Characterization -- The first contest book

Here's the first contest book. Remember, all you have to do is to comment on this post and tomorrow about this time I'll announce the winner and tell he or she how to reach me. There is the first chapter already up so if you're not sure this is the book that interests you, you can read a bit. And remember, there are fifteen other books to go.

Mistress of the Moons by Janet Lane Walters

The Three sworn to the Mistress of the Moons are dying. They must call three women out of time and space …

Ashiera…The Seer to Come,
Dian… The Warrior to Come,
and moon-touched Egeria…The Healer to Come.

As they make their way to The Place of Choosing in the Shanara Mountains, they face many challenges, many dangers, and in the chaos, each discovers the heroic strengths they hold inside…

Even as the women reach The Place of Choosing they face yet another test... They reject the teachings of their counterparts after realizing that only by acting with their male partners can they defeat the priests of the Lord of Shadows.

Will they survive the final confrontation?

Now a bit about characterization. When we meet someone new we generally make a judgment about their nature. We may not always be right but when writing fiction a person's face can tell a lot about a character. This is because the writer is using words to show people a bit about this person. Facial expressions can be used to show the hero, a heroine or even the villain. His mouth curved in a perpetual sneer. Her lips curved into a smile. These are quick expressions and I'm sure with a lot of thought the writer can show what a facial expression can do. Eyebrows arch. Foreheads wrinkle.

And there are the eyes. He smiled but the smile never reached his eyes. Dark eyes glittered with hatred. Blue eyes held a hint of laughter. The way a character uses the eyes. Stared in wide-eyed wonder, a cliche but it does give a picture perhaps. His eyes narrowed to needle points.

So when developing a character think about how you often judge people by their facial expressions or their eyes and how they use them.