S.L Hyson |Author

Upcoming Author of The Tragedy In Your Light A fantasy series

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A book scene

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I need to draw more Lysander, he’s so soft.

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Some Koa and Ezlyn art for my enemies to lovers fanatics.

Koa and Ez have a very rocky start. And honestly, they choose to keep hating each other after that—it’s easier than admitting what they really feel.

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I’m not gonna tell yall who Ezlyn ends up with. But just have this piece of art from 2023 to quell the Ez x Soriian shippers out there lol

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A scene from book 1.

“Ezlyn , don't-”

“No Soriian! My choices here are either get dragged to Thaibremor and possibly be killed, or get dragged to Zomya to face the same fate! What do you want me to do? Take it lying down!?” He swiveled to face me, and in that moment I couldn't tell if he looked angry or if it was determination that flared in his wild eyes.

“I won’t let them hurt you, you should know that by now!” The air was hot; as chests rose and fell quickly, and eyes never parted for a second. Everything was building, like a dam that was about to burst: A coil that had been pulled too tight. Now it couldn't be pulled any tighter. It was straining to keep itself in one peace, and I was bound to make it snap.

“If you wanted to protect me, you would have let me run!”

Snap.

Soriian sat up on his knees and grabbed me by the collar of my muddy shirt. His jaw clench down hard and his eyes stared fiercely into mine. Burning through me with a whirl of emotions. For a second, I thought again, that he might eat me. Either that or he’d punch me so hard in the face that I wouldn't have to worry about a royal killing me; I’d already be dead. No…this was Soriian, and I knew he wouldn't hurt me. It shouldn’t have even been in question; not with the way his brows twinged up—even when angered. So I held his intense gaze without a flinch.

“I didn't let you run because I care about you! Why can't you understand that?!” He breathed heavily, and his hands shook where he held me. My body felt tingly—numb—like his words had caused my blood flow to constrict.

For a second, I felt warm again, like I always did in his presence. A slow-rolling mushiness that frustrated me to my core. However, it seemed that ultimately, my fear of death was overpowering my endless adoration for the dragon in front of me. At that moment, his words seemed like lies, and I couldn't convince myself otherwise. He cared for me? How could he, when he was putting me in the direct line of danger? I scowled, and his expression deepened–his eyes twinged with a sadness that looked unatural on him. I hated the way the corner of his full lips pulled down. He looked foreign to me when he was upset, and I had made him look that way.

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An excerpt from Chapter 18 of my WIP Dark Fantasy Novel: The Tragedy In Your Light

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“Nothing…” I shook my head, hoping to shake away the strange thoughts that had started seeping into my cortex like a simple breath of air. “Let's go, The Elven cities await,” I gave him one last smile, but his eyes stayed the same. Pensive.

I tried not to pay it mind, thinking maybe if I ignored the way he looked at me—as if he knew I was a liar—I would be able to drown out the heavy urge I had to jump into his arms and never leave. To fall into the moss and let the world swallow us into its mess of roots and rock, the essence of our very beings merging into the beautiful forest. Making us one. Making us whole. I stiffened, brows furrowing tightly as I swallowed down those thoughts and urged myself to never think such things again. I was waste, I was poison, and he…he was the cure. The cure that I would never allow to flow through my veins, on the scarce pretense of possibility. I would not let myself ruin the only light I could grapple onto. I would not let my soul poison his. You're a pathetic creature. I know.

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: I feel your absence like the edge of a dull blade. It shouldn’t feel threatening, you’d assume it wouldn’t hurt as much as if it were sharpened to a point. Yet, when it rips through you it tears everything, no clean cut, messy… hard to fix. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder but mine aches with the echoing memory of your laughter. A smile painted across your lips that I could kiss time and time again, till teeth touched teeth and temples held firm. I see you where you do not exist, walking down the street with me while you’re asleep two states away. In the grocery store, holding me from behind while I insist on walking every isle. In the emptiness of my room, which yearn for your scent to fill it. When I am sad, I ache to curl myself against your chest and inhale all that is you, melding us together, like our skeletons were meant to be one; buried beneath the ground, combing through the earth. There is nowhere that I can hide from the thought of you. I’d never want to. When you aren’t near, at least I can find a speck of you in every aspect of my day and night. You keep me company, even in our distance.

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Day 6/6

Ashmita, a teifling with a troubled past who has reformed from a warrior into a bar maid. She runs one of the most beloved taverns in all of Kangri— the capital of Otero. She keeps close friends and adores those around her, often times giving off a mothering energy. don’t be fooled, she has a rather chaotic side that’s itching to come out.

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Day 5/6

Koa, the unruly, bad tempered prince of Thaibremor. After being separating from his draconic companion, Koa scavenged across the Middle Nations trying to find him. He never stays in one place too long. The Barbarian Prince is on a mission, and no one will stop him.

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Day 4/6

Lysander, Prince of Otero. After spending most of his life locked in the walls of the palace— due to the war that waged between the middle nations and Imyr— he is finally finding his place. His duty as a Prince conflicts with what he actually wants out of life. Freedom, exploration, adventure, a very full library. Meeting Akirae opens up a whole world of adventure to him, and he sees the opportunity that comes with having her close by. Of course, the girls clueless charm starts chipping away at his rather monotonous exterior.

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Day 3/6

Soriian, the dragon that Ezlynnia runs into on her adventure. At a young age Soriian was captured by Imyrians and saved by the Prince of Thaibremor. Now he finds himself separated from his companion and gravely injured. Ezlynnia helps him and joins him in his journey to find his lost companion.

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“The writer's job is to get the main character up a tree, and then once they are up there, throw rocks at them.” — Vladimir Nabokov

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Day 2/6

Akirae, The second main character in the dual pov novel, The Tragedy In Your Light. After she is separated from her friend and saved from Imyrian guards— who plan to turn her over to the king— she spontaneously finds herself saved by the prince of another nation. She has to adapt to her new surrounding while also still seeking out her lost friend. She thrives in her new atmosphere, making new friends, and finding her true self. Follow along as she searches far and wide for her friend. All while also finding her true self and becoming more confident in who…and what, she is.

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how to write characters that feel like real people and not NPCs in your brain

You ever read a book and think “this character would survive maybe five minutes in a real conversation”? Yeah. Let’s avoid that. Here’s how to make your fictional friends feel real:

everyone wants something

Even if it’s small. Even if it’s stupid. Every character—from your MC to the one-line barista—should want something. A promotion. Revenge. A nap. World domination. That want shapes how they act.

give them contradictions

Humans are messy. Let your characters be brave and terrified, kind but petty, loyal but deeply in denial. That tension? That’s where the magic lives.

let them make bad choices

If your character is right all the time, they’re either boring or a liar. People mess up. Let your character mess up in ways that feel true to them, not just to move the plot.

interior life > cool dialogue

Quippy one-liners are fun, but what’s going on underneath? What are they afraid to say out loud? What thoughts would they take to the grave? That’s what makes a character feel alive.

how do they show emotion?

Not everyone cries when sad. Some get mean. Some go quiet. Some rearrange their bookshelves obsessively. Find their emotional language.

backstory = spice, not soup

You don’t need a 12-page trauma dump to make a character real. Drip in bits of their past when it matters. Let it shape them quietly.

voice matters

Everyone shouldn’t sound like you. Think about how your character talks. What words do they overuse? Do they ramble? Are they blunt? What don’t they say?

tl;dr: believable characters aren’t perfect—they’re specific. They’ve got fears, flaws, favorite snacks, weird opinions, and conflicting goals. Make them messy. Make them human.

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Day 1/6

Ezlynnia, 1 or two Main Characters in the dual pov novel The Tragedy In Your Light. After a tragedy befalls her best friend, she leaves the shores of her homeland, in an attempt to escape from her troubled past. She never expects to uncover a secret that lay inside her very mind. While she struggles with the weight of her guilt and grief, it seems the universe won’t cut her some slack. Follow along as she explores this new land in search of something or somewhere to quell her grief and call a home; while it seems everything in her life tries to stop her.

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For the next six days, I will do a brief introduction of the more important characters in, The Tragedy in Your Light. Stayed tuned💕