Characters

Hi everyone! I talked about this a little bit during the release of All of Your Scars but I thought as new people enter the world of Rockford University, I would go ahead and touch on it again.

One of the main reasons I drew the characters, was, well for starters I wanted to see my vision come to life on how I saw these characters, but also to give you as an audience an idea of these characters physical attributes since the first book doesn’t really describe the characters.

You guys as readers being confused or possibly picturing them differently than I imagined them is on me, but it felt odd that Ember would mention physical attributes of these characters since she’s known them for so long, however, I should’ve found a way to mention it without it seeming weird in the context of the story. We do getting a little bit about Brinley and Tatum, but still nothing crazy, but I feel those two characters would’ve been the only one for Ember to really describe since she didn’t really know them prior to the book.

That being said, with book two, we have a female protagonist who is a total outsider to this group, so I will be working extra hard to make sure I bring these characters to life on the page, so you as a reader are able to imagine them without relying on the drawings I’ve provided. I’ve always felt weird writing certain physical descriptions because I feel like, at least for me, in the real world that’s not what runs through my mind when I meet someone, but I understand in the terms of literature, it’s helpful for the reader so they can create their image of the character. But I promise characters will be a lot more detailed when they’re introduced in the book, or when a character is meeting another character for the first time.

I also want to thank the Tumblr account “Writing with Color” because I think that was my biggest fear when I was writing book one in describing characters was not knowing how to properly go about it, or not being able to find the write words to describe these characters. Not even just the characters of color in Rockford University, but all characters, their page has been super helpful and continues to be helpful. So, to all other writers out there who struggle like me or want to make sure they describe their characters properly, I suggest checking out their page. You’re also able to message them and ask questions if you aren’t sure about things, so definitely check it out.

I suggest you guys checking out the MEET THE CHARACTERS tab to help you really imagine these characters that you’ve met on paper, however, I was also reading that sometimes it just makes more sense to come out and state a characters ethnicity or race because just describing the color of their skin can be confusing. So far, you’ve met three main characters: Zeke Harris, Tatum Lewis, and Maia Parker, who are all POC (I’ve read a bunch of different articles and a few stated that Asian-Americans may or may not be included in the term POC, so if I’m wrong to include an Asian-American character within that term, please reach out and let me know and I will rephrase it to make sure all groups are properly represented), as well as briefly met another character named Olivia (she’s Brooks’ girlfriend for those of you who don’t remember), who is also a POC. The female protagonist we will be introduced to in the second book is a POC as well, so I will be including her here as well, even though she will be more thoroughly described in book two, than other characters were in book one.

I’m also going to clear up any confusion for every character in the book, so you’ll know if characters are blonde, or if they have green eyes, or fluffy hair, all of that will be mentioned here. I will also be mentioning characters (not parents because they aren’t seen enough in the series for it to be important, just take their kids and imagine them grown up), who aren’t main characters in the series, like I mentioned Olivia, since we will see her recurring throughout the book, as well as Alex (Brinley’s friend turned boyfriend) since he will be recurring as well.

The order of character descriptions is the order we meet (or they’re mentioned) the characters in All of Your Scars

Ember Bowman: She’s White, her skin a cool-ivory with pink undertones and she has a slightly raised rose colored scar dividing her face almost perfectly in half diagonally. She has dark eyebrows which contrast her long dirty blonde hair, but compliments her ocean blue eyes. She’s about five six with subtle curves and has a lightness, or almost a softness, to her personality. She’s also quite self-conscious due to the scar on her face that she was born with, but once she’s comfortable around you, she has no problem teasing you.

Campbell (Cam) Bowman: He’s White, his skin a creamy beige with copper undertones and in contrast with his twin sister, Ember, his features are dark and more stern. His chestnut brown hair falls in light waves framing his face and his eyes are a stormy gray. He tall, about six foot with broad shoulders and a toned physique due to hockey. Although his features are more stern, he is kind-hearted and very caring.

Declan Sanderson: He’s White, his skin a warm beige with a golden undertone and his dark features compliment his skin tone. His dark brown hair, that’s so dark it’s nearly black, is well kempt, even with its shaggy length. His eyebrows match his hair color almost perfectly, while his eyes are a lighter brown with hints of orange. He’s taller than the average man, at about six foot three, and has a lean figure due to playing hockey. Hockey has always consumed his personality, but that’s largely because of the pressure from his father.

Brinley Sanderson: She’s White, her skin a fair porcelain with rose undertones, and freckles that really pop during the summer, but otherwise are hard to see. Her long nearly platinum blonde hair against her porcelain skin help her large brown eyes pop. Unlike her older brother, Brinley is rather petite, barely reaching five foot three, but her long torso makes her seem taller when she’s sitting down– even though her feet don’t touch the ground. She’s the life of the party, very easy going and typically has no problem with “awkward” conversations, and just loves to meet new people.

Maia Parker: She’s Black, her skin a cool bronze with pinkish undertones. She has long tight jet-black curls that fall right on her shoulders and icy-blue eyes. She’s five six with a rather lean stature, but an hourglass figure. She’s very reserved in most aspects of her life, especially her love life, but she doesn’t shy away from conversation with new people. She’s very honest, especially when it comes to the people she cares about most, and a loyal friend. She’s the kind of person who brings a bright energy to whatever room she’s in.

Zeke Harris: He’s Biracial (his mom is White and his dad is Black), his skin is a warm umber with orangey-red undertones. He has short tight chestnut brown curls, while his five o’clock shadow is slightly darker, magnifying his golden brown eyes. He’s around six foot five and has a rather muscular figure, from his hockey training, which compliments his tattoos. Like Brinley, he’s the life of the party and is always trying to make sure everyone is having a good time. In a lot of ways, he’s a lone wolf, who would rather deal with his problems alone then talk to his friends.

Jaxon (Jax) Holmes: He’s White, his skin a pale ivory with olive undertones. His auburn brown hair is short but unruly and kind of shaggy, falling over his forehead, but not long enough to cover his eyes. He has fuller eyebrows and deep blue eyes with hints of gray. He’s just over six foot, with a long torso, and a trim, yet muscular figure, from hockey. He’s the only child to a single mother, so he’s found his family within his hockey team, especially the five guys he lives with. He’s rather outgoing, never too shy to walk up to someone at a party. He’s very respectful, largely in part because his mom raised him up right.

Fletcher (Fletch) Reed: He’s White, his skin a pale porcelain with light pink undertones. His dark brown hair is short, framing his face, and is rather tamed compared to some of the other guys. His dark hair and eyebrows against his pale skin help his slate blue eyes pop. He’s five eleven and compared to the other guys, he’s lankier, but is still toned to his intense hockey training. He’s a little more reserved than the other guys, especially around people he doesn’t know, but it’s largely in part to growing up with a rather large family, that was always noisy, so he got used to keeping to himself. To people that don’t know him, that makes him seem unapproachable, especially because of his slight RBF.

Tatum (Tate) Lewis: She’s part Chinese (her mom is Chinese and Swedish and her dad is White), her skin is a cool beige with rosy undertones. Her raven black curls fall just below her collar bone. Even though her chocolate brown eyes are rather dark, they exude a brightness, that blends well with her bright smile. She’s rather tall, compared to her other female friends, at five nine, with long legs but a rather short torso. She’s a very bubbly person and is rather ambitious.

Carter (Brooks) Brooks: He’s White, his skin a creamy ivory with copper undertones. He has short shaggy blonde hair and forest green eyes. He’s six foot with a slim, yet athletic, build due to his hockey training. He exudes golden retriever energy and has a heart of gold. He’s probably the most humble of the guys that he lives with, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t super ambitious when it comes to achieving his goals. His life seems to only revolve around two things: hockey and his girlfriend Liv.

Jeremy (Jere) Moore: He’s White, his skin a cool beige with pinky undertones. He has short fluffy chocolate brown hair and brown eyes that are so dark they’re nearly black. He’s six four with a well-rounded athletic build from all the intense training. He’s very focused and is always looking toward the future rather than the past. Which helps him ignore his back injury that occurred his freshman year of college and gives him problems time to time.

Avalon Stewart (Book 2): She’s half Colombian (her mom is Colombian and her dad is White), her skin a warm olive brown with golden undertones. She has bright hazel eyes and long wavy golden-brown hair. She’s petite, barely five foot, with subtle curves, and an inviting smile. She’s very mature and independent and also has a hard time trusting people/letting them in.

Olivia (Liv- Brooks’ girlfriend): She’s Vietnamese, her skin a creamy ivory with rosy undertones. She has super dark brown eyes that are so dark they’re indistinguishable from her pupils. Her raven black hair is long, shiny, and stick straight. She’s average height, around five foot four, and is more on the curvy side. She’s controlling in certain aspects of her relationship, but deeply cares for those close to her, even if it doesn’t always seem that way to others. However, that’s not to say she won’t go out of her way to make sure she’s getting what she wants.

Alex (Brinley’s friend…): He’s White, his skin a creamy beige with olive undertones. He has short messy dark blonde hair, but during the summer he has highlights from the sun. He’s about five foot ten with a lean, yet toned, build. (We don’t know much about him personality wise… but we will.)

There are also some characters we meet in book one, or they are mentioned in book one, that I feel aren’t important enough to the series/in or mentioned in enough of the books to create descriptions for. That’s also largely in part of me not really picturing anyone when writing a scene with their character or when their character is mentioned. These characters include, but aren’t limited to, Mollie and Tanner. However, when writing Mollie, I always saw like Vicki from the Vampire Diaries or Frannie from Greek, but it could’ve just been because of the vibes from those characters.

We also hear about another character (Marcus) a couple times in book one, we will actually be introduced to him in book two, and his description will be on the page, so you’ll officially meet him then. (I felt like he wasn’t known enough yet from book one to include a description now.)

I know this may seem odd and that authors might not typically go and tell you like this how they picture the characters in their book, but I wanted to make sure there was no confusion between readers on what the characters look like. Again, I know they weren’t very fleshed out description wise in book one, so I just want to make sure (if you haven’t seen the Meet the Characters page, or can’t tell from the pictures) that as a reader, going into book two, you all have the same idea of all of the characters.

Thank you all for your time and understanding. I appreciate you guys, and can’t wait for you to get to know these characters even more.

-Emily Tayfel