Posted on by Jacquie Biggar

#BookBlast- Natural Selection @WordDreams #PrehistoricFiction


I’m excited to have best-selling author Jacqui Murray visiting the blog today with her new release Natural Selection- book 3 in an amazing prehistoric fiction series!

Jacqui is the author of the wildly popular The Crossroads Trilogy and Dawn of Humanity series, as well as the compelling Rowe-Delamagente books along with various technology manuals. She also hosts the Worddreams blog where she helps writers, shares book reviews, and much more. You can visit her here: https://worddreams.wordpress.com/

Take it away, Jacqui…

60+ Characteristics That Make Your Character Memorable

Typically, a new story starts with a passel of players that are easily confused unless you add a stand-out trait that reminds the audience who each is. It can be physical–“a birthmark on their left cheek”, a motivation–“Her eyes lit up at the sight of a dog”, an action–“She couldn’t walk past litter without picking it up”. This then becomes a way to quickly remind the reader who this character was (“She scratched her neck, the ubiquitous litter scrap fisted in her palm”).

As I plot my story and build the life and backstory of each character, I refer to a list of traits I’ve noticed in people around me that have piqued my interest or reminded me who someone was though I only saw them a few times. Here are some:

  • Don’t name the character; simply call him/her part of a group, like Joe’s Band, or Sarah’s knitting club
  • types with one finger
  • a man who manicures his nails
  • obsessed with Princess DI–clothing, articles, pillows, etc.
  • a Bill Gates-size checkbook and Trump-like hair
  • walks ducktoed
  • watches people while he’s doing something—like he cuts his meat while watching someone finger their earring
  • a small detail that spelled trouble: the character never made it out of high school, had a juvenile record for theft, failed the psychological tests for both the Marines and the Army, hung out with the Clan
  • she was a chameleon—took on the traits of those around her
  • the hardness quotient of his heart in the neighborhood of hot Jell-O
  • dropped the last three words of a sentence to a grumble
  • Buffalo area accent
  • a whistling sound when s/he speaks a S
  • physique of an old body-building champ
  • reads two-three books a week
  • his/her leg shook whenever they sat
  • a phobia about needles, ladders, cracks in the sidewalk, or something else unusual
  • eats M&Ms or Skittles by color
  • can’t use a pen without a top
  • can’t clean his/her house unless it’s dark out
  • can’t sleep in a messy room
  • nibbles at his/her fingers when excited
  • turns every statement into a question
  • clips his nails in front of people
  • sees everyone as a color–she’s pink
  • has to have even numbers for stuff–like a password
  • can’t stand wood in his/her mouth–like chopsticks, popsicle sticks, etc.
  • calls males ‘son’, i.e., ‘Good job, son!’
  • constantly ate antacids
  • the suffering of strangers, even family, never touched him
  • whistles out of tune
  • whistles the same three lines over and over
  • very rosy cheeks–almost rosacea
  • can’t eat vanilla cake with chocolate icing
  • eats toothpaste
  • walks on his/her toes
  • rolls eyes up and to the right as s/he pontificates (or lectures, or just talks)
  • peeled back the lid of the yogurt and licked the yogurt from the top. Then placed the lid on a narrow counter, folding it into eighths.
  • licked both sides of the spoon after taking a bite of yogurt.
  • holds a golf club behind his neck with both hands
  • always has to have the office/room door closed
  • break a sandwich up into little pieces before eating it
  • can’t write with a blue pen
  • has a postcard collection
  • can’t go anywhere without a bottle of water
  • must eat lunch at exactly 11:30 (or noon, or whatever hour works for your novel)
  • smells the food before eating
  • moves her lips when reading
  • stuck his tongue out while he worked 
  • yellowed teeth
  • forgets names for common items, ie, Jacuzzi, bread box
  • -sh comes out as an –s, like ‘should’ or ‘washing’.
  • flemy voice
  • nibbled at a fingernail
  • always sang when she was happy.
  • scratches himself as he talks; constantly or intermittently
  • empties the toaster crumbs every morning;
  • cleans the cutting wheel on the electric can opener once a week because it’s “the dirtiest quarter inch in your kitchen”
  • tugs at one sleeve because that arm is slightly longer than the other;
  • telephones her son to remind him again how difficult his birth was for her
  • stands on tiptoes in family photos to appear taller
  • vacuums the attic
  • tips of her ears turn scarlet when she’s mad
  • rubbing his fingers against each other
  • sees patterns in everything

What do you use to bring a character back into your reader’s memory?

Title and author: Natural Selection by Jacqui Murray

Series: Book 3 in the Dawn of Humanity series

Genre: Prehistoric fiction

Editor: Anneli Purchase

Available print or digital) at: http://a-fwd.com/asin=B0B9KPM5BW

In this conclusion to Lucy’s journey, she and her tribe leave their good home to rescue former-tribemembers captured by the enemy. Lucy’s tribe includes a mix of species–a Canis, a Homotherium, and different iterations of early man. In this book, more join and some die, but that is the nature of prehistoric life, where survival depends on a combination of our developing intellect and our inexhaustible will to live. Each species brings unique skills to this task. Based on true events.

Set 1.8 million years ago in Africa, Lucy and her tribe struggle against the harsh reality of a world ruled by nature, where predators stalk them and a violent new species of man threatens to destroy their world. Only by changing can they prevail. If you ever wondered how earliest man survived but couldn’t get through the academic discussions, this book is for you. Prepare to see this violent and beautiful world in a way you never imagined.

A perfect book for fans of Jean Auel and the Gears!

My Review of Natural Selection

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Lucy is back!

Lucy and her new eclectic tribe are on a search for her former tribemates, captured and in danger by Man-Who-Preys.

Faced with a harsh environment, deadly creatures, and warring tribes, Lucy finds an inner core of strength and determination to keep her pack safe while dealing with increasingly painful headaches. Along the way, she learns new methods of communication from a half-blind boy-man she knew as a child. The skills each brings to the group are crucial. They must all work together to defeat their enemies or perish.

The research into edible and healing plants, topography, prey, grooming, and natural disasters adds realism to this prehistoric series, making it unputdownable.

Well done, Ms. Murray!

Author bio:

Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga, Man vs. Nature which explores seminal events in man’s evolution one trilogy at a time. She is also author of the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers and Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. Her non-fiction includes over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, reviews as an Amazon Vine Voice,  a columnist for NEA Today, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics.

Social Media contacts:

Amazon Author Page:         https://www.amazon.com/Jacqui-Murray/e/B002E78CQQ/

Blog:                                       https://worddreams.wordpress.com

Instagram:                             https://www.instagram.com/jacquimurraywriter/

Pinterest:                                http://pinterest.com/askatechteacher

Twitter:                                    http://twitter.com/worddreams

Website:                                 https://jacquimurray.net

78 Replies to “#BookBlast- Natural Selection @WordDreams #PrehistoricFiction”

      1. Thank you, GP. Lucy is pre-war (before when our kind fought each other), but my next group–Neanderthals–I haven’t figured out yet. I may have to include so fight tactics in the next series!

        Liked by 1 person

      1. I’d like to start reviewing books on my site because there are so many, yours included that I really love. I keep putting it off, but hopefully, it will happen in the near future.

        And, I agree with you about how readers like odd traits in their characters. It’s given me a lot to think about, and I thank you for that.

        Liked by 2 people

  9. Great to see you here at Jacquie’s, Jacqui. And I love the list of traits. I try to add memorable traits to my characters as I build their profiles and you have a few in there that sparked some new ideas. They really do reinforce a sense of character and make them distinct. Great post and it’s fun seeing Lucy get some more attention! Thanks for hosting, Jacquie. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    2. My youngest brother has the leg twitch thing and I NEVER use a blue-inked pen! lol. It’s interesting how many of these spark recognition. I can see how it would work for our characters, as well.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. It’s great to see the other Jacqui here today. 🙂 This is a most interesting list of characteristics options. Congrats to Jacqui on completing this trilogy. Thank you for hosting, Jacquie!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I take no credit for these characteristics. Some great authors provided them in their stories. I had a few odd ones in my early thrillers–like a character who ate instant coffee granules. That’s weird, don’t you think?

      Liked by 2 people

  14. What an impressive list of unique traits! These things help us remember a character—especially in books like Jacqui’s that are packed with characters.

    I recently finished Natural Selection and have the pleasure of having Jacqui on my blog next week. Great job, Jacquie Biggar!

    Liked by 2 people

  16. What an outstanding list of traits, Jacqui. I love it!
    I’ve added a few unusual traits to the MC in my current WIP to make him memorable.

    Congratulations on the great review from Jacquie. Your latest is making a huge splash in the blogosphere.

    Great spotlight hosting Jacquie today, Jacquie! 😆

    Liked by 2 people

  21. Jacquie, a great and enthusiastic review! It’s lovely you’re part of Jacqui’s promotion of her latest book! Lucy is popular!

    Jacqui, congratulations on your latest release! It is wonderful to see you around on WP and the warm reception from everyone! I loved your list of characteristics here and smiling at some of the quirky ones! I really need someone to vacuum my attic! I think it is so important to paint an image of a person quickly and with as few words as possible – these are all terrific ideas – and you know how I like lists!

    Liked by 2 people

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