My Weblog: Hey, Nobody's Perfect

The Agatha Award Best First Novel Nominees take over Femmes Fatales today to discuss their Character’s Biggest Flaw

Micki Browning:
Marine biologist Dr. Meredith Cavallo, an incredibly intelligent woman with a big heart, can be socially inept at times. She’s a bit like author Kathy Reichs’ forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan in that respect. Mer’s mind tends to outpace her internal filters, and while the words she speaks may be true, her delivery can blunt. (Sadly, she inherited her sarcastic streak from her creator.) In Adrift, Mer recognizes her shortcoming and genuinely regrets when she hurts someone’s feelings. That said, she has created more than one unnecessary problem for herself.

V.M. Burns:
Samantha Washington’s biggest flaw is insecurity. Sam has spent her entire life being responsible and practical. She worked as a high school English teacher for many years, but dreamed about writing British historic cozies and owning her own mystery bookstore. Her husband’s death motivated her to take action. She realizes life is short and finds the courage to quit her job, buy a building, open a bookstore and write. Even after taking those (for Sam) major life changing steps, she is still reluctant to share her writing, even with those closest to her. Thankfully, she has people in her life who love her and help her overcome her fears.

Kellye Garrett:
Like all of us, my main character Dayna Anderson has a myriad of flaws, some more serious than others. She’ll eat ice cream for breakfast. She’s horrible with money. She tends to quit things when they get too hard, be it Monopoly or acting. But the biggest flaw might be that she tends to act before she thinks. She camps outside suspects’ houses. She straight up accuses them of murder. At one point she even performs a little lightweight breaking and entering. All in the name of the investigation, of course! As a writer, I love it because it certainly ups the drama factor and is so much fun to write—especially since Dayna is the one risking her life and not me! Unfortunately, her friends don’t agree with me. And best believe they let it be known. And Dayna knows her BFFs are right. I swear she does. She always tells herself she won’t do it next time but then next time rolls around and there she is...chasing a suspect down the street while wearing 4 inch designer heels.

Laura Oles:
Jamie Rush is a woman who will have your back. It’s getting her to trust you first that’s going to be the problem. Coming from a family where she can’t rely on a single member, the guard gates to her heart are stronger than most. While this level of defensiveness has protected her so far, it has also kept an important relationship at bay, kept her from building new friendships and a new romance. This flaw of extreme distance has served its purpose but it has also kept her inner circle very small. Jamie would say her defensiveness isn’t a detriment but an advantage. However, a time will come when she has to trust someone her instincts tell her to avoid. She will have no choice.

Kathleen Valenti:
"Flaws? Imperfections? Quirks? Maggie O’Malley has them to spare.
When I set out to write Protocol, I knew I wanted a hero who was not naturally heroic. The world, literary and otherwise, is full of strong, independent women who take charge and wrestle challenges into submission. But it’s also full of people who don’t know their own strength until life hits them between the eyes and they need to dig deep to find it. These are Maggie’s spiritual kin.
Maggie is a messy, clumsy, blushing twenty-something whose brilliance is sometimes obscured by the stains on her blouse and her inability to find a working pen in her purse. Yet the greatest of her flaws is her reluctance to ask for help.
Over the years, Maggie has built a wall around her heart. Asking for help would create a crack in the armor she meticulously crafted and would require her to face the possibility that she might need someone, that she might feel something. This reluctance to reach out for help or reach inward to plumb the depths of her emotions sets the stage for actions that propel her toward danger. She must learn that her greatest strength may be admitting that she’s not made of steel, but of flesh and blood and need.
The truth is, I adore Maggie not in spite of her flaws, but because of them. For me, the fact that she must figure out not only the mystery that surrounds her but the one within her makes the journey to The End that much more satisfying.

Bios:

A retired police captain, Micki Browning writes the Mer Cavallo Mystery series set in the Florida Keys. In addition to the Agatha nomination for Best First Novel, Adrift has won both the Daphne du Maurier and the Royal Palm Literary Awards. Beached, her second novel, launched January 2018. Micki’s work has appeared in dive magazines, anthologies, mystery magazines, and textbooks. She lives in South Florida with her partner in crime and a vast array of scuba equipment she uses for “research.” Learn more about Micki at MickiBrowning.com.

V.M. (Valerie) Burns was born in Northwestern Indiana and spent many years in Southwestern Michigan on the Lake Michigan shoreline. She is a lover of dogs, British historic cozies, and scones with clotted cream. After many years in the Midwest she went in search of milder winters and currently lives in Eastern Tennessee with her poodles. Receiving the Agatha nomination for Best First Novel has been a dream come true. Valerie is a member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and a lifetime member of Sisters in Crime. Readers can learn more by visiting her website at vmburns.com.

Kellye Garrett writes the Detective by Day mysteries about a semi-famous, mega-broke black actress who takes on the deadliest role of her life: Homicide Detective. The first, Hollywood Homicide, was recently nominated for Agatha, Lefty, and Barry awards. [And won the Lefty! Congratulations! --AG] The second, Hollywood Ending, will be released on August 8, 2018 from Midnight Ink. Prior to writing novels, Kellye spent eight years working in Hollywood, including a stint writing for the TV drama "Cold Case". The New Jersey native now works for a leading media company in New York City and serves on the national Board of Directors for Sisters in Crime. You can learn more about her at KellyeGarrett.com and ChicksontheCase.com.

Laura Oles is a photo industry journalist who spent twenty years covering tech and trends before turning to crime fiction. She served as a columnist for numerous photography magazines and publications. Laura’s short stories have appeared in several anthologies, including Murder on Wheels, which won the Silver Falchion Award in 2016. Her debut mystery, Daughters of Bad Men, is a Claymore Award Finalist and an Agatha nominee for Best First Novel. She is also a Writers’ League of Texas Award Finalist. Laura is a member of Austin Mystery Writers, Sisters in Crime and Writers’ League of Texas. Laura lives on the edge of the Texas Hill Country with her husband, daughter and twin sons. Visit her online at lauraoles.com.

Kathleen Valenti is the author of the Maggie O’Malley mystery series. The series’ first book, Agatha- and Lefty-nominated Protocol, introduces us to Maggie, a pharmaceutical researcher with a new job, a used phone, and a deadly problem. The series’ second book, 39 Winks, releases May 22. When Kathleen isn’t writing page-turning mysteries that combine humor and suspense, she works as a nationally award-winning advertising copywriter. She lives in Oregon with her family where she pretends to enjoy running. Learn more at www.kathleenvalenti.com.

Comments

Flaws certainly help us identify with a character. I wonder if that is because we focus so much on our own. At least those of us who are honest about ourselves do.

Posted by: Mark | March 27, 2018 at 08:52 AM

Congratulations to all of you! You are such a rockstars! And cannot wait to give you all a standing ovation…

Posted by: Hank PhilLippi ryan | March 27, 2018 at 07:57 PM

Thank you so much for inviting us to your blog!

I think this is a deeper question than a paragraph can address. Like Mark stated, flaws help us identify with the character. Conversely, when a villain has no redeeming qualities, I lose interest because the character isn't realistic.

Thanks again!!!

Posted by: Micki Browning | March 28, 2018 at 10:10 AM