Penguin Blog #2: In Which We Meet Our Characters, by Rachel Caine:

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In the last post, I gave you an overview of the town of Morganville, and told you what you might need to get around town semi-safely.  (It's not your fault, you're not necessarily living dangerously -- even the locals have trouble running out for the occasional pint of milk.  Or O negative.) 

But to live in a tough town like Morganville, you need to know who your friends are.  And your allies.  And - maybe most of all - your enemies.

Not that they're not sometimes interchangeable.

 Claire Danvers.  When she first came to Morganville, she was sixteen, extremely bright, and more than a little naïve, not to mention stubborn.  Her first attempt to blend in with the Morganville cool crowd was, to say the least, disastrous; exiled to whatever off-campus housing she can get, Claire ended up finding three people who make up the core of her new life:  Eve Rosser, Michael Glass, and her heartthrob Shane Collins.  Claire didn't know that the powers-that-be of Morganville had a need for her, and a plan; she was just trying to survive, and do the right things along the way.  Now that she does know, she's not shy about using that information to keep herself, and her friends and allies, safe.

Eve Rosser.  "What can I say?" Eve once said.  "I'm a rebel."  And she is.  In a town like Morganville, vampires are more terrifying than cool, and the Goth crowd is very, very small.  That doesn't stop Eve from using her Gothed-out wicked self to provoke the Fanged Ones at every opportunity.  Eve left home on her eighteenth birthday, rather than sign a contract with the unpleasant vampire Brandon, who owned/protected her family; she barely made it to the front door of Michael Glass's big house in time to save her life.  Since then, she's gained confidence, learned tact - sometimes - and blazed a trail for individuality in a town where standing out can get you killed.

Michael Glass.  Michael is first, last, and always a musician.  It's his passion and his calling - specifically guitar, although he's a pretty fine singer as well.  He was on his way up, planning on leaving Morganville once he got permission to pursue his budding career ... when a vampire came calling, leaving him at the edge of death.  Michael was caught between worlds ... between life and death ... and between vampire and human.  But that balance point couldn't last, and now he's come down on the side of the vampires, endangering his love with his girlfriend Eve, not to mention his friendship with their other housemate ...

Shane Collins.  Shane doesn't necessarily make a great first impression.  He enjoys slacking, video games, and not doing chores; he makes a career out of not finding a job.  But Shane is also a quietly, furiously passionate guy with secrets.  He's a Morganville native, like Eve and Michael, but when his sister died in a fire a few years ago, Shane and his family vanished from town and went on the run.  Shane came back after the death of his mother, but his father is still out there ... waiting.  And with a dad like Shane's, you might want to be an orphan.  Another thing Shane is passionate about is Claire, although he's fought his feelings for her all the way.  Shane's a great guy to have on your side ... and a bad enemy if you're facing off.  Oh, and he hates vampires.  Which poses a problem for continued good relationships under the roof of the Glass House, what with Michael becoming one of the Fang Gang.

Amelie.  Assured, elegant, regal and remote, Amelie is every inch the vampire queen of Morganville.  But she's got problems, lots of them, starting with not knowing which of her subordinates she can trust at any given time.  It's Amelie's vision that created Morganville, but she's just as likely to end her experiment if things turn badly for the vampires ... and she wouldn't leave anything living behind her on the way out.  Amelie engineered Claire's arrival in Morganville, and maneuvered her into signing a contract that binds Claire to her for life, or until Amelie decides to set her free.  No matter how kind and full of noblesse oblige she might be, Amelie is no one you'd want to cross.

Oliver.  Owner of the Common Grounds coffee shop, which is neutral meeting ground for humans and vampires ... and, although it's not widely known, a man with lots of secrets and layers.  He might have been responsible for some deaths.  He's certainly capable of it, and he has little patience for Claire, her friends, or failure.

Sam Glass.  Michael's grandfather became a vampire when he wasn't too much older than Michael is now, which makes for awkward family dynamics.  But Sam has a passion for doing the right thing, and it's his voice that argues for the rights of humans in Morganville.  His stand has driven a wedge between him and Amelie, although the two of them have been madly in love for years.

Monica Morrell.  The original Morganville mean girl, Monica is the daughter of the mayor.  She's human, but she can be just as ruthless and cruel as any vampire - maybe more so.  She took a particular dislike to Claire early on, and has gone out of her way to make Claire's life a living hell.  Oh, and she might have set the fire that killed Shane's sister.  She's got a thing for matches.

Myrnin.  Take your standard Mad Scientist, throw in a liberal dose of Lord Byron, and add in the unpredictability of a court jester, and you've got Myrnin ... except he's surprisingly endearing.  Myrnin is the heart of Morganville's semi-magical systems, and Claire's mentor and boss - however, since he regularly breaks his assistants, that's not much of a career path.  Myrnin seems sane.  Most of the time.  Until he isn't.

Those are the main players in Morganville, although there are many, many others, all of whom shift from one side to the other, one alliance to another throughout the series.

Now that you've met them, in the next post, I'll talk a little bit about physics, alchemy, and how to have fun with interdimensional portals ... in a vampire story.

Rachel Caine, Carpe Corpse, Morganville Vampires, Penguin Books