A Love for Books Day 4: Author Feature: A. G. Howard

Hi everyone! Welcome to the 4th day of A Love for Books event! Today I have the huge honor of featuring A.G. Howard, author of the creepy retelling of Alice in Wonderland: Splintered and Unhinged! I don't know how I managed it but Anita, despite her hugely busy schedule, was willing to supply a post for this event, in which I am ever so grateful! Since her love triangle is so widely known and fought over now, she's agreed to do a post all about triangles! Now let's see it!




When Three Wheels Are Better Than Two - Guest Post by A.G. Howard

Today's post isn't really about this cute and peculiar little German car with its odd number of wheels. Although three can make for a much more interesting ride. Take love triangles, for example.

Yes, the dreaded TRIANGLE. Lately, a lot of readers are down on love triangles. I’ve heard some say that authors need to quit using them, that anyone who does is just following the pack or trying to emulate Twilight’s success. Personally, I love *triangles* (when they’re well-done), and am baffled by how anyone who’s an avid reader can think Stephanie Meyers invented or trademarked a trope that’s been around for centuries.

Case in point, there's literature dating back as early as the 1500's that utilized this same technique before any of today's famous authors were ever even born. One of the most unique triangles of its time was in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, where a woman dressed as a man, falls in love with a man, who's in love with another woman who falls in love with the first woman (thinking she's a man).

Confusing? Yes. But who could turn away from such a hot mess of unrequited love and wire-taut tension?

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (1847) is a more traditional triangle, yet there's a paranormal slant. Catherine, Heathcliff, and Edgar were caught in a crossroads of passion that in the end transcended death itself. There was also The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (1909) with both the dark Phantom and the equitable Vicomte of Chagny vying for the lovely and innocent Christine Daaé's affections.

I'm not going to try to convince anyone that love triangles can actually work. It's obvious they do since they've been a literary staple in gothic romances and the ilk for as long as there have been stories (there are even examples in the Bible).

I’m just going to say that for me personally, the best love triangles are either when the heroine is attracted to both men for different reasons ... when somehow they are the two halves to her perfect soulmate's whole, in which case she'll always be questioning who she chooses for they only have half of what she's looking for; OR, when one of the heroes realizes who the heroine is truly better off with and sacrifices his own happiness for hers.

Mmm. Nothing hits the spot like a broken heart. ;)

I used this mindset when writing the love triangle in my SPLINTERED series. I wove it in as symbolism for the yin and yang aspects of the story, and the choice that Alyssa has to make in order to truly be herself. In all honesty, without that inner conflict for Alyssa, this series would lose something. Each guy brings out and complements different qualities in Alyssa—not just her light and dark sides, but how she makes decisions, either cautiously or spontaneously; or how she views the world, either as a canvas or as a playground. And when the time comes for a choice, it’s more than just choosing a guy. It’s choosing which way she wants to live her life, and where she’s going to be happiest spending her future—because each guy represents and embodies one of the distinct realms.


Here's a short list of some my favorite literary love triangles to date, in no particular order, from classics to present bestsellers:

Katniss Everdeen, Gale Hawthorne, and Peeta Mellark - Hunger Games
James Potter, Lily Potter and Severus Snape - Harry Potter
Stefan, Elena, and Damon - The Vampire Diaries
Catherine, Heathcliff, and Edgar - Wuthering Heights
The Phantom, Christine Daaé, and the Vicomte of Chagny - The Phantom of the Opera
Sidney Carton, Lucie Manette, and Charles Darnay - Tale of Two Cities
Sophie, Nathan, and Stingo - Sophie's Choice

Are some of your favorite third wheel love stories up there? Do you have some favorites in films? I'd love to hear of any that I've missed!


A.G. Howard

Author of the SPLINTERED Series by Amulet Books

Website | Twitter | GoodReads | Amazon | Fan Page

Didn't you love this post? I did. I personally only like love triangles when they're done well and I personally think only a select group of YA authors, that I've read, have managed to pull off love triangles excellently (Stephanie Meyer not included). I think Anita made a bunch of excellent points about love triangles that I didn't even think of! Great post! And a huge thank you to the wonderful and kind Anita Howard who, despite being so busy, was willing to take part in my event and be featured on my little blog. It's truly an honor to have you!

I hope you all enjoyed today's post and author as much I did, and make sure to stop back tomorrow for more! Thanks for reading!

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~Kayla~