I read an article about birth order recently for an online Gale Course I am taking on adolescents to help me understand the changes my tween daughter is going through. It got me thinking about the characters in my novels and other books I’ve read and what roles their siblings played. In my upcoming romantic suspense, “A Stone’s Throw,” both the main character, Alicia Fairmont, and her new romantic interest, John McKinney, are raised as only children. Alicia’s dead husband, Peter, has a sister, Pamela, who is seven years older. As only children, Alicia and John share some traits. They both tend to be perfectionists and can be stubborn in their beliefs. Through flashbacks and additional information learned later in my book, we see that Peter Fairmont, a youngest child, is extremely self-centered. His older sister enjoys running the show.
What about other sibling characters in popular books such as sisters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy in Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women,” and Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice?” What about Cinderella and her stepsisters? Hansel and Gretel? Cain and Abel? Feel free to post other famous literary siblings, their birth order and personalities. (and even your own if you’d like). I’m a last born or youngest, but there are 11-15 years between me and my two brothers and sister. My daughter is an only. My husband is second oldest.
Here is the link to the birth order article from my class.
Ruff Drafts 