Hi all, I’m MK Schiller and I write in many different genres of romance. But all of them are character driven. I’m inspired by characters that break the mold. I call it finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. I thought I’d talk a bit about some of my favorite characters of all time, focusing on movies and television. (There are just too many to choose if I used literature!)

Forest Gump – Here is a man who manages, not just to overcome, but soar past his obstacles. Forest has a special place in my heart because he had such a pure soul. Even to this day, I can’t open a box of chocolates without thinking about Forest.

Erin Brockovich – This is a tough girl who knows how to fight a battle. Plus, I love the way she rocks big hair and a tight skirt. Despite her lack of education and all the people who told her to stay out of it, she never gave up the good fight. Forget a lawyer. If I get in trouble, this is the girl I want on my side.

Hannah from Girls – Okay, she’s spunky and sloppy. And oh so lovely. I like seeing women who aren’t size six be the heroine and be comfortable with their body (boy, are her sex scenes hot). Plus, Hannah is a girl after my own heart. She is a writer after all!

Alex Parrish from Quantico – I recently added this one. As an Indian woman, I’m stoked to see another brown girl in a role that isn’t the meek, docile housewife. In fact, Priyanka Chopra breaks the stereotype in her portrayal of a kick-ass FBI agent.

Although it is difficult to believe, they all have something in common. They don’t fit the traditional role of hero. My goal as an author is to always write an authentic but stand out character. It’s up to the readers if I achieved this goal, but it’s always my intent.

Unwanted Girl is about a girl from a small village in India. She falls for cynical, down and out, New York City author. These two have oceans of culture separating them, not to mention a ticking clock since her student visa will expire in a few months. Both characters also have scarred pasts that limit their views of a promising future. Yet, together, they learn to embrace life and experience true joy for the first time. Shyla, the heroine, wants to write a story, but she is no writer. Nick, although a seasoned successful writer, has lost his passion. The novel goes between the story they write and the one they are living. I’ve never attempted anything so outside the box, but then again, I’ve never been a fan of boxes.

I’d love to hear about some of your favorite characters.

Read an excerpt from Unwanted Girl

“What are the other meanings for shucks?” she asked.

“It has many definitions. It can be a husk on the outer layer of corn. Or it can mean worthless.” She gave him a questioning look so he offered an example, dropping his voice slightly. “Like I don’t give a shucks about what we do as long as we do it together.” Her face flushed slightly, her smile turning suggestive. Encouraged, he dropped his voice a few octaves more. Test the water, Dorsey, but don’t fucking dive in! “Or it could mean to discard.”

“Discard?”

“As in peel off. For example, she shucked off her black T-shirt in a hurry.” His feet dipped into the complicated waters he’d avoided, waters that could heat up to boiling point if they kept creeping down this dangerous path.

“I see. So if I said, do you mind if we don’t shuck tonight, that would be a proper use?”

Nick opened his mouth to respond, to try to eat up the words already spilling out into the atmosphere, but she held up her hand, and her lips parted slightly. “But I hope we do shuck one day.”

Naughty girl.

Unwanted Girl

When a man loves a woman

Recovering addict Nick Dorsey finds solace in his regimented life. That is until he meets Shyla Metha.  Something about the shy Indian beauty who delivers take-out to his Greenwich Village loft inspires the reclusive writer. And when Shyla reveals her desire to write a book of her own, he agrees to help her. The tale of a young Indian girl growing up against a landscape of brutal choices isn’t Nick’s usual territory, but something about the story, and the beautiful storyteller, draws him in deep.

Shyla is drawn to Nick, but she never imagines falling for him. Like Nick, Shyla hails from a village, too…a rural village in India. They have nothing in common, yet he makes her feel alive for the first time in her life. She is not ready for their journey to end, but the plans she’s made cannot be broken…not even by him. Can they find a way to rewrite the next chapter?

About MK Schiller

I am a hopeless romantic in a hopelessly pragmatic world. I have a full time life and two busy teenagers, but in the dark of night, I sit by the warm glow of my computer monitor, and attempt to conjure up passionate heartwarming stories with plenty of humor.

I started imagining stories in my head at a very young age. In fact, I got so good at it that friends asked me to create plots featuring them as the heroine and the object of their affection as the hero. We’d spend hours on the phone while I came up with a series of unrealistic, yet tender events, which led to a satisfying conclusion. You’ve heard of fan fiction… this was friend fiction.

Even with that, it took many years to realize I could produce an actual full-length book that readers would enjoy. I try to make my stories humorous, realistic, with flawed but redeeming characters. I hope you enjoy my stories and always find The Happily Ever After in every endeavor.

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