Bhavesh asked Sebastien de Castell:

After a long time debating whether I should read Traitor's Blade or not, I finally gave in and now I am hooked and can't wait for my copy of Saint's Blood to finally arrive. You sir, are a fantastic writer and I look forward to reading more of your work. I particularly enjoy the dialogues between the greatcoats, especially Brasti and Kest. How do you manage to write characters and flesh them out so completely?

Sebastien de Castell Hi Bhavesh,

Thanks for writing (and for your kind words!)

In answer to your question, I don't so much aim to flesh out characters on the page as to let them speak in such a way that there's a sense of something more behind the words. When people around us speak, there's always more going on there than just what they chose to say. So sometimes it's the choice of words, sometimes the pauses or the things they don't say.

I used to work as a travelling musician and often the word choices and cadences I'd hear in small-town bars inform a lot of the dialogue (though I confess to being an Aaron Sorkin fan as well, so there are a few homages to his writing in my books.)

Hope that answers your question!

Regards,

Sebastien

P.S. You mentioned having read Traitor's Blade and now awaiting Saint's Blood. Just in case you weren't already aware, Knight's Shadow is the second book in the series and comes before Saint's Blood.

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