Some of my favorite villains are those who see themselves as heroes, and Annette Young falls wholeheartedly in that flock.
I tend to create character profiles for my point-of-view characters because I need to know as many facets of their personalities as possible. Typically, this happens before I begin the first draft of a book, which means my initial impressions of a character doesn’t always match up with the final product.
Of course, I had gotten to know Annette quite a bit by the time the third book came along. She quickly became one of my favorite characters—not only because there’s a dearth of middle-aged-housewives-turned-deities in fiction, but also because I sympathize with her to such a high degree.
Is Annette two-faced or simply a woman divided? I’ll let the reader decide.
Meanwhile, here’s an excerpt* from the character profile I penned roughly three years ago.
*Warning: if you haven’t read both If Souls Can Sleep and If Sin Dwells Deep, you will encounter spoilers!
Annette Josephine (Ringgold) Young
Appearance
Annette was a big woman in the later years of her life. She was of average height for a Caucasian woman (5’5″) and weighed more than 300 lbs. She had dark brown eyes and long brown hair, which she typically wore up in a bun or some other conservative up-do. She would wear a ponytail at home or in casual circumstances where she knew her companions well.
When she was younger, she spent a lot of time outdoors, and living in the South, she sported an attractive tan throughout the year. After the car accident that claimed her husband’s and daughter’s lives, she became more of a shut-in, and her complexion lightened.
She has no tattoos or any other body modifications; she finds such things crass. Her ears are pierced with one hole each. Annette has dimples and a few chins.
Annette always took great pride in how she looked and was wont to wear fancier clothing and accessories than the occasion strictly called for. She prefers dresses and ostentatious jewelry, such as a bejeweled owl broach. Her favorite fragrances are of the floral variety, especially roses. She wears a lot of makeup—some might say too much eyeshadow.
In the dreamscape, however, Annette has reverted to the very thin frame she boasted prior to marrying Herbert (before love “fattened her up”). As the Lady of Peace, she wears her long hair in braids and sports a simple, shapeless white dress. She also goes about barefooted. The only jewelry she wears are golden hoop earrings. She appears to be in her mid-twenties, though everything else about her resembles a picture of her from her First Communion.
Attitude and Behavior
Annette consistently conducts herself with an air of propriety. She has excellent manners and insists that others show the same courtesy to her and others around her. While she takes pride in her looks, she doesn’t come off as haughty. When angry, she might snap and come off like a scolding schoolteacher. Even when she is upset, she tends to hide her feelings behind a mask of civility.
Others might mistake her for being naïve or simple-minded because she tends try her best to get along with everyone, but she is a very intelligent woman.
Since her mother used to scold her for fidgeting, Annette tends to fold her hands on her lap or in front of her (when standing) so that she isn’t tempted to play with the fabric of her clothes, tap her fingers against surfaces, and so forth. But despite her best efforts, she has been known to shake her wrists to make her bracelets clatter when nervous.
Annette has a thick Texan accent, and sometimes she uses expressions associated with the Deep South. But her drawl comes off more like a Southern aristocrat’s than a redneck’s. She can be sarcastic at times, but it’s subtle because she prefers to be positive when she speaks. She doesn’t swear and scolds other people when they do. Her body language also conveys how she feels: she might frown or sigh or click her tongue or fold her arms or wrinkle her nose to express displeasure. Her smiles are very warm.
History
Her childhood was very structured and, one might say, old-fashioned. She was a debutante, and proper etiquette was stressed her house. While her parents weren’t particularly wealthy, she was a little spoiled because she was an only child. She lived with both of her parents, who if they weren’t passionately in love, seemed to get along well enough. Her entire youth was spent in Berryville, Texas, and after she married Herbert Young, she moved to a larger city nearby.
She liked spending time outdoors, socializing with family friends. Some of her favorite activities included playing cards (bridge mostly), croquette, and other lawn games as well as swimming. For a short time, she even competed in swimming. She also dabbled in various crafts, including painting and sculpting, but as she got older, she turned to more utilitarian pastimes, such as quilting and needlepoint.
Annette has fond memories of her youth and young adulthood. She wanted for nothing and was generally treated well by those around her. She has always been an extrovert who prefers to surround herself with friends. Most of her best memories center on special occasions and large gatherings, including religious milestones, holidays, and her wedding. One of her favorite memories was when she met Herbert at the Henderson County Fair. He won her a goldfish, which he named Annie Fishgold—a sort of play on words for Annie Ringgold, the name Annette went by when she was young.
Hobbies and Interests
A couple of Annette’s favorite past times are baking and eating. While she once played tennis and other outdoor party games, her poor physical shape prevented her from doing much of that after she put on so much weight. Playing cards while gabbing or discussing just about any topic over a nice meal are her ideas of a good time. She also dabbled in floral arrangements (her favorite flowers are marigolds). She enjoys traveling and adding to her decorative spoon collection.
Although she wasn’t much of a reader in her youth, her thirst for knowledge on certain topics made her a voracious reader as an adult. Most of her books have to do with dreaming, coping with grief, and religion—particularly New Age concepts, such as astral projection, lucid dreaming, prophecy, and anything that pertains to the afterlife. She might watch horse racing on television, but most other sports are too barbaric for her, including football. She likes dramas and romantic comedies with happy endings. She has been known to read the occasional bodice-ripper too.
Annette is a big fan of Frank Sinatra and other crooners from the Big Band era. She feels as though there’s a certain classiness to the music. She also likes older movies and musicals. As with TV shows, she prefers a certain level of romance in her stories, and happy endings are a must. Annette has a healthy sense of humor and likes to laugh. She has a somewhat sophisticated sense of humor and isn’t a fan of slapstick or jokes at others’ expense.
Beliefs
Honesty was an important virtue for Annette growing up; lying was not tolerated in her house. She tries to be honest whenever she can, but as her plans have evolved, she has leveraged deception on a more and more regular basis. So while she abhors being lied to, she has had to “bend the truth” and keep secrets from those around her—regrettably.
Most of her crimes, she feels, are imperative and that the ends justify the means. Her desperation would prompt her to kill—and woe be to anyone who gets in the way of her reuniting with Herbert and Deirdre.
Annette is not proud of her vices. She tells herself that all of her misdeeds will be overshadowed by the good she is doing. Her biggest fear is failing to reconnect with her lost loved ones—and damning her soul if it turns out God is real.
Despite the fact that she grappled with depression while grieving for her deceased husband and daughter, she remains an optimist. Everything she has done since The Accident is out of hope that she can reconnect with her family. She used to believe in fate, but now she believes an individual must make her own destiny.
Annette was raised Catholic. From a young age, she was captivated by the idea of the spiritual realm—praying to the departed souls (saints), the idea that there were angels flitting between Heaven and Earth, and the realms beyond death: Limbo, Purgatory, Hell, Heaven. She took most of the teachings of the Bible very literally, and she mostly lived her life in accordance with the tenants of Christianity.
For as long as she could remember, she had very vivid dreams. She hoped, at first, that it meant she was a modern-day prophetess, but her parents scoffed at the notion (they were Catholic, too, but more as a habit than anything else). Her priest tiptoed around her questions, but when (in private school) she was caught reading about dream interpretation, she was told that such notions were ungodly—one step away from Ouija boards and fortune telling.
When Herbert and Deirdre died, it shook her faith to its core.
Relationships
Annette loved Herbert dearly. She once felt as though she had been blessed by God and thanked Him for bringing them together. When that love was taken away from her prematurely, she devoted her life to reclaiming it.
Annette was a virgin when she married Herbert. He is the only man she has ever been with, and their sexual habits were rather ordinary. It wasn’t the most important aspect of her marriage, though she was sexually attracted to Herbert, who wasn’t a traditionally handsome man. He’s the only man she’s ever been with.
She loves children—her Deirdre most of all. Annette always wanted a big family, and she surrounds herself with mannequin children in the dreamscape, finding peace in their play.
She has few friends, but those she trusts are very dear to her. They include Levi Nathan (first and foremost) as well as other members of PEACE, some of whom are dream drifters while others attend to the real-world administration of the organization. Two of her closest friends were Milton and William, though her relationships with them have become strained in recent years, and she worries that both men now see her as an enemy.
Annette doesn’t really hate anyone. She is disappointed by William’s betrayal, and even if she sees Project Valhalla as an obstacle, she doesn’t have anything personal against its members.
More extras are still coming your way!
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Life and death, love and hate, hope and despair, dreams and reality, identity and illusion, friendship and rivalry, faith and doubt, damnation and redemption—these are all themes found within The Soul Sleep Cycle and If Dreams Can Die especially.
