Behind the Characters: Sam Williams
Good Morning Readers! Welcome to another Behind the Characters post! Today we will be covering the development of Samuel Williams, our resident vampire guardian. In all honesty, there wasn’t a whole lot of thought put into Sam when I first wrote his character. He was meant to be a side character, and in the first drafts of Fallen Ribbon, he didn’t have a character perspective. As I neared completion of the first draft, I added Sam’s perspective into the story in the hopes of creating a better understanding of the story, but it turned out to be too much having six different characters. Originally there were Geordie, Matt, Frost, Gabriel, Gerrold and Sam. When I hit the second draft of the book, two characters got the boot on the list of perspectives and Sam became a bigger part of the story.
I changed all of Gerrold’s perspectives to Sam’s due to all their scenes being together, Gerrold getting his own character perspective wasn’t necessary at that point in time and it allowed me the creative freedom to delve deeper into Sam’s development. By doing so, Sam turned out to be the tie between the worlds that separated Matt and Geordie’s life experiences. Not only was he aware of the supernatural society due to being a vampire, but he also knows what it was like to be completely unaware of the supernatural world’s existence as he was once human. Therefore, he is capable of empathizing with both Geordie and Matt in the challenges they face.
I also wanted to build Sam’s character to be someone who, although relatively low ranked as a vampire, has many connections in society and is capable of holding his own while recognizing his own deficiencies. He’s arguably one of the smartest and most self-aware characters in the story, while also being blunt to a level of brutal honesty that has in the past offended others due to his occasional tactlessness. The people around him don’t hold it against him, however, because he doesn’t do it to be mean or rude, he merely speaks the truth and calls people out as he sees it. In contrast, he’s an incredibly kind and selfless person who would give his life for others if the need arose.
These attributes were exactly why I made him a guardian in the vampire society. He is a foot soldier in a war much bigger than himself and he views himself as such. He views the world around him as the thing needing protecting and his loyalty to the vampires although unwavering, doesn’t stop him from questioning the moral bounds they are willing to cross to achieve their goals. As guardians, they are tasked with protecting the royalty and leaders of the supernatural world, no questions asked. Sam will do his duty and follow direct orders, but if morality and the survival of the supernatural creatures comes into question, he will do what he needs to ensure that he can still protect his charge. I wanted Sam to have neither the interest nor the patience to withstand things like corrupt behavior, treason, and inhumane practices or injustice, but I also didn’t want him to have a high and mighty attitude towards others. I needed him to be the kind of character who knew how to humble himself and understand his place in the world while doing everything in his power to achieve his goals within a moral guideline.
Of course, having this strong of a moral guideline, Sam has set himself up for some challenges he will have to face that will test the lengths in which he will keep his morality. To learn firsthand about these challenges, grab your copy of Fallen Ribbon in your favorite format on August 15th!
