Writing a series or even just a single horror novel, inevitably the question arises what to do with your characters. Someone, somewhere along the way, has to die, right? But who? And how many characters can you introduce, before readers suspect they were just brought on board to be fodder for whatever is decimating people throughout the story? Some people suggest killing off protagonists for shock value, but I am not sure I agree with the sentiment. Main characters, to some extent, are like the glue that holds the plot line together. They offer continuity and the comfort of the known in a genre that otherwise very much depends on uncertainty for both atmosphere and suspense. Plus, if you are like me, you have put at least some effort into a character's background, painted them with attributes befitting the latter, and in the course of your story-telling gotten to know them like family. So whose demise would you bring about, not just to further your story, but to make room for, pardon the pun, fresh blood? Now, writing the third part of my Dead Hemisphere series, Thanatos Bound, I encounter the conundrum on a daily basis. Who will buy the farm in the end? Well, you are going to have to find out for yourself once the book is released. For now, even I don't have the answer!
