From the first line of the book, you’ll meet Tima, the unexpected main character of The Strandlock. Her full name is Tima-Rein, and The Strandlock is her story. From the very early handwritten pages I drafted more than three decades ago, this was Tima’s coming-of-age story.
Who is Tima?
Tima is a young woman, regarded as cursed by the elders in her primitive plains camp. Counted in annual trading seasons, she’s about seventeen. In her culture, she should already have a mate, but her aunt told her that would never happen.
When Tima was a child, her aunt insisted Tima’s silver hair be covered with grease and hidden under a headwrap. This distinction secured her treatment as the camp’s outcast. She receives the most unpleasant tasks and the worst food. With her father’s death, she has no one to stand up for her.
What does she want?
Tima wants to leave the oppressive treatment by the camp elders. The grasslands of the plains are a harsh environment, but she’s willing to face the risk of living alone there. She would brave the dangers of wild animals like the fierce kringer cat and the scarcity of water. Beyond daily survival, she longs to find the secret path to Haven, the afterlife her people hold sacred.
What does she believe?
Above all, Tima values keeping her word. In her culture, promises carry deep spiritual significance, and she takes them very seriously. That belief shapes many of the choices she makes throughout the story.
What does she fear?
Tima has a fear of tight places, not an issue on the open plains, but a significant concern in her travels to other parts of Spira. I don’t have claustrophobia, but I spoke with someone who did. Many of Tima’s reactions are based on that shared information.
A Main Character to Follow
I hope readers will find Tima an engaging main character to follow throughout the adventures in The Strandlock. I’ve had decades with her and have enjoyed her spirit and integrity. In fact, I got emotional when I wrote “The End” because I wouldn’t be spending as much time with her (until I decided to write a sequel).
In the next update, we’ll get to know Lord Dranger, the shape shifter.
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