Today I'm participating in A Novel Idea, a link up by Ashley @ Ashley Aspires. Check it out by going here or by using the button below!

I've been knee-deep in the first draft of Petrichor (the book Blade and Decker are from), so today you get to meet another character from that dear old novel of mine--Astrid Shields.

Astrid was the first character I came up with for Petrichor. Originally she was the main character, but I actually hated her at the very start of NaNo, so I switched the POV character to Cobie, who you'll probably meet in a future blog meme. I wrote from Astrid's POV, too, though, and over time I've become a lot more fond of her than I used to be.

Her personality is pretty tough-as-nails. Some experiences she went through in her past, though the details are fuzzy, have left a mark on her. She has little patience and doesn't make friends easily, though the only person able to see through her armor would be Blade. One of my first scenes with her was at the shooting range, and that's a perfect example of the kind of person Astrid is.

She lives in a house in Oregon with her three brothers and her mother. Her mom has taken a page straight out of The Hunger Games's example on how to be an absentee mom, so Astrid ends up caring for her brothers most of the time. They bring out her (small) soft spot.

Her personal style is jeans, boots, and white henleys, and she often keeps a gun in her pants. It's her security blanket, as it were. Though she'd hesitate to shoot anyone, she does know how to use it.

I'm not sure how else to describe her, so let's just dig into the meme questions, shall we?

What do they consider the most important thing they’ve done so far in their life?
Astrid isn't big on personal achievements, in that she doesn't often think about them. Fighting off her paranoia, PTSD, and anxiety attacks has left her pretty proud, although she often relapses and the struggle is far from over for her. Another thing she's proud of herself for doing is learning how to shoot a gun and take care of herself. Achieving independence--though the level Astrid takes it to is extreme--is something she's glad she did.

What is their greatest regret?
Her greatest regret is a relationship she was in a few years ago that left her scarred. She wish it had never happened.

When was the last time they were really, really frightened?
It could be anywhere from two days ago to two seconds ago. She had a traumatic event happen to her and every so often, her mind relives it, and it terrifies her.

What was the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to them?
Going to church drunk when she was seventeen.

If they could change one thing about their past – and only one thing – what would that be and why?
She would run as fast as she could away from the man--her ex-boyfriend--who took away several pieces of her and left her, in her opinion, broken.