Meet the Character--Charles Hanson

There's someone very dear to me I'd like to introduce to you all.

Everyone, meet Charlie.

Charlie, this is all the people.

Today, I'm joining a Meet the Character bloghop to introduce you all to my favorite main guy, Charles Hanson from Love and Other Unknown Variables (releasing October 7, 2014).


Thanks to Sonya Weiss for tagging me in on the fun. Sonya writes contemporary romance and young adult books. She is also a freelance writer and ghostwriter, as well as a columnist at Families Online Magazine. Her fiction has won honorable mention in various contests, and she was the first place winner of Harlequin's 'The Baseball Diamond' writing contest.

Sonya's first book in her Stealing the Heart series, Stealing the Groom, is now available from Entangled Publishing. You can read an excerpt here!

You can find out more about Sonya on her website. 

Thanks again for letting me join the fun, Sonya!

Meet the Character

What is the name of your character? Is s/he fictional/historical?

I'm going to let Charlie introduce himself…

My name is Charles Mortimer Hanson. I am the Czar of the Dweebs at the Brighton School of Mathematics and Science, not that I asked to be the top dork, but when you're in the running for valedictorian, people just kind of look to you for guidance. Brighton is a STEM academy, which means we focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at my school (please note: the E in STEM is for engineering NOT English). Next year, I'll be off to MIT, as long as I finish the stupid application. I want to work with my mathematical hero, Dr. Martin K. Bell. After that, it'll probably take me a few years before I win a Nobel Prize. Shouldn't take too long though.

(I'm whispering so Charlie can't hear me. He's totally fictional. As is his school. And his life. And all his friends. And his town. And, yeah, you get the point. It'd break his already overtaxed mind if he knew this though, so let's keep it just between us.)

When and where is the story set?

I live in the south in a quiet suburban town. My neighborhood is one of these giant subdivisions so big it has subdivisions of its own. My friends live nearby. I pick them up every morning on our way to Brighton, which is in the city just outside our suburb. We like to stop at Krispy Kreme for donuts on our way in. That place smells so awesome! 

What should we know about Charlie?

I'm smart. I have a plan. It includes plenty of math and physics. It does not include crushing on the new girl my sister brought home from our town high school, Sandstone. But, man, this new girl's always around, and I didn't think it was possible, but she smells better than the Krispy Kreme. No lie.

What is Charlie's goal?

To ignore the new girl, Charlotte Finch, and stay the course. Have I mentioned the plan? It will not fail me. 

Except it's really hard to ignore a girl that sings to you in your kitchen when you walk in the door. And she's got this smile and these blue eyes—this tattoo that drives me nuts. And she says she needs my help. There's something she's not telling me. And she…ugh! This is ridiculous.

I. Have. A. Plan.

What is screwing up Charlie's life (main conflict in writerly speak)?

Charlotte Finch and her older sister are screwing up my life. Did I fail to mention Charlotte's sister is my new English teacher? Oh, and that Brighton has a vendetta against English teachers? And that I've yet to finish my MIT application because these short answer questions are the worst! Yeah. I'm doomed.

What is the title?

Love and Other Unknown Variables--which makes me nervous because I prefer to know all the variables in a problem before I begin.

When can we expect the book to be published?

Happy to meet you all on October 7, 2014. 

Meet Next Week's Authors

Hannah Goodman

Hannah Goodman is the founder and editor of Sucker Literary, which features undiscovered and new YA authors. She is represented by Erzsi Deàk of Hen&ink Literary.

My Summer Vacation was originally published in 2006 and went on to win a bronze IPPY in

2007. It is set to be released in September 2014.  The first Maddie book, My Sister’s Wedding, was the first place winner of  The Writer’s Digest International Self-Publishing Contest, 2004, children’s book division.  The third Maddie book, Fear of Falling, was released in the fall of 2009 and was praised by teachers and readers for tackling subjects like homophobia and coming out. Hannah republished My Sister’s Wedding, in March, 2014 and is currently republishing Fear of Falling, set to be released in the fall of 2014.

The final Maddie book in the series remains unpublished at this time but is looking forward to finding a home soon! 

Hannah is a member of  SCBWI  and the Association of Rhode Island Authors as well as a graduate of Pine Manor College's Solstice Program in Creative Writing, where she earned an MFA in Writing For Young People. She resides in Bristol, RI with her husband, two daughters, two cats, and a fish named Schwartz.

If you really want to find Hannah, check your local Starbucks, where she may be drinking a foamy cup of tea and working on her next novel.

Find her on the web at hannahrgoodman.com.


Tiffany Truitt

Tiffany Truitt was born in Peoria, Illinois. A self-proclaimed Navy brat, Tiffany spent most of her childhood living in Virginia, but don’t call her a Southerner. She also spent a few years living in Cuba. Since her time on the island of  one McDonalds and Banana Rats (don’t ask), she has been obsessed with traveling. Tiffany recently added China to her list of travels (hello inspiration for a new book).

Besides traveling, Tiffany has always been an avid reader. The earliest books she remembers reading belong to The Little House on the Prairie Series. First book she read in one day? Little Woman (5th grade). First author she fell in love with? Jane Austen in middle school. Tiffany spent most of her high school and college career as a literary snob. She refused to read anything considered “low brow” or outside the “classics.”

Tiffany began teaching middle school in 2006. Her students introduced her to the wide, wonderful world of Young Adult literature. Today, Tiffany embraces popular Young Adult literature and uses it in her classroom. She currently teaches the following novels: The Outsiders, Speak, Night, Dystopian Literature Circles: The Hunger Games, The Giver, The Uglies, and Matched.

Tiffany is proud to call herself an educator and Young Adult author. She has a series published with Entangled Publishing. Read more about her Lost Souls Series here. And her first YA contemporary novel, The Language of Silence, just released last week. Visit her website for an excerpt and to follow her on the release blog tour. 

Find out more about Tiffany on her webpage.