Sarai Bouchard – Waif or Spunky Kid?

Sarai Bouchard is the heorine of Sarai’s Fortune, the second book in the Shadowcat Nation series. Sarai was introduced–briefly–in Andromeda’s Fall as one of the few Kuharte (shifters with additional supernatural powers). She is a Seer. She’s in some kind of trouble. That’s all we know now.

Evolution of the Character

I knew that Sarai would be in trouble when I started writing her story, but I didn’t know how much. Sarai fears Kyle Carstairs above all others, and we find out why as her story progresses. Sarai’s had a tough life, one where she’s been used for her power, and persued by an evil man because of that same power.

Toward the beginning of writing the book I took an awesome workshop from Anna Stewart and Mel Curtis on developing your characters. Part of it included use of a book titled “The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes” by Tami Cowden.

Using this book as a guide, early on I had to decide if Sarai was going to be a Waif – so beaten down by her past that she’s a quiet little mouse, dependent on others for survival, or even to make decisions. Or, did I go the other way and make her a Spunky Kid? Someone who dealt with the blows life has dealt and refused to be cowed?

In the end, I decided to make her a bit of both. As we first meet her, she is wary, distrustful, and a loner. She hates her gift and dreads her future. But we also start to realize that there’s more to her than first meets the eye. She still has to learn to have confidence in herself, in Zac, and most importantly, in the potential of her own future. Do you think she will?

At the end of Andromeda’s Fall, we leave her in trouble, her ability telling her that she has no place to go, but that’s all we know, and that’s where we pick up her story in Sarai’s Fortune. The book releases on Wednesday, May 13th! I look forward to hearing what you think!

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