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April Character Studies: Faults

by Kellyn Roth |
April 22, 2016

imageOnce again, it’s time for Character Studies! As you may know, it’s hosted by Morgan Dusky at Studies in Character. You can find out more about it here.
This month’s theme is Character Faults. I’ll be interviewing George “Jordy” McAllen from The Chronicles of Alice and IvyHe’ll make an appearance for the first time in the series in Ivy Introspective as Dr. McCale’s assistant and trainee.
I was going to interview Ivy, but then I realized that I wanted to know more about a different character … and hopefully this will help me.
I’ll be using the questions from both part 1 and part 2.


What are you afraid of?

Sayin’ something at the wrong time. Ah tend to be … outspoken. That, and not passing exams. Ah’m terrified of exams. They’re so … terrifying. FEAR THE EXAMS.

Do you have a temper?

Yes. A pretty bad temper, actually. And Ah hold a grudge afterward. So …

What kind of things would make you lose your temper?

Everythin’.
Ah ‘ave a ridiculously small amount o’ patience. And Ah want to be a doctor. This is goin’ t’ be a fun life.

If you’re angry, how do you (try to) calm down?

Take deep breaths. Count to ten. Dive into a loch. Am Ah being sarcastic? Noooooooooooooo.

You’re in an argument with your best friend/significant other.  What’s it about?

Ah dinna ken … Ah canna be expected to keep track of all the reasons Ah started arguments … it’s hard enough rememberin’ how Ah ended them so Ah can remember what grudges to hold!

What’s your worst habit?

Defenestration. If only Ah could shake it! Unfortunately, it’s become an addiction. *deep sigh*

If you could change one thing about your appearance, what would it be and why?

Ah think Ah need a cleft in m’ chin. That would perfect my appearance. Ah may be joking a wee bit … how did you guess?

What about your personality?

Ah’m sorry, Ah’m too wonderful to contemplate changes. Maybe Ah’d have less of a temper. Definitely more patience!

You’re working with a group of people on some kind of object.  What role do you play? Do you like your role?

Ah’d be the sarcastic guy who has no real purpose except as a comedy relief.

What’s your favorite kind of animal?

Leeches. We use them to bleed our innocent victims. Slowly. Painfully. Not really.

The world ended (literally or figuratively, your choice).  It was your fault.  If it had been an accident, what happened?  If it had been intentional, what happened and why did you do it?

But … all me best friends live in the world!

What is something that would ruin a friendship for you?  Something completely and utterly inexcusable, even if your closest friend did it.

Ah hate when people lie to me; Ah expect honesty from those dear to me.

Somebody wants you to do something you don’t like.  What’s the best way for them to get you to do it?

Offer me pie. Ah’ll do almost anything for pie. Seriously, though, tell me not to.

Somebody is getting on your nerves and you really want them to go away but they don’t seem to get the hint.  What do you do?

Knock him down, if he is a man. Walk away, if she is a woman.

What is, in your opinion, the worst thing you’ve ever done?  What would you have done differently?

Oh, Ah can think of half a dozen times Ah’ve lost my temper and regretted it afterward. Of course, then Ah never apologize, at least not first. If anything, Ah’d like to go back and apologize quicker. Ah always regret not apologizing more than Ah regret losing my temper.

Somebody you used to trust betrayed you in a big way, and then begs for you to forgive them.  Do you and why or why not?  If not, is there something they could do to get you to change your mind?

Ah grant them forgiveness … grudgin’ly on the outside, willin’ly on the inside.

What’s your opinion on lying?  In what situations would you lie?  When do you feel it’s important to tell the truth, no matter how painful it might be?

Lying is awful. Ah try never to lie, but Ah think Ah have before to get myself out of trouble. There is no situation Ah can think of in which the truth is not better in the long run.

You’re confident that you can do something great.  What could someone do/say to destroy that confidence?  Would you let them know their comment hurt you?

There’s very little that can destroy m’ confidence. The best way to make me do something is to tell me Ah can’t.

What’s your opinion on loyalty?

Extremely important. Blood is stronger than water. Be true to your clan.

Do you like the rain?

We get plenty of it here in Scotland, and Ah’m used to it. Ah have no opinion whatsoever. Let it rain; it doesn’t bother me one bit.


Well, what did you think? Is he an interesting character? Do you think you could like him despite his faults? Do you think he and mild little Ivy could end up together without going insane? Do you think you’re going to be reading a book with him in it sometime in 2017? I sure hope so! 😉
~Kellyn Roth

What do you think of my thoughts?

23 Responses

    1. I’ve been offering a free read of The Dressmaker’s Secret (on Google docs, or I can email you the pdf or epud or mobi file, though most don’t want to give out their email address) in exchange for a book review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. I don’t know how I could get it to you, though …

      1. I appreciate that very much; however, I would probably rather reading it as a ‘real’ book. Know what I mean? 😉 I don’t even know if I could review it. Do you need an account to review something on Amazon? And, if you could give me an email address for me to email you, then we could get in touch through that. 🙂
        CutePolarBear

        1. My work email is kellynroth@gmail.com … feel free to email me there any time. 🙂 And I don’t know if you need an account on Amazon or not. I’ve never tried reviewing a book without being signed in. And I know what you mean about reading it as a real book.

          1. Okay, thanks! I’m actually pretty busy with school right now, but maybe I’ll look into it when the Summer is here. 🙂
            CutePolarBear

        1. Yes, I am. 🙂 I’m not sure how I could get the file for TDS to you, though, unless I had your email address, but we can try to find another way if you want. 🙂

  1. AHH! OH MY GOODNESS! I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!
    *coughs* Seriously though. He sounds like an awesome character! I mean like … he’s all snarky and grumpy but hilarious and awesome and amazing and I sooooo want to read this thing about him!
    Loved the interview/whatever you’d call this thing! 😉 😀

  2. OOH I LOVE HIM. Seriously, though, he sounds great, and he made me giggle a little out loud with his answers. I like him a lot already and it makes me so excited to read Ivy Introspective! I definitely like him despite (and maybe even because of) his faults. He sounds great.

      1. Ooh, so he’s one of those sneaky characters who slips his way in without you noticing and makes you go “wait how did you get here? you’re not supposed to be here…but I love you anyways”?

          1. Haha. Well, I’m sure he’ll make a great addition to the story despite his sneakiness. I have lots of characters like that, that pop in out of nowhere and I’m just like, “Brain, how did you even come up with this?” And then sometimes they fade to the back of my mind and leave a gaping plot hole and, seriously, this minor characters are a problem. I need to hold a council to make sure they don’t cause my other characters to revolt or anything crazy like that.

              1. Well, there’s a council of people, but they counsel together. At least…I think so. I’ve always been a little confused about it too.
                They are. Evilly fun, though!

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