3 Unexpected Things You Didn’t Know About Esme

When writing about a character a writer always has all the control. Or, so they think! As I write about various characters I sometimes find that they have a mind of their own and start doing things that I didn’t expect. This is truly one of the coolest things about writing fiction. When it’s clicking you never know where the story is going to go!

So here are a few things that might surprise you about Esme, and some of them surprised me too!

Esme Does Care About How She Looks!

In my story, Esme is described as a plain-looking girl. She’s not unattractive, but she’s fairly nondescript. The most interesting thing about her, the thing you might notice if you bumped into her on the street, is her brilliant green eyes. Now, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression, Esme is not vain. And even her beautiful mother who runs one of the largest and most successful beauty companies in the world, isn’t trying to make her prettier for the sake of pretty. All her mother ever wanted to do was to help her “fit in” with the other girls. If you’ve ever lived in New York City, you would know what I’m talking about. Grooming is a thing! So, while Esme pushes off her mother’s help, deep inside she does want to look pretty. Deep inside she thinks that if she was a bit more attractive she might just attract a boy’s attention. What she doesn’t realize is that what is most attractive about her is her kind heart. And in the end that is what attracts Asen. 

Esme Really Does Care About Learning How to Play the Triangle

In the book, in order to “join” the band Esme is told that she needs to play an instrument. For anyone who has tried to learn to play something like the piano (me!), the clarinet (me!), or anything else, it takes time and practice. These are two things that Esme doesn’t have. The band has a major concert to perform - at Wembley Stadium, no less, in just a few weeks. So, they give her the triangle. It seems like the easiest thing to master in the time they have. The triangle creates a magical sound and can be the punctuation mark in a composition. But Esme is embarrassed because she thinks the triangle is “what the babies play.” In truth, she is enamored by their music and really wants to be as good as she possibly can be. She’s not just a bit ambitious, she is excited and curious. If she can master the triangle what could she do next?! Plus, Asen, her new love interest, is a spectacular musician, and she is keen to catch up!

Esme Really Likes Meyers!

In the book, Esme gives Meyers a nickname - The Lemon. Ever heard of a Meyer lemon? They have softer skin and deeper colored pulp than a regular lemon, but they’ll still pucker your lips - just like the band’s bassist does whenever he’s being judgemental, which is often. At the beginning of the book, Meyers gives Esme a hard time. He doesn’t think the band needs to bring in a young girl - or boy, for that matter. He can be a bit snarky in how he relates to Esme. But beneath it all Esme has respect for the bassist. She thinks he’s incredibly talented, and an awesome cook, on top of it. And as she starts to probe into the mystery more, he’s someone who actually begins to share more. They seem to be building a friendship. In the end, he becomes one of her fav band members!