty Ducayn
(Jean Murray & Wendy Russo)

Our interview is set in a dimly lit tavern called the Silver Eagle. This place is the closest thing to a home Sydney has ever known. But the familiar mismatched tables and chairs and ceiling blackened with years of hearth smoke do little to put her at ease when faced with the prospect of interviewing the god of the sea. A tankard of ale helps, and she’s well into her second when by the time the interview begins.

Her friend, the wizard Vadnae, whose elegant green gown looks out of place in the seedy tavern, just shakes her head. She nudges Sydney. “Why don’t you ask the questions? I’m sure Poseidon is a busy man. Er, god.”

Sydney takes one more swallow of ale. He’s not going to intimidate her. She gives Poseidon her most charming smile and begins asking the questions she’s been mulling over.

Sydney: So, Poseidon, what kind of special powers do you have as a god? You control the sea, right? Anything else you can do?

Poseidon: Arching an eyebrow and shooting Sydney an amused smile. Anything else? You are amusing. Anything else? Shakes his head. My domain and abilities are beyond mortal comprehension.

Sydney: Do you actually live in the sea in an underwater palace or something like that? Where do you call home?

Poseidon: Tapping his fingers upon the table. I am an Olympian. Home is wherever I so choose. Olympus, the crest of the waves, the bottom of the ocean. He shrugs. Home is a relative term for a deity.

Sydney: What’s the biggest challenge of being a god?

Poseidon: Can a God be challenged? He smiles tightly. My beloved brethren can… vex me from time to time. But such trivialities are hardly challenging.

Sydney: Ever lost a fight then? Lost anything of value? Surely your life isn’t perfect ALL the time. Wouldn’t that be boring?

Poseidon: I am not the God of War – battle is not my domain. And nothing that’s been lost has troubled me overmuch… He pauses, his face hardening. He glances between the women and continues. Adventure, mischief – these offer me relief from any boredom, I assure you.

Sydney: Since I’m sure you’re going to ask about MY relationships, let’s talk about yours. Anyone special in your life?

He laughs, loudly and for a long time. Do you have any other questions?

Sydney looks amused. Okay then. Gods or mortals. Do you have a preference when choosing that special someone?

He smiles. Mortals are too preoccupied with this sentimental… nonsense. I take what I want. When I am done, I move on. The only thing special about them? I chose them for my affections – however briefly. That is a special honor indeed.

Sydney snorts. You sound like someone I used to know. I’m sure the women feel honored by your brief affections.

Poseidon: He smiles broadly. You remind me of someone as well. Your sharp tongue and bitter words resemble Athena.

Sydney: You must have an interesting family. How well do you get along with the other gods?

Poseidon: He glances at Sydney, then Vadnae, his face blank. We manage well enough, I suppose.

Sydney: If you could be mortal for a brief time, would you do it? Why or why not?

Poseidon: Staring at Sydney in horror. What question is this? A mortal? Why would I wish to be a mortal? He laughs. You are a weak species that is only occasionally entertaining. Next question.

Sydney: How about an easy one. What’s your favorite food? You must have some pretty amazing food in wherever it is you live.

Poseidon: The Gods partake of ambrosia and drink sweet nectar. We do, on occasion, feast on mortal fare, but it – like mortals themselves – is bland in comparison. He sighs then stands. His pale blue eyes rake over the dim tavern, clearly disdainful. I leave you now, enjoy your mortal drudgery.

Sydney looks at Vadnae. Think you can conjure up some of that ambrosia?

Vadnae sighs and shakes her head. How about I just buy you another ale? And next time you want to interview a god, let me talk you out of it.

Now hop along to Sasha Summers’ blog for the second part of the interview, where Poseidon puts Sydney on the spot. You don’t want to miss this one! And then be sure to check out the other participating authors and their character interviews!

To read more about Poseidon and Sydney, check out their respective books!

Coming soon: A Midsummer Night’s Blog Hop

I’m so excited to be participating in the Midsummer Night’s Blog Hop, coming on June 21 and organized by soon to be published CMP author Wendy Russo! This blog hop features characters interviewing characters! Wendy threw names into a hat and this is what she came up with:

Cindy Young-Turner + Sasha Summers

Sydney has survived on the streets of Last Hope most of her life through pickpocketing and prostitution. Nineteen now, she’s a resistance fighter supporting a bastard prince. Whatever will she think of Poseidon, the sexy-and-he-knows-it God of the Seas? Hmm….

Do you think Sydney can hold her own against Poseidon (featured in Sasha’s novel, Medusa, a Love Story)? Check back on Thursday to find out!

Sydney vs. Katniss

Warning: Potential for mild spoilers ahead

I enjoyed The Hunger Games and recently flew through the next two books. I’d heard from other people that they didn’t like the second and third books as much as the first, and the more I read, the more I found myself agreeing with them. Whereas my first impression of Katniss was that she was a great role model, a strong female character who faced suffering and still managed to survive with her spirit intact, I began to grow weary of her indecisiveness and passivity. Gale vs. Peeta. Districts vs. Capitol. Become the Mockingjay or not. Katniss rarely seemed able to actually make a decision on her own. Instead situations forced her to act. Finally I just wanted to shake her and say dammit, just stand up for yourself and what you believe and be the Mockingjay, on your own terms!

I also kept comparing her in my head to Sydney, the heroine from my book. Okay, Sydney’s nineteen so she’s got a couple years of experience on Katniss, but she’s also a strong female character who’s suffered and has to face her inner demons in order to become a leader in the rebellion. Sound familiar? I know I’m a bit biased because Sydney is my character and near and dear to my heart, but she does share some similarities with Katniss. Sydney grows and changes tremendously throughout the course of Thief of Hope, and I really wanted to see that kind of growth in Katniss. She had so much potential and fell short, in my mind.

So here’s a little compare/contrast of our two heroines.

Loss of a father: Katniss loses her father in a mining accident. Sydney’s father figure, Edgar, is hanged for being part of the resistance. This one is close. But unlike Katniss, who still has her mother and Prim, Sydney has no other family to fall back on. Point to Sydney.

Street smarts: Another point to Sydney. She’s survived on the streets of Last Hope all of her life. It’s not a pleasant place. Katniss is resourceful, but she can’t maneuver through the back alleys like Sydney can.

Wilderness survival: Okay, this one goes to Katniss. She can hunt, she knows plants, and she can clearly hold her own in the wild. Sydney would be pretty useless in this environment, although she’d hang on as long as she could.

Knife vs. bow: Sydney’s pretty good with a knife and Katniss is an expert with her bow. This one might be a tie because it really depends on the situation. Hand to hand I’d bet on Sydney, but long distance goes to Katniss.

Watching loved ones die in front of you: The body count gets pretty high by the end of Mockingjay. Sydney loses quite a few people as well. This one’s probably a draw.

Drug problems: Katniss sees firsthand how easy it is to escape into the world of drugs and for a brief time, feel no pain. She never quite succumbs, though. Sydney does have a problem with drug addiction for that very reason-she uses it as an escape because the pain of losing Edgar is too much. But she gets through it and refuses to go down that path again, as tempting as it might be. Point to Sydney for overcoming her addiction.

A villain you love to hate: President Snow was a great villain. But Katniss loses a point here because the resolution made me want to toss my Kindle across the room. Luckily I value it too much for that. Schrammig is Sydney’s nemesis in Thief of Hope, and yes, I’m quite partial to him. He doesn’t have as much power as Snow, although he has a lot of power over Sydney because of what he’s done to her and the people she cares about. Sydney gets a point for having to face Schramming and all of the fears associated with him.

Boy trouble: Katniss has the whole love triangle going on. I started off Team Gale but switched to Team Peeta about halfway through. And once I began reading Mockingjay, I guessed correctly who she’d end up with. And in one of the many annoying elements of the ending, Katniss STILL doesn’t really choose, it just falls into her lap. Point taken away from Katniss for sheer annoyance. Sydney, on the other hand, doesn’t always make the best decisions where men are concerned (Zared is the prime example), but she comes to a realization about that. And when she has a chance at finding love with someone who is worthy of it, she takes it.

Leadership skills: Katniss has the mockingjay fall into her lap and still doesn’t know what to do with it. Again, she’s indecisive and very passive. I don’t think it’s just because of her age, either. There was potential for her to be a real leader with real power, and it was wasted potential. Sydney has plenty of doubts about her own leadership skills and her dubious past makes people doubt her. Yet she proves to herself and to others that she can stand up and fight for her beliefs and be an example for others to follow. Definitely a point for Sydney.

Pretty clothes: All right, we’ll give one more point to Katniss. Both Sydney and Katniss are pretty casual about their appearance. Katniss has stylists and some really amazing dresses. The dress in Catching Fire was one of my favorite scenes (if you’ve read it, you know what I’m talking about. Sydney is lucky to get a pair of new boots.

So you can see where some of my criticisms of Katniss lie. I would still say I enjoyed the trilogy overall. It’s unique and has a refreshing point of view. I know it’s YA, but man is it dark, especially the last book. I was worried I might have nightmares after reading that. People can argue that Katniss is just a sixteen-year-old girl; she’s not perfect. That’s all well and good, but she’s also a heroine who deals with extraordinary circumstances. She survives the Hunger Games. She is the Girl Who Was on Fire. And she transforms into the mockingjay. She’s a lot more than an ordinary girl. She’s a hero we can look up to, and that’s why I hold her to a higher standard.

What do you think? Are you on Team Katniss? Or have I made you a convert to Team Sydney?