The Morning Star Blog Tour with Tania Penn

Stereotypical Characters 

For my debut YA novel, The Morning Star, one of the main characters is none other then the big cheese of bad guys himself, Lucifer. Now, in the Bible and as we know him to be, Lucifer is anything but good. Cast out of Heaven for wanting to be equal in power to God. Equating Lucifer to being a good father just wouldn’t go hand in hand. But I wanted to take it to that level, because in the beginning, Lucifer was considered the most beautiful angel, and was created out of love and all that is good. My reasoning was, there should still be a bit of good left in him. I liken him to Darth Vader — when he was Anakin Skywalker, he was good, considered to be the “Chosen One.” But, given a little touch of power, he was easily turned to the dark side. In the end, as Luke felt, there was still good in Darth/Anakin, and he did indeed prove to be the chosen one, when he killed the Emperor, finally bringing peace and balance to the universe. Of course, in no way do I have any intentions of having Lucifer rise up to Heaven in the third book and take it over from God. But I do intend on having him go through a cycle of change, an inner struggle that, in my story, he still clings too. He’s an entity who’s in love with another Archangel, and he needs to come to terms eventually with that love that isn’t returned to him. He’s a father who very much loves his daughters, and is good to them. Even his wife, Lilith, who is the original succubus, and in mythology was said to fly around at night to kidnap and/or strangle children, in my story is a doting wife and mother (to Venus.) She even enjoys playing the homemaker, and being a culinary whiz in the kitchen! Dawn, the main protagonist in the story, is a bit of a walking paradox. On one hand, she’s the daughter of an Archangel, one who is pure. On the other, her father is considered to be a demon, even though he was once the brightest light in Heaven. She battles those inner demons, but tends to lean to the side of good. Venus, while the daughter of presumable pure evil, even though I can’t say she is good, does have her moments.

So in the end, I feel in depends on the writer and where they want to take their story when it involves someone/thing considered to be stereotypical. But in the end, how do we classify one as being stereotypical? Especially, as in real life, when you don’t know their inner struggles, turmoils, past events that brought them to that place?

The Morning Star:
Being the daughter of Lucifer keeps seventeen year old Dawn Belial busy. For almost her entire lifetime, she has been trying to think of a way to free her Archangel mother, Michaela, whom her father has held captive for centuries. She's also attending high school - balancing trigonometry, history, and recruiting souls for her father along with her wicked half-sister, Venus.

There has been no time for love until she meets mysterious Gabriel, a British exchange student. As they fall in love against their will, she discovers a startling secret about him, and a shocking connection to her mother that changes everything.




EXCERPT

"Lucifer." Michaela had a tight smile while she clasped her hands in front of her, wringing her fingers. Her belled cuffs of her robe exposing her thin wrists. "To what do I owe this pleasure of your visit?" Lucifer bent down and carefully pinched a dark purple tulip between his fingers. "These are quite magnificent, my love." He paused to look up at her, his lips pressed together, his emerald eyes expressionless. "I just thought I would come and see how you are doing." "I'm as well as could be expected. How is Lilith?" He slowly stood up, holding the tulip. "You ask about my wife?" he choked on his laughter. "Does it not anger you what she is? What I created?" "You were created out of love and good." "There is no good in her." He said sharply, lowering his chin, while twisting the stem between his fingers. "There has to be somewhere, as there still is in you. I can sense it. You've just buried it." Michaela approached him, and softly touched his elbow. He quivered then took a few steps back, shaking his head. "After all these centuries, you harbor no ill will toward me?" Lucifer chuckled and raised his brows incredulously, tilting his head while tapping his index finger in the air. "I find that unlikely." "Lucifer, I am not like you." Michaela said, getting closer. "I know not of anger and frustration. Only love and compassion. It is how we were created. All of us." "No, love. Not all of us." He said, then sucked in his upper lip. "I'm willing to bet it all is." He stepped closer to her until their face was inches apart. "Anger, frustration, ill will. It is somewhere in you. It has to be!" He raised his voice an octave. "Wouldn't you like nothing better than to see me suffer? To see our daughter taken from me and raised by, by him?" He spat. Michaela relaxed her hands and softly sighed. "You ask me how I am? Quite honestly, I do get lonely here. It is..." she dropped her head. "It is nice to see you." She smiled. "You look quite well." She walked over to his side , and reached up to gently stroke his stubbly chin. She felt him slightly wince as he turned his face, then she turned her attention to the tulips. "Yes those are beautiful. Queen of the night, I believe they are called." Lucifer twisted his neck to face her. "Hmm." He laughed, relaxed. "Appropriate, considering." "Lucifer, don't." "Don't? Don't what?" He inhaled sharply, widening his eyes, demeanor changing. "Don't say I love you? Don't tell you how you betrayed me? You were mine!" His voice escalated. "Lucifer, I was never yours, as you say." Michaela said softly, calmly. "How many times-" "You. Are. Mine."

About the Author:
Author of debut young adult novel, The Morning Star. Currently working on the sequel, Equinox, as well as a chick-lit, rom-com, slightly sleazy and funny story with a twist, Catching Frogs. And, because she's loco in the roco, Tania has got about 12 more on the back burner. When she's not writing she can be found kayaking, hiking, ninja-training, traveling, and taking a ferry over to the San Juan Islands to search for the elusive creature known as the "Orca." Tania is also constantly adding ridiculous wants, needs, must-see's and do's to my ever expanding bucket book.

Tania covets a delicious malbec with a rare steak and make a killer salsa.


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