Beautiful People–August Edition + Snippets

 

Beautiful People is a monthly blogging meme hosted by Cait and Sky which aims to help writers better understand their characters! It’s a lot of fun, so I’ve decided to link up with August’s edition.

I’ll be answering the questions for Felicita Cristiano, the heroine from my new WIP Rose Mask. Rose Mask is a plot bunny I decided to pursue for fun at the beginning of this month. It’s only a small novella and its a Beauty and the Beast/The Phantom of the Opera retelling. I’ve had a lot of fun writing it so far, so I’ll also include a few snippets at the end for your enjoyment!

Now, for the questions!

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1. What are they addicted to/can’t live without?

Interesting question. I’m glad you ask. Felicita believes that she cannot live without her mask, which covers a large portion of her face (I can’t tell you why because *spoilers*).

2. Name three positive and three negative qualities about your character.

Okay. She is truthful, loyal and loving.

She is also frightened, hiding and slightly bitter.

3. Are they holding onto something they should get rid of?

She is holding onto a number of things that she really should do away with. One of them is her terror of what other people think of her, and another is her misconception that physical beauty (which she lacks) is the only thing which makes a woman beautiful.

4. If ten is completely organised and one is completely messy, where do they fall on the scale?

She would be a ten. Or maybe a nine and a half. She is naturally a neat person, but when she’s stuck in a castle all day, every day, she finds that cleaning, organising and generally making things pretty is a good way to pass the time. So, it’s almost a hobby now.

5. What frustrates them the most about the world they live in?

The fact that people are appalled by the scars that deform her face. They never try to see beneath to the woman she really is, and never bother to wonder how she got them (hint: she got them by being courageous).

6. How would they dress for a night out? How would they dress for a night in?

Every month, Felicita hosts a town masquerade ball in a local merchant’s house. This ball is pretty much the only time she ever leaves her castle. She dresses in finery, puts on an elegant, black and red mask and a matching Renaissance ball gown. For a night in, just a comfortable dress and of course her mask.

7. How many shoes do they own, and what kind?

I’m going to say she owns four pairs. She has a pair of soft dancing slippers, a pair of thick riding boots (which may or may not be men’s boots), and two pairs of every day, simple leather shoes.

8. Do they have any pets? What pets do they WISH they had?

She has a dog, who is, unfortunately due to a sorcerer’s curse, invisible. But that surely just makes him cooler? He’s a hunting hound and his name is Guido. She also has a horse named Fantasma (Ghost), who (in spite of his name) is not actually invisible. She wishes she could have a pet lion, tiger or cheetah, one of those exotic big cats to keep her company.

9. Is there something or someone they resent? What happened?

Felicita resents wolves. I can’t tell you why, because spoilers, but wolves are something she absolutely hates…and is terrified of.

10. What’s usually in their fridge or pantry?

The normal Renaissance Italy things that a rich woman has in her castle, I guess. Her servants regularly hunt boar and venison, they grow a garden of fresh vegetables and keep an orchard. On occasions, in spring and summer, Felicita goes hunting  for berries and mushrooms. In other words, they often have a lot of delicious things. 😀

Anyway, those are the questions answered. Here are a few random snippets from my new WIP for you to enjoy.

Those lines ‘Like a rose that is fading/Roses wither away’ is actually a line from the musical Cats, the song Memory (Reprise). I really, really like the sound of it, though I have no idea what it actually means in the context of Memory.

There we are! Have you participated in Beautiful People? Have you ever written a retelling? What did you think of Felicita?