Do any of your characters have any hobbies? Do they do anything illegal?
Ooh, thank you for the ask and follow, hi!
It's a hobby at one point while she isn't allowed to do it for work: Katharina plays the violin, and eventually takes it up as a profession. Wilhelm plays the cello, and earns a little money from compositions. (Violins and Violets)
Katharina "steals" money from her father, but it's money she herself earned for the family, and she only did it because she needed to escape. Wilhelm is in a relationship with Johann, which was illegal.
Augusta collects coins and plays the cello, Marianne designs and makes dresses, although it's debatable whether it's a hobby because she doesn't have a job, she's aristocracy, and it's the main thing she does with her days, but she's not paid money for it, because she has her stipend to live off and wants for nothing. Elisabeth draws portraits, and Hans starts making and embellishing clothes as well. (Vogeltje)
Marianne marries without consent of the King, which was against the law for her as a Royal Ward.
Florian dances and plays the guitar. He starts as an amateur, gets training, and eventually becomes a professional dancer, but never takes guitar beyond a hobby. Saul loves learning other languages and becomes a translator, but he speaks Polari and never takes this into his work. Rhiann plays the violin and this remains a hobby for her although she also becomes a professional ballerina.(Curls of Smoke)
Florian has stolen money from his abusive father on multiple occasions, and drove over the speed limit to get back from Edinburgh to Oxworth (Norfolk) after his father attacks him. Just about every character in the book buys and smokes cigarettes (underage as they're in the UK and not 18, so illegal) and/or weed at some point. Potts (real name Jeremy Baker, because Potts is just his nickname) is a weed guy. Kayla is a generally unpleasant person, stealing from Kate and abusing Florian. Some of what Kayla does socially amounts to stalking, but I'm not sure if it meets legal thresholds?
Gordon and Sophie write poetry, and Gordon plays the guitar, Etta keeps pigeons (only in earlier drafts though), Lena bakes, Charlotte paints, and Sophie plays clarinet in the swing band with Scott (in earlier drafts). Scott, Lena, Sophie and Chris also swam competitively in early plans which didn't make it as far as drafts! Scott whittles an owl for Sophie's birthday, because Sophie loves owls because Gordon was famously savaged by one. Quite a few characters learn BSL and I don't know if that counts as a hobby because they do it specifically to communicate with Etta, who is Deaf. Ffion and Charlotte eventually go on to study it at university, with a view to becoming Registered Sign Language Interpreters. (This Still Happens, including potential sequels??)
Hoo, boy, who doesn't commit a crime in This Still Happens? First of all, you've got pretty much everyone at the beginning drinking alcohol under 18 at Sophie's birthday party. Then a few days later, Chris tries to kill Gordon, and Gordon goes on his whole revenge kick, which Sophie's closely involved in. They try to kill Chris instead, and their friends know they're going to do it, but don't do much to stop them beyond saying, "You shouldn't." Then Gordon's attempt at revenge doesn't take, and Chris gets even worse. You've got breaking and entering, unlawful entry, various assaults and hate crimes, attempted murders, GBH, and it all goes a bit hideously wrong for everyone. Gordon's Mum is a dirty cop who is abusive to Gordon, and Ffion's parents are abusive to her. Gordon carries illegally concealed weapons on a number of occasions as well. This Still Happens is an absolute carousel of crimes... but is not actually a Crime novel (it's a Thriller).
