Nov82017

Sucker for Sidekicks, Biffy & Lyall & So Many More

Recently Romancing the Werewolf hit the world. So I thought It’s tell you a bit about why I felt compelled to write this story.

Or, at least, one reason why.

Let’s talk . . . characters.

I have this little problem, Gentle Reader, I fall in love with my second string characters. It’s not that I don’t like the heroes and heroines but there is just something about the supporting actors that is terribly hard to resist. I have this difficulty in movies as well. And other people’s books. Let us call this little foible of mine: an obsession with sidekicks.

Lord of the Rings? I’m all about Merry (yay, Dominic Monaghan!). You can have your Aragorns and your Legolasses I’m taking the lesser-known hobbits home, thank you very much.

The thing is, I have always been a sidekick woman. Call me crazy, but the star never really does it for me. There is something about the person at his side, the one providing the laughs, the one who doesn’t get the romance, that is far more appealing than the classic perfectness of the lead.

Sometimes a sidekick can save a film. Take Val Kilmer’s Doc Holiday in “Tombstone.” This gun toting, sickly, drunken character somehow makes the whole movie worthwhile. He has all the good lines, too.

There are some who will never understand the appeal. But I suspect more than a few share my obsession. We’re the ones who choose Dr. Watson over Sherlock Holmes, Porthos over Athos, and Little John over Robin Hood, because they never take themselves, or the lead, too seriously. The sidekick will make you laugh for a lifetime, and that’s sex appeal.

 

So what if he or she is slightly silly looking, clowns around too much, and makes mistakes? That is a vital part of the appeal. You see, sidekicks have this wonderful awkward charm. They are appealing because of their humanness, because of their imperfections. They are quirky and approachable.

So I guess that’s why I keep writing about them.

In Other News

I just might have started a podcast! (I know, but I love them soooooo much, I wanted to join the party.) It’s all about travel with my friend and fellow writer Piper J Drake.

It’s called 20 Minute Delay

And you can listen to a sample.

Coming soon to iTunes!

Do you want early release announcements? New stuff goes to my Chirrup members first, because I love them bestest. Sign up here.

Coop de Book: Gail’s monthly read along for November is Romancing the Werewolf.

OUT NOW!

Amazon | Kobo | B&N | iBooks

Romancing the Werewolf ~ A Supernatural Society Novella by Gail Carriger is now available in digital form (print & audio to follow).

Gay reunion romance featuring your favorite reluctant werewolf dandy, the return of a certain quietly efficient Beta, and some unexpected holiday gifts.

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~ Oscar Wilde

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Posted by Gail Carriger

8 Responses

  1. Rhiannon Lynn said:

    Excellent. A random question (I’ve just reread “the Sumage Solution” so my mind is going sideways) – what effect does bagpipes have on shifters, if normal humans have sore (and ringing!) ears from bagpipes at-a-100-yards?
    A bit off-topic…oops.

      1. Rhiannon Lynn said:

        Brilliant! Thank you! I was brought up on Skye, so I had to suffer through MANY rehearsals of the school pipe band….I got tinnitus for days afterwards.

  2. Ann Brookens said:

    Love the sidekicks! Many of my favorite characters hold that position. Maybe that’s why your new short stories are so great; I get to see them star in their own story!

  3. Andrew Stackhouse said:

    Is that a still from “A Knight’s Tale” at the end of your talk about sidekicks?

  4. Renee S. said:

    Hi! This is my first ‘Chirrup’ and I too am a fan of sidekicks and secondary characters. One of the questions I had planned on asking was whether Major Channing Channing of the Chesterfield Channings was going to get his own story (because I’m one of those “weirdos who love to love him”). So I was really really happy to see that “How to Marry a Werewolf (In 10 Easy Steps)” is due out in 2018! Yay!

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