Monday, April 29, 2019

Are we Like Our Characters? A Jungle Red Survey

>> AND THE WINNERS of BLUFF  from Saturday are: Lynn from TX, and Mary C. email your address to Hryan@whdh.com ! YAY! <<


RHYS BOWEN: Whenever I am interviewed I'm always asked if my protagonists are based on anyone--especially me. I'm sure the rest of the Reds have experienced the same thing. And I always answer that I wanted Molly Murphy to have my strong sense of justice, inability to shut up when she should stay silent. She's not always wise when she barges forward. A little like me, I have to confess. For example: I was in a supermarket parking lot before Christmas when a man came toward me. He was skinny with long stringy hair and he was holding a Big Gulp in one hand. "Can you give me some money for food?" he asked.  "No, I'm sorry. I can't," I replied. "Then I'll just take your purse," he said. I was holding my keys in my right hand. I stepped up, in his face, and pointed my keys at him. "I'd like to see you try," I said in my menacing voice.
He backed away. "I could," he said. "I could take your purse." And then he ran.  I was so pleased with myself. I knew now that if I was in real danger I could go for a man's eyes.  But was I wise?  It was daylight. And it was a store parking lot.  Molly Murphy is a lot like that.


This was the first sketch of Lady Georgie, by the artist who does all my covers. She looks a lot more poised and glamorous than me, doesn't she? And other thing. She's a twenty-something royal. When I started the series I just wanted a naive, innocent character who is trying to  survive on her own in a difficult world. She is royal, but penniless, with nowhere really to call home. Then I discovered that she has a tendency to become clumsy when she's under stress. And embarrassing things happen to her. Who could that be like? Uh--me? Remember that scene in the first book when she is modeling an outfit for a rich client and she puts two legs into one half of a culotte? Yes. That happened to me. It ended my very brief modeling career.
So since then poor Georgie has had to suffer more and more with embarrassing incidents that her creator has actually endured. She's terrified of knocking something over at Buckingham Palace. When I did a tour of the palace a few years ago I kept looking at priceless antiques and thinking, "Do not go anywhere near that!"

You'd think that confident, successful older woman would never have embarrassing moments, wouldn't you? Well, I was writing at my desk when I looked at the time and realized I was running late for an ortho appointment on my knee. And I was wearing jeans. I rushed upstairs, grabbed a dress from the closet and put it on. Then I drove to the ortho office. I was standing in line, in a crowded office, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. "I don't know if I should mention this," the woman behind me whispered, "but you have your dress on inside out."
Oh, the mortification!
The trouble is that things like this happen to me on a regular basis. In a hotel room, washing my hair before a car comes for me to take me to a signing, AND I put the body lotion on my hair instead of the conditioner. Do you know how long it takes to get body lotion out of your hair?
So poor Georgie. Any time one of these things happens to me I think, AHA. Now she's going to suffer too.
But at least it makes her real and identifiable. One of the nicest things ever said to me was a fan who wrote, "I've just seen your picture and until then I thought you were the same age as Georgie!"
Of course I wanted to write back saying, "What do you mean? We're almost the same age. I've just been out in the sun more than she has."
But all the same, I was pleased.

So dear Reds: have your characters acquired any of your traits? Did you model any of them on you? Confession time.

LUCY BURDETTE: I've had three main protagonists, Cassie the golfer, Rebecca the psychologist, and Hayley Snow, food critic. Cassie, of course, had the athletic talent that I yearned for. The psychologist and I had lots in common--our therapy practices in New Haven, good girlfriends, love of good food, interest in what makes people tick. Hayley and I both adore Key West, though I'm not inclined to live on a houseboat (I get easily seasick!) She loves to eat as I do, and has surrounded herself with good friends and pets. However, two ways in which I'm different from all three--if I stumbled over a clue or a body, I'd turn it over to the police instantly. I'm a chicken. (And wow, kudos to you Rhys for scaring that guy off!) And I have a much happier relationship/marriage--though hopefully Hayley is headed that way too...

JENN MCKINLAY: Yikes! If I'm ever in another bar fight, I want you to have my back, Rhys! As to your question, with seven series in various genres, I can honestly say I don't think any of my characters are much like me. They may have bits and pieces. My temper crops up in my sidekicks, my love of  pastries pops up in most every book, and the book lover in me oozes out in several of the series but overall my characters walk fully formed into my head, their own unique beings. Rather like my children, actually, I'm just the birth giver.

HALLIE EPHRON: I DO think most of my characters are like me. From the 90-year-old woman in THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN to the pregnant 30-something in NEVER TELL A LIE. Just at different points in my life, and imagining different circumstances. My new book CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR is about a professional organizer--something which I could never be. Never never never in a million years. I organized my sock drawer and then gave up. But I SO get why someone would.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Yikes, Rhys! Superhero. (How did you feel afterward?) Anyway, I've spent years denying that Charlotte McNally is me--of course she is. Kind of.  But she's not only a better driver--because she's younger, and grew up at a different time than I did, she's more confident.  Jane Ryland--no,  She's a reporter like I am, but she's 33 now, and I was 33 long ago, and that's a different 33. Mercer Hennessey? Not me at all, except for the analytical thinking.  Ashlyn Bryant? Sure--the part that can see a different side of every story. And Rachel North in the upcoming The Murder List? I'll adore to hear what you all think.
But bottom line I think there's got to be some of each of us in every character. Because  they come from us.

RHYS: That is such an astute comment, Hank. Of course our characters often react as we would because they come from our heads.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Rhys! You are always so poised! I never would think of you as clumsy or awkward, but I love hearing how Georgie has evolved. Isn't it interesting how our protagonists--and our perception of our protagonists--changes over time? I know in the very beginning I thought that Duncan was like me in many ways. He's a little introspective but has good people skills. He likes to think before he acts,  he's not quick to form opinions or pass judgement. Gemma, on the other hand, I set out to make very different from me in personality. She's more confident, has no trouble speaking up for herself. She's very outgoing, less analytical, and is very quick to connect with people but also to pass judgement, perhaps prematurely. Over the series, however, I think they both have just become themselves, with their own very distinct histories and backgrounds that help form who they are. I certainly never think about either Melody or Doug being anything like me, although I'm sure they are in some ways. As Hank so wisely says, all of our characters (even the bad ones) have something of us in them or we couldn't write them.

So, fellow writers out there: are your characters like you? Have they taken on your traits as you write? And readers--as you read our books do you find yourself thinking, "Yes, I can see Hank saying that."

50 comments:

  1. Interesting question, Rhys. I can certainly see how the characters you create as writers would be like you in some ways, but I must confess that, because your characters are so well-drawn, I never found myself reading one of the Jungle Red ladies’ books and thinking, “Yes, I can see ___ doing that.”

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  2. I think my characters are all like me, except that they aren't. The main character in the last novella I wrote--"Deep Ellum Pawn," due out eventually from Weird Sisters Publishing--has some interesting abilities that I can only dream about. It's an urban fantasy, so . . . And the main character of my current work in progress is a retired law enforcement officer from west Texas.

    On the surface, no resemblance. But Eddy reflects my own personal cosmology, and Ray is trying to find the path to his new, completely un-planned for life after the death of his beloved wife. Plus, he likes dogs. So I'm there, under the skin, in both of them, and probably all the other characters I've written over the years. I don't think there's any way to escape it.

    And hat's off to you, Rhys. If I had been confronted in a parking lot like that, I probably would have said, "What? I'm sorry. I didn't hear you. What?" and just stared at the guy in utter confusion. Kudos for thinking on your feet!

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  3. Great topic - and great chutzpah, Rhys! I always try to make my characters physically quite different from me. All of them have a trait or two I wish I had, plus others I share with them. And all are way younger. Both Julie Hennrikus (as Julia Henry) and Barb Ross are now writing series featuring older sleuths. My senior citizen sidekicks are all older relatives of the protagonist, and they are some of my favorite characters to write.

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    1. I love writing Miss Gloria too, Edith, who is in her eighties. Maybe we're imagining our older selves??

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  4. I have a lovely time writing my teenage characters from their mother's perspective.
    Last week, I wrote a confrontation scene between a woman who's learned she has a backbone and the husband who left her. She inserts her keys between her fingers and goes for his face.
    Great technique, Rhys!

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  5. Interesting, too, because there’s always controversy —or assumptions-/ when a character “says” something and then people decide that’s what the author thinks. And in that case, of course not always true! But thank you, yes, it has to come from I thought we considered, even if we considered and rejected it.
    And Rhys, that is quite a wonderful drawing of lady Georgie! What a treasure!

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    1. It's beautiful! I didn't realize Georgie was so pretty, but it makes sense...

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    2. I've had so many letters saying " I can't believe you are so prejudiced against Italians/ Jews/ Catholics/Chinese and I reply that I am not prejudiced against anyone. A woman living in 1903 said those things, not me.

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    3. Rhys, I remember you mentioning this in your Author's note about people in these days saying those things.

      This reminds me of when I read my grandfather's journals during the first World War and some words would be considered politically incorrect these days.

      Diana

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  6. Rhys, I am impressed! I always think I'd do something brave in a situation like that but I'd probably be like lady Georgie and do something embarrassing!

    Dorothy Cannell told a wonderful story a couple of years ago at Magna cum Murder. When their girls were teens, Dorothy and her husband Julian arrived home to find one of the girl's boyfriends there with another guy. Dorothy immediately went into stern mom mode and started lecturing them on how the girls were not allowed to have boys over when there parents weren't home. Finally Julian interrupted her by saying, "Uh, Dorothy, they're robbing us, not visiting the girls." This, unsurprisingly, did not slow Dorothy down one bit! The boyfriend later thanked her (AFTER he got out of jail, I think) from stopping him from ruining his life. I still laugh when I think of Dorothy lecturing the burglars. She obviously tells her story better than I. Maybe you can invite as a guest and have her tell it.

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  7. When reading a good story, I'm all in it and don't ask myself questions like this. I'm always happy to learn about you Ladies and what you put in your stories and your characters.
    I love Georgie and laughed out loud when you talked about your dress. Once I went to work with a turtleneck on inside out and an other time I went to lunch with my daughter in the same way. Very embarrassing.

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    1. I got dressed in the dark one morning and discovered, hours later, that I was wearing one black shoe and one blue shoe. Definitely not a morning person, here.

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  8. I was just reading a mystery where one of the character was repeatedly described as waddling, chunky, bloated... it really started to annoy me that this 'author' was so demeaning about a person who was overweight. Then I realized, it's not the author but the character who's a jerk, because it's the character who's narrating. And I thought, well, okay. Now I'm rethinking...

    Can you write a character who's a jerk without coming off as a jerk yourself?

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    1. Was it the author or the editor? I wondered because sometimes I would read novels by the same author and sometimes the books are very different in style so I wondered about the editing or the publisher.

      I wonder if the creation of a character who is a jerk could be based on several real life jerks that you have encountered in real life?

      Diana

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    2. I've written obnoxious characters... Podgy, sleazy, heavy jowls, etc when I want my narrator to be scared or repulsed. I don't think I'd repeatedly demean a character for being overweight. That makes my narrator sound really judgmental

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    3. I was reminded that Alexander McCall Smith uses the term "traditionally built" instead of overweight.

      Diana

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    4. I think it's a really difficult thing! That's why often you see another character commenting on things like that, or correcting the character.

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  9. My characters are like me...and absolutelhy not like me. They share a lot of my values, but are way more confident, stronger, and more physically capablet than I ever was.

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  10. Rhys, good for you scaring off that guy in the car park! I had a similar experience with a similar guy who snuck up to my side while I was at the ATM and I screamed like a banshee! I have been told that my scream sounds like a banshee. LOL. Have you seen the Midsomer Murders series on pbs? I kind of envision the actor who plays Ben Jones as Constable Evan Evans. That portrait of Lady Georgie above looks more like Princess Grace from the 1950s. From the drawings on the cover of your Lady Georgie novels, I think she looks more like the actress who was in the movie The Artist which was mostly silent and the movie was nominated for an Oscar a few years ago. Molly Murphy looked like Molly Ringwald then Kate Perry. When reading your books, I wonder if the characters reflect parts of your personality. You mentioned being clumsy. You always look graceful to me. Your story about visiting Buckingham Palace reminded me of my visit to Blenheim Palace. We were visiting the private apartments (we paid an extra fee) and the tour guide, I think was a upper servant?, yelled at me because I was taking too long reading the words next to the exhibits. Maybe she thought I was going to break something? And I got dirty looks from the other tourists. I was mortified!

    Jungle Reds, when I read your novels, I am impressed by how you create so many different characters. The question about if the characters are similar to the authors intrigues me. I was reminded of when I watched Mystery! with Vincent Price introducing a new series. He was introducing a new to me mystery series about Jemima and the creator was Lady Antonia Fraser. Vincent Price said that the author wanted to create a character who was the opposite of herself. I was reminded of this when reading your take on whether or not you are like your characters.

    When I write characters in my WIP, I created a main character with a few of my characteristics. It's a combination of "write what you know" and imagination.

    Deborah, when I read your Duncan and Gemma novels, I kind of imagine that actress from the Inspector Rebus bbc series as Gemma with red hair.

    Jenn, when reading your Hat Shop series, I imagined the British actress Lysette (sp?) Anthony as both of the cousins with different hair colors.

    Lucy, I thought of Hayley as a young Delta Burke.

    Wonderful post today! Happy Monday!

    Diana

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  11. I can't say that I ever stop and wonder whether a particular character is the author in disguise--after all, the author produces all of the characters in a work--whatever age, gender, nationality, etc. So, if Hank writes a female character who is a reporter, I might think, well, Hank knows that world and its possibilities rather well.

    And wow, Rhys! You go!! I don't think that situation would occur with me--I don't give off vibes that encourage random people to approach me. If he'd said that to me, I probably would've told him to 'f**k-off' and walked on.

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  12. Reds and other writers, is it ever insulting that someone believes that a character is completely and totally based on YOU and is not the product of your creative imagination? It never occurred to me that a character might be a reflection of the author. I might assume that the author possibly knows someone like the protagonist or another character, or might have a similar background as the protagonist or another character. (I prefer to believe that the author did a lot of research before writing realistically about a sociopath:-)

    I was robbed of my purse while walking to my car after work on a rainy night in 1972. There was a tussle, mainly because I was very slow to catch on that I was being robbed. If I had realized it from
    the beginning, I think I would have fainted dead away!

    Jenn, what do you mean “ANOTHER” bar fight??!!

    DebRo

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    1. Yeah Jenn, and a former librarian? pushing the image, my friend.

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    2. Well, yes and no, rightI f the character seems real, that's good. But if someone says--I didn't know you were a great driver! I say--no, that's Charlie. I just know ABOUT great driving.

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    3. Thank you, Deb. That was my question too. I'm hoping for this to be the topic of a future blog. I love a good back story.

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  13. The problem with choosing an actress to play Georgie is that by the time the script is written, the movie is funded and shot several years have passed and Georgie is still 21!

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    1. There are many wonderful British actresses. I have seen wonderful Actresses in their 40s playing someone in their twenties. Back then people in their twenties would look like people in their 40s or 50s now. I think it is because our lifestyles are different now with better nutrition.

      Diana

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  14. All my protagonists are taller than me, although Melody not by much. What's interesting is that people who know me in "real" life who read my books for the first time often say, "I can't believe YOU wrote that." I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult--perhaps a bit of both.

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    1. Deborah,
      none of your characters have hearing losses as far as I know.

      Diana

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    2. I wonder if it would be possible for me to write a character who has perfect hearing since I spent most of my life with profound hearing loss?

      Diana

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    3. Ha, Deb! I think anybody who talks to you for more than five minutes will get that you are smart, witty, observant, and more than talented enough to write the Duncan and Gemma books. The only problem is that you don't have that RP accent. Since your books give such an authentic sense of place, everybody expects you to be British and they are waiting for you to break out that plummy Etonian speech.

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  15. What an interesting topic, Rhys. Just this week I was thinking about whether writers "were" their characters to an degree. I was more about what the characters looked like though. And in my mind, Gemma looks just like Deb. Exactly! Reine-Marie IS Louise, in every way. Both Charlotte and Jane are Hank. And Lucy Roberta could be any of her protagonists. I don't see you as Georgie though. Hallie, your characters are all so different, and I can't say I see you in them. You are so beautiful, much prettier than they are.

    Maybe it is different in a series, where there is more opportunity for character development?

    And Rhys, add a loud scream the next time you take on a thief in the parking lot. Or just throw your purse at him. A long time ago I attended a self-defense conference at work, something required on a regular basis for nurses who went out into some of the dicier neighborhoods. Besides the keys as weapons, it was suggested that if we were carrying a purse, to unzip it and tuck in upside down under our arm. Then, if surprised, drop it and let everything bounce everywhere. The cop giving the presentation said that most purse snatchers would run, wouldn't take time to bend over and try to find wallets.

    I'm ok with characters not being quite true to their times, particularly if it means they can avoid prejudice and bigotry. It's not as if they are picking up a cell phone in 1945. I do want books to reflect the period of their setting though. I know this must be difficult at the best of times.

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    1. Fonts, I would have behaved differently if it had been a truly dangerous situation. I was in a daytime parking lot and he had a drink in one hand. I truly didn't feel too threatened

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  16. Conventional wisdom says a person can not recognize a trait in another if they do not "own" it themselves. I do not think this is at all true for authors. Reds, you all have wonderful imaginations combined with great powers of observation. You do not write card board characters that reflect little research. It does boggle the mind a bit to learn that readers do believe you are what you write.

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  17. I suspect that every author puts a little of himself/herself into characters or their reactions to events. It'd be hard not to. I can certainly relate to Georgie and her "accidents." To this day if I'm going out to a gathering of some sort I try to choose a drink that won't show up on what I'm wearing. A friend of ours tries to order food that will blend in with his shirt. Birds of a feather. . .

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    1. Pat D, I thought it was something like that :-)

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  18. Rhys, I forgot to also mention that I, too, applied hand lotion instead of styling product a couple of months ago - and I didn't have time to redo my hair before the event. I dried and styled it and hoped for the best, which I didn't get! Now I store the two same-size bottles well apart from each other...

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  19. I think Maggie, the protagonist in my Cajun Country Mysteries, has a lot of my characteristics and world POV. Mia, the protagonist of my upcoming Catering Hall Mysteries, has a life inspired by my own real life but she's less like me than Maggie. When I write her, I keep seeing Leah Remini, so she's got a lot of the actress's voice in her. I hear Leah's a neighbor. If I can find out exactly where she lives, she may find an ARC of "Here Comes the Body" in her mailbox someday!

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    1. Ellen,

      do you see Leah Remini as Maggie or Mia?

      Diana

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  20. I don't think we should ignore that Julia Spencer-Fleming's books have the heroine marry someone names Russ....

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  21. I have always pictured Lady Georgie as being dark haired. Don’t know why...just my vision of her. That said, if she has to be blonde, I vote for Lily Travers to play her in the movies. Most recently she had been playing Lady Sophie on PBS’ Victoria series.

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