Meet the Characters: By the Stars

"You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend." 
                                                                       ~Paul Sweeney

A book is only as good as its characters. If the author skims over introducing them, or doesn't provide the reader with enough information to make a true connection - the likelihood of the reader becoming submerged in the story is low. Getting to know the characters is an integral part of reading, like making new friends on the first day of school. With that being said, let's take a moment and meet a few of the characters from Jessica Marie Baumgartner's science fiction novella, By the Stars. 

By the Stars released on August 3rd, 2015 to excellent 5-star reviews. The first in a trilogy - you can pick up your copy here right now!  

Allie:

Who am I? I don’t know anymore. My name is Allie Campbell. I’ve been through hell with my family trying to survive the death of planet Earth. My parents were killed when I was a teenager so right now the only thing I care about is surviving for my children. I never imagined that my husband and I would make it so far, but now we’re working with an Alien race to try and reach a new planet.

I don’t know who to trust or what to believe anymore. My husband, Adam, and our two daughters are all that really matter. He and his military brothers found me after I fled the attack that killed my parents. It’s been us since then. I just hope we can all make it through this. He’s flying another craft and I don’t know if I can stand the separation.

 

Maddi:

Okay so we’re leaving Earth. It sucks, but we have no friends, no future. Mom and dad are sure  the aliens who have come to help us are being honest when they say they wish to share their planet with us. I don’t know.

I’m sick of being hungry. Tired of always having to move from town to town. I just turned nine and every memory I have scares me. I’ve seen people fight over food, had to flee towns before attacks. My dad’s in the military so we’re safer than some people, but I do wonder what it would be like to have the kind of life my mom tells me her grandmother had back before things got really bad. Maybe we’ll find that on the new planet we’re going to. I doubt it.

 

Gwen:

I can’t wait to get on the spaceship and get to see our new planet. It’ll be hard to leave daddy for a while, but mommy says he’s going to stay and help some people before he catches up to us. I wonder if I’ll make any new friends.

I hope so. Best of all my birthday is coming and we get to celebrate it during the trip. I’m going to be six and I can’t wait. We’re going to have a new life and I’m sure it’ll be fun.