Characterization -- Astrology - The Henge Betrayed characters

For the past twelve weeks I've posted the characteristics of each of the signsof the Zodiac, honing in on the Sun, Moon and Rising sign. Since The Henge Betrayed Refuge was released today, I thought I'd show you how to use the Sun, Moon and Rising signs were used to create these characters. First a general bit about how I do this.

It's a matter of picking one from each column to give depth to your characters. The Sun is a character's inner self, one they may or may not let other people see. The Moon shows their emotional nature and often how they act and react to the actions of other people. The Rising Sun is the self they show the world. These three aspects may work in unison or they may work in opposition. They will give the character motivations and sometimes motivations that are in conflict.

Before I get to the characters of the Henge Betrayed series, let's look at a character who has more than one level to her character. Suppose you have a hero or heroine with Pisces as the Sun, This gives a dreamy aspect to the character but the world may not see him or her that way since the Rising sign is Aries, a Fire sign meaning they are the kind to rush into action often without thinking. This will give the character some inner conflict. Then perhaps we'll choose a Taurus moon, giving them a need for beauty and luxury on an emotional level. As you can see this character has levels to their nature and there are problems built into their personality.

When I began the cozy mystery series, I must admit the character was based on my own astrological signs. Katherine Miller has a Cancer sun making her want to mother everyone. She also has a Cancer moon. This gives her an emotional attachment to those near and dear to her. Her Rising sign is Taurus, this her love or cooking, beautiful things and in her case music.

Now for one of the Henge Betrayed characters. Though this is an ensemble book, there are five who were there from the very beginning of the book. Ky and Zand are Fire. Not only are their suns belonging to one of the Fire signs so are their moons and rising signs. Ash is Air. Bran is Water and Jay is Earth.

Unlike my other characters these five have sun, moon and rising sign in one of the four major breakdowns. Ky has an Aries Sun, a Sagittarius Moon and a Leo rising sign.
In contrast Zand has a Leo sun, an Aries rising sign and a Sagittarius moon. This gives them slightly different personalities, needs and desires. Ky is more brash and daring while Zand has a desire to rule. Both have a natural way of bonding with animals and investing their emotions in the care of the animals.

So find yourself a good book on astrology that shows not just the sun but the moon and rising signs in each of the twelve Zodiac signs and add some extra flavor to your characters.