I’ve had a few readers of Tears of Min Brock comment that they felt my heroine, Elabea (pronounced, Ela-bay) was similar to Katniss of Hunger Games.
I’m flattered! I’m a big fan of the trilogy.
Now before anyone thinks I ripped off Ms. Collins’ character, I want to set the record straight. I was writing the War of Whispers series long before the Hunger Games went to press, and no, I’m not insinuating she stole my idea either. Let’s just call it coincidence and leave it at that.
Elabea and Katniss are similar in that they both live in a dystopian society, although Tears is set in a different time period, and they both have a boy-friend that is a great confidant. Both girls are strong-willed, independent and destined to fulfill a mission or in Elabea’s case, a quest.
But I think it’s their differences that set them apart as equally strong characters. Elabea is younger and unlike Katniss, does not hunt. In fact, she is squeamish when it comes to blood and prefers daydreaming in her great oak to picking a fight. She’s insecure with her appearance, even though she’s attractive, and has a wild imagination. Her home life is dsyfunctional and due to her father’s shame at Min Brock, she’s an outcast in her own village.
If Katniss and Elabea met, they would probably become very good friends. Of course, if they battled in the Hunger Games, I fear Elabea wouldn’t stand a chance. However, if they competed after Book II, Martyr’s Moon, when Elabea comes into her storyteller powers, it would be a different matter.
In future posts, I’ll elaborate on how I developed Elabea’s character.
J.E. Lowder 
I like how you did the comparison between the two characters. With the literary world, there will always be some similarities among books in the same genre, but it’s the differences that are noteworthy.
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The way Elabea’s character responds to terrifying events and conflicts resonates with me much more than Katniss’ character. Elabea is afraid of danger but not too proud to show her emotions and admit that she needs help. She goes on a journey with and trusts a guy who keeps making dumb decisons that put them in harms way. She could write him off and take matters into her own hands, but instead she chooses to be real with him and stick with him while continuing to have faith in an unseen power that is greater than she or her companion. From her character I draw courage to face the conflicts, giants and the evils that daily dog me, trusting Jesus to fight for me and the ones I’m on this journey with. In contrast Katniss is portrayed as this kick ass female who is just fine being a loner, fighting to save herself without the help of anyone. I can do without this new wave of female heroines portrayed as powerful ice queens, void of emotion, who have contempt for men and any kind of weakness. Elabea is my girl! Can’t wait for book 2
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