Thursday, March 1, 2012

Ræven's origins

If you have read Frost Arch, you might find this interesting.

Ræven Blacklock

This young girl has a rather sad back story. She is host to two powers.

  • She can transform into a bird

  • Her voice has mesmerizing powers. It affects each person differently. She could kill a man with a single note.

    I find Ræven a very interesting character. She is quiet, with a penetrating gaze, and icy blue eyes. Beautiful, and thoughtful, she is actually based on a real person. 

     

    The Name: Why did I choose the name Ræven?

    For starters, the name is pronounced R-ee-van. The letter æ makes an 'ee' sound. Obviously you have noticed the name is similar to Raven, a type of bird. Mostly this is a play on words. 

     

    The 'Real' Ræven:

    Who is Ræven based on? In school I was friends with a girl called Ashleigh Harriss. She was an absolute sweetheart. Beautiful, quiet, shy, with amazing blue eyes, and dark hair.  She hardly ever spoke a word, but would melt your heart with something simple like resting her head on your shoulder, or holding your hand. She wore crow feathers in her hair. This is why she reminded me of a bird. She was slightly duck-footed (like Ræven) as though she would be better suited to flying. She was so unique. You'll notice I said 'was'. Unfortunately, in 2006, Ashleigh was hit by a drunk driver and died 23 hours later in hospital due to multiple injuries. She was only 16. So, when I started writing Frost Arch in 2008, I felt I needed to put Ashleigh in it somehow. Even though she had been gone for over 5 years now, I still think about her alot, and i hope people will fall in love with Ræven's character. 

     Ashleigh Harriss 1990 - 2006

     

    The surname Blacklock: Honestly, I like using colours as part of last names. eg: Avalon Redding, Jack Greenwood, Ræven Blacklock. Red for fire, Green for health, and black for mystery. 

    A year after creating the character of Ræven Blacklock, I met my current partner (in 2009) and his surname is Blacklock too. Coincidence eh?  I don't think it is a very common surname either. Yet when I found out his surname I was instantly drawn to him. 3 years later we are still together <3

     

     

    xx 

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