I took a bit of a break from posting, as you may have noticed…or not frankly, because this is a small site and I doubt I get more than two visitors a day. It’s because of this that I have other jobs I do, so I can you know…feed my children and such. But this week is actually a pretty exciting week because I will be going on the Better To Podcast. I don’t know yet when the podcast will air, but I will be on there talking about my experience in grad school at a Buddhist-Inspired University as a Christian, and how I used Otherside as my creative thesis, which gave me the opportunity to create a richer world. So stay tuned for that!
Last time I wrote, I talked about Benny Pates, and it’s hard to talk about Benny without talking about Alaska, because the two of them are so in sync with each other. Both of them have such big hearts, and they have a great love for one another. Their friendship is quite special I think, especially in a world that tends to believe that guys and girls cannot just be friends.
In the same way that Alaska is protective of Benny, and Benny is protective of Alaska, I feel protective of the two of them. Benny really honors Alaska’s emotions, and is sensitive to her. Alaska is protective of Benny in a physical sense, but I’m happy to say that I don’t believe it’s an overbearing kind of protectiveness. She holds his arm when she walks with him, less because he’s blind, and more just for that reassurance that she’s at his side if he needs her. They have a sweet friendship.
Alaska is my shy character. She’s the unsure one in the group, compared to Aimee who is super confident, and Alanis who is sort of in the middle. Alaska doesn’t like conflict, and she’s not really sure how to speak up for herself. She’s introspective, and likes to ask big questions, especially with Benny, about philosophical things. This book isn’t focused on one specific faith or spiritual thought process, so Alaska and Benny kind of serve as my vehicle for exploring these topics within the plot of the book. Alaska is the one who ponders existence and meaning.
That’s what she brings to the table in this book, I feel. It’s that desire all of us have to know and understand why we’re here, and what life is about.
In the band, she’s their drummer…so the backbone of the band, which is kind of ironic when you consider that she doesn’t like conflict, if you think of “backbone” in terms of actually having one. It’s kind of funny.
I think I mentioned in the post on Alanis that the bar they perform at is called Sparrows Spirits, and it’s Alaska’s parents that own the bar, and live above it. So, Alaska has an interesting home life. I won’t go too deep into that because well…it’s nice to leave SOMETHING for you all to read and connect with her on, but what I wills say is that, like Benny, Alaska is a character I intend to explore with more depth in the sequel. I’m excited for you to see how her character develops over time and how she changes.
Otherside: The Serenity is currently available on Amazon. You can get the book in both Kindle and Paperback versions. If you have read the book, and would like to review it, you can do so on Amazon, and Goodreads.
H.J VandeRiet 