So I had a brief exchange with a reader of The Divided Region the other day who, let’s just say, didn’t “take” to Darius so well.
While the exchange consisted of no more than four comments, I couldn’t help but sense this reader was a little annoyed that I didn’t make him warm and fluffy as so many protagonists seem to be these days.
(Yawn 🥱)
The first comment:
“Darius is not an innocent. He is just as much as killer and criminal as the rest.”
Now obviously, everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. But yes — the whole point at the beginning of Exiled is that Darius isn’t really a likeable guy. Because, well… he runs around with a few bad apples.
So I replied with this three-word beauty:
“That he is.”
Thinking our ships wouldn’t dock at the same time again, I went about my day, when no more than 10 minutes later, my phone pings again with:
“Darius is not a likeable character.”
😅
At this point, I’m scratching my head because I’m not quite sure what this person was expecting from me. I mean, the clues are in the title (Exiled) and the description of the book (“Exiled and disgraced, [Darius] carved a new life amidst a band of thieves in a foreign land, trading the sword for the art of stealing”).
Hardly Prince Charming, eh?
My reply:
“That may change with time. It might not. Such are the perils of gritty fantasy.”
Though I suspect for this individual, it didn’t change for them.
In fact, I’d put a month’s worth of royalties on Exiled being the first and last book they read of The Divided Region, but hey ho, I’m not in the business of trying to win over the hearts and minds of every reader.
Just “my” kind of reader.
A big, but subtle difference.
I don’t believe stories should be drenched in warm-and-fuzzies, where everyone gets along and nobody has a moral blemish. That’s not humanity. People are flawed and have more than a couple of skeletons knocking about in their closets.
(Don’t ask me how I know.)
And something tells me this particular reader is the type where you could be a genuinely good person, decent to the core, but say one mildly inappropriate thing…
Or God forbid done something remotely illegal three decades ago…
And that’s it.
You’re irredeemable.
In any case, fantasy is a broad genre and as an author, I must cast my net wide, which occasionally means pulling up an ill-tempered eel (pun intended).
And that’s perfectly okay.
I give ‘em a kiss, tell them everything’s going to be alright, and then chuck them back into the ocean.🌊
Anyway, I never did hear back from this person after my reply.
I just really (read: really!) hope Darius isn’t haunting them too much after the fact. That said, I love reading reviews, including the “seasoned” ones like the one above, so let’s not slow this train down.
If you’ve purchased any of my books, and even mildly enjoyed them, you will forever be in my good graces if you leave a review wherever you purchased them from.
A couple of sentences are more than enough.
If you’re one of my more hardy Patrons and you bought from my Storehouse, shoot a reply and I’ll have my review-collecting software sent your way.
It’s super easy and can be completed via email.
Should you so kindly praise my wares, let me know so I can personally thank you.
Until the next one,
DJJW
P.S. If you don't mind fantasy stories with some grit and morally grey characters, you should check out The Divided Region: