Alexandra Bellerose: Character Introduction - Marie/Elise

 

Sophisticated, elegant, and graceful, Alexandra Bellerose is a powerhouse both in her personal life and in her business. As the owner of a major fashion brand, she has her hands full with work. When her daughter is murdered at a party in their own home, however, Alexandra puts everything on hold.

As the Bellerose family investigates Elise's murder, Alexandra has to face the fact that perhaps she didn't know her daughter as well as she thought she did. Of course, there is the guilt - the feeling that perhaps if she had known her daughter better, if she had been there more, she would have a better idea of where to start looking. As it is, though, Elise, despite being well-loved and popular, remains an enigma to her mother.

Alexandra resolves to find her daughter's killer, and to see to it that justice is done.

But Alexandra was not made for the darkness; never had she considered that one day, she would have to face such a terrible loss. Every moment spent digging, waiting for answers, uncovering buried secrets - every single moment gnaws at her, eats away at her resolve.

Because, as it turns out, there are some graves better left undisturbed.

👣 

Alexandra doesn't have a POV in the book, but we see her mainly through the eyes of her daughter, Marie, who admires her greatly, but who also feels a bit distant from her.

Excerpt:

       I had always been more like my father than my mother. While my mother, the famous Alexandra Bellerose, graced everyone with her brilliance and charmed them with a personality that shone brightly in the darkest of places, my father’s presence was quiet, stoic, and noble. If my mother was the striking butterfly imbued with colors vivid and intense, my father was the black panther.
       I had always believed, somehow, that Elise, being born a year before me, might have consumed all of the vivacity my mother had to offer. There was none left for me. A silly thought, undoubtedly, but one that plagued me nonetheless.
       I am the glasswing butterfly, drained of my mother’s radiant color.

 

Original artwork, minus filters:

I don't necessarily feel that this perfectly captures the Alexandra of my mind, but I think maybe it gets a little of the way towards doing that. I hope that as my own skills develop, I'll be able to create more accurate portraits of my characters! ^^

Here's a little bonus, though, because I quite like how this one turned out:

 

If Alexandra was a character in Neon Vape, this would be the OC Intro graphic for sure!