I think it’s amusing when people that I know are convinced that a certain character in one of the books is them. While I may take specific traits that I find in people and use them in my novels, only two of the characters are based exclusively on any single individual. This may disappoint or elate some of you out there, but it’s a simple fact. For those who might be wondering, I do this purposely.
It would be very easy to take some of my family or friends and just use them whole-cloth in my books. It would also, in my opinion, be demeaning. While I enjoy watching my creations come to life on the page, they are still fiction, people are not. As an author, I can kill off a character in one paragraph and have them resurrected in the next. To the best of my knowledge, only one person in history had a consistent record of being able to do that in real life.
While I enjoy watching and learning from people, like most authors, I am somewhat introverted and hate crowds, parties and public speaking. I can often control at least two out of the three of those things. One-on-one, I like to talk to people, but you will most often find that I am the one listening rather than talking. I can’t learn about and from you if I don’t let you speak. Learning from people is where I get the personalities for the series.
Yes, there are recognizable bits of many of the people I know in my stories. No, they are not the people themselves, not even if they have the same name. I am always looking for different and memorable names to use in the books and I try to give that name as interesting a personality to go along with it.
At this point, you are likely wondering who the two people are that I have based characters on. Good, a little mystery is a wonderful thing.
Have a great weekend!
KM
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