Dear Samuel,

Tears are wrapped around my cheeks. My hand clutches my pounding chest. I can hear the crackling embers coming from my bones. All the while my eyes flicker from left to right in a steady stream over your letter, each word crashing in on me with the weight of a thousand waves. I can’t breathe, I shouldn’t, I don’t deserve to. You are the one who can face the world masterfully gallant. I’m not as brave as you. I may not be brave at all.

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Well folks, meet Katrina Oden. I’ve been working on this enigma of a character for some time now, and the above is a her response to Samuel Cray, the boy down the street who wrote her something that clearly shook her up.

Creating these characters has been fun and at times challenging. A professor once told me that in order to really form a character with life you have to take them to coffee. Asking those questions that make someone who they are, like their childhood, their relationship with their parents, their dreams and worries–it’s certainly a time of learning.

I just wanted to share a snippet of what I’ve been working on lately, and can’t wait to share with you why Kat draws buttons on everything⚫