tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post4639662083015665212..comments2024-03-28T17:39:34.611-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: Careful--Or You'll End up in My Novel!Jungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-83076225061687938602016-01-14T10:11:14.875-05:002016-01-14T10:11:14.875-05:00Happy Thursday, everyone! Mary, I like your reaso...Happy Thursday, everyone! Mary, I like your reasoning for picking the helpful secretary!!<br /><br />Deborah, that's what I was thinking ... your name doesn't seem particularly common, so I figured maybe the writer had picked it on purpose. What a weird coincidence!<br /><br />Thanks so much, Hank!! Love to you and yours as well!!! :)<br /><br />Reine, thank you! It sounds like you're going to have to settle for reading about Hank as a TV reporter in her cameos in books!!! ;)Elizabeth Heiterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15926308154344971485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-65161751476652867942016-01-14T01:39:00.439-05:002016-01-14T01:39:00.439-05:00Hank! Hank! Not that you aren't still there! W...Hank! Hank! Not that you aren't still there! We're not still there! xo Maureen Harringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499876353651763590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-35128791795557200482016-01-14T01:36:32.797-05:002016-01-14T01:36:32.797-05:00Elizabeth! Go! Go! Go!
Hank, you are such a gr...Elizabeth! Go! Go! Go! <br /><br />Hank, you are such a great TV reporter! Boy do we miss seeing you back in Boston!Maureen Harringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499876353651763590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-57405113370782721192016-01-13T23:40:20.196-05:002016-01-13T23:40:20.196-05:00Night, all!
Elizabeth, you are such a rock star!...Night, all! <br /><br />Elizabeth, you are such a rock star! Hope you are selling piles of books---and that our paths cross in person soon. Love to you and your dear family..xooHank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-78117190853438828862016-01-13T19:44:27.217-05:002016-01-13T19:44:27.217-05:00Elizabeth, I don't know David Mitchell, or any...Elizabeth, I don't know David Mitchell, or anyone who knows David Mitchell (that I know of...) My name isn't that common so I thought it was really weird and kind of creepy. Especially in context (a friend read the book so I know who the character was). At least she was minor!!!<br />Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988750789088153601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-59580383706220111462016-01-13T18:39:15.007-05:002016-01-13T18:39:15.007-05:00Nuanced and flawed characters make the journey mor...Nuanced and flawed characters make the journey more interesting. I can relate to both sides of the struggle if they are real.<br />I was once given a choice, and chose the helpful secretary, mostly because she was smart, whereas the manipulative sexpot was just too stupid to deserve my name.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-14889424647639038662016-01-13T14:16:51.858-05:002016-01-13T14:16:51.858-05:00Pat, nice to "meet" you! Ha ha ... it s...Pat, nice to "meet" you! Ha ha ... it sounds like you should be a flawed, charming character who is alternately helping and causing trouble for the main character, but keeps showing up at just the right (or wrong!) times...Elizabeth Heiterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15926308154344971485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-83809359896991310982016-01-13T14:15:49.758-05:002016-01-13T14:15:49.758-05:00Gram, wow - it's good that the times have chan...Gram, wow - it's good that the times have changed (some!), but I remember reading about the women who wanted to be Special Agents in Hoover's time. We need a book about a woman who applied, Hoover told her to be a secretary, and so she decided to solve crime on her own (like a P.I.!)<br /><br />Hallie, I've never given away a main character's name (in part, because that's challenging with a series, and in part because I get attached to those names!). I usually do a smaller role, but I try to make it a crucial one! In SEIZED, one of the Special Agents at Quantico is a reader who won the chance to be in the book at a Launch Party!<br /><br />Jeff, that's so funny! {writing this idea down for the next book...}<br /><br />Deborah, I hear you on the major characters! That's part of why I do smaller roles, too. So funny that you were in Mitchell's book - was it a total coincidence?<br /><br />Karen, that's so fascinating...you're all making me want to write a character who encountered some of these challenges! (Although Evelyn does run into issues being the only woman in the FBI's BAU unit in my series!)<br /><br />Kathy, thanks very much! I hope you enjoy the series! (I think you'll find quite a few "shades of gray" characters...generally, even my villains have some redeeming quality or reason to pity or empathize with their upbringing.)<br /><br />Susan, that's great! (And funny!)Elizabeth Heiterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15926308154344971485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-5072613165562002032016-01-13T14:15:04.943-05:002016-01-13T14:15:04.943-05:00I don't know if I'd want to be good or bad...I don't know if I'd want to be good or bad. If bad, my character must be absolutely charming so readers don't want me killed off. If good, the character has to be flawed or it wouldn't seem real. Flawed but charming. See a pattern here? My minor but charming character could pop up in subsequent books by popular demand! Ha.Pat Dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-64543599863112673352016-01-13T14:08:10.452-05:002016-01-13T14:08:10.452-05:00Hi everyone! Thanks very much, Reds, for having me...Hi everyone! Thanks very much, Reds, for having me here today! I love visiting your blog, and Hank, that was such a great intro story. So funny that it all worked out in the end to happily kill off your reader! ;)<br /><br />Thanks so much, Joan - I hope you enjoy the new one! (And I'm with you; I'd probably pick LEO too!)<br /><br />Mary, I love that you want to be a villain but have such a sweet name - it could be part of the psychology. Your character SEEMS so sweet and innocent, but lurking inside is a very dangerous villain...<br /><br />Deb, I'm glad the character made it through the story - I think that would freak me out too! (If it was my name, I'd probably like it, but for family, not so much!)<br /><br />Thank you, Laura! I love those characters who are teetering and you're just not sure which side they're going to choose in the end...I'm actually expecting revisions to the fourth Profiler book, STALKED, any day now, and there's definitely a character there who's teetering, not sure which side to choose.<br /><br />Hank, that is so funny! I never thought about that...also, I love that you want to be a TV reporter in a book, too! :)<br /><br />I love writing the acknowledgements, Kristopher (sadly, they got left out of the print version of SEIZED - they're in the e-book, though - so I need to post them somewhere!)<br /><br />Susan, thank you so much!!! I'm really thrilled you're enjoying Evelyn (she was so much fun to create!). And that was a great program - I hope we get the chance to do one together again sometime! So funny about your books and the character names - that's totally true. Maybe you could do something where the person's name gets "converted" into a version of their name that was popular then!Elizabeth Heiterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15926308154344971485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-10683186768975288772016-01-13T12:25:06.155-05:002016-01-13T12:25:06.155-05:00Been there, done that, died horribly.
I don'...Been there, done that, died horribly. <br /><br />I don't suppose there was any doubt I would be a victim, and a lady with a very shady past to boot, when I won a contest at Meg Gardiner's blog some good few years ago.<br /><br />http://www.susandaly.com/dirty_secrets.htmlSusan Dhttp://www.susandaly.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-67574364728894195222016-01-13T11:42:33.507-05:002016-01-13T11:42:33.507-05:00I like Laura's teetering shades of gray charac...I like Laura's teetering shades of gray character choice. Having read so many books where the law enforcement lead character can be hamstrung by superiors, I can envision myself as a character who is good, but who is frustrated by the system and tempted and maybe occasionally gives in to working outside the law. <br /><br />However, like Kristopher, my biggest thrill would be to see my name in the acknowledgements. Something like, "thanks to Annie Wilkes, my number one fan." Hahaha!<br /><br />Mary Sutton, I'm not sure that you should write (pun intended) yourself off as a villain because of your name. Remember Mary Surratt, who was hanged as a conspirator in the death of President Abraham Lincoln.<br /><br />Elizabeth, your character Evelyn Baine sounds intriguing, so I guess I have yet another series to check out. Thanks! Kathy Reelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17004247271452356577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-21406250457423010632016-01-13T10:55:59.371-05:002016-01-13T10:55:59.371-05:00Gram, I actually majored in law enforcement in col...Gram, I actually majored in law enforcement in college--then called Police Science. But in 1969, when I started, the only way for women to get into that field was with a Masters in Psychology or Sociology. Even then women were not permitted to do much more than be desk clerks or glorified social workers. Men did not even need a high school diploma, by the way; a GED, or two years in the military were good enough, if you can believe it. <br /><br />Nancy Martin used my last name in one of her recent Blackbird Sisters books, which was a cool little Easter egg when I was mid-book. Just a walk-on/off character. Karen in Ohionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-50134905166179449002016-01-13T10:54:32.840-05:002016-01-13T10:54:32.840-05:00Jeff, too funny.
Hi Elizabeth! So nice to have yo...Jeff, too funny.<br /><br />Hi Elizabeth! So nice to have you here. I've done plenty of character auctions for my books, and have always struggled to finding fitting characters for the names. Names are so important for me--they define character. And I've never been comfortable using an auctioned name as a major character, especially a villain. But a lady who won a name auction recently said she WANTS to be a villain. She's a criminal defense attorney, so she should know whereof she speaks:-)<br /><br />I don't really want to be in a book. There's a character with my name in David Mitchell's Black Swan Green, but I've never been able to bring myself to read it.<br />Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988750789088153601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-2858046359586273052016-01-13T10:43:15.565-05:002016-01-13T10:43:15.565-05:00I think it would be a great marketing tool for an ...I think it would be a great marketing tool for an author to use my name for a character. There are approximately 5 gazillion people with my name, so if they all thought it was them, the book would be an instant bestseller!Jeff Cohenhttp://www.jeffcohenbooks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-33184361591899822512016-01-13T10:29:19.877-05:002016-01-13T10:29:19.877-05:00I auction off character names, too, and I just did...I auction off character names, too, and I just did a massive search-and-replace to change a character's name accordingly. It's one of the main characters in the book, and I think the person who bought the name iwll be pleased because for now her name is in the book's opening sentence.<br /><br />You know, I don't think I actually want to be in a book... maybe as a walk-on.Hallie Ephronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04759439029582054503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-44299080719540437082016-01-13T09:39:11.882-05:002016-01-13T09:39:11.882-05:00AH, Gram. That's a wonderful (and telling) me...AH, Gram. That's a wonderful (and telling) memory, now that all the time has passed. ANd you turned out better than he did!<br /><br />I am so annoyed with our blog post font gremlins--they re unpredictable, ridiculous and unfixable. Sorry, gang!Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-2627493722595774532016-01-13T09:19:11.782-05:002016-01-13T09:19:11.782-05:00I've wanted to be in law enforcement since the...I've wanted to be in law enforcement since the 9th grade and then J. Edgar dampened my enthusiasm by suggesting I (and another friend) apply to become secretaries!!! Gramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01027824918114690029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-6992431359231258942016-01-13T09:00:50.680-05:002016-01-13T09:00:50.680-05:00Dear Elizabeth, welcome! It was wonderful to meet ...Dear Elizabeth, welcome! It was wonderful to meet you at the library reading a few years ago and I've absolutely fallen in love with your books and ADORE Evelyn Baine. Seriously. I just love how tough she is, but still how vulnerable. <br /><br />I've never had the opportunity to raffle off a character name -- for me it would be hard, as most of my characters are British and from a certain era -- not necessarily the same as today's names. Most times when I'm thinking up names I pinpoint the year the character was born and then go to the census for that year and look at what names were popular. Susan Elia MacNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00349842866995778987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-41745480421183184572016-01-13T08:42:23.716-05:002016-01-13T08:42:23.716-05:00I think it's kind of weird when names of folks...I think it's kind of weird when names of folks I know pop up in books. It always throws me for a loop. My mind can't seem to separate the person I know from the person on the page. <br /><br />I'd much rather be mentioned in the acknowledgements. I am one of those folks who loves to read those pages (and the dedication). Always seems to heartfelt and represents a feel good moment before entering the craziness of the crime story. Kristopherhttp://www.bolobooks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-52503814590066736512016-01-13T08:25:49.688-05:002016-01-13T08:25:49.688-05:00Yes,I agree--it's so strange to see a familiar...Yes,I agree--it's so strange to see a familiar name. Especially one's own! <br /><br />And one year at Malice, I saw a woman whose name tag was Frances Neagley. It was SO familiar--I said--do we know each other? And she did have you read the newest Lee Child book? And I said--sure. ANd she said--well, I won a naming contest, and Lee used my name! ANd indeed, that's why I thought I'd met her! VERY confusing!Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-35111268389287374602016-01-13T08:25:20.153-05:002016-01-13T08:25:20.153-05:00Your books sound great! I don't want my name i...Your books sound great! I don't want my name in a book, but if I did, I'd want to be a good guy teetering on the brink of bad, or a bad guy teetering on the brink of good. Like you, I'm all about shades of gray.Laura DiSilveriohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01603655651769232107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-49336425600932146222016-01-13T08:19:39.474-05:002016-01-13T08:19:39.474-05:00If I could choose, I'd be the character in law...If I could choose, I'd be the character in law enforcement. I'd definitely want to be on the side of justice.<br /><br />Since nobody is perfect, I like reading about characters who have their faults, but I do prefer their faults to be true to life. Sometimes a character who is supposedly one of the "good guys/gals" has a fault that makes me question whether a real person in their position would actually be that way.<br /><br />I once read a mystery in which the best friend of the victim had the same first and last name as one of my nieces. It kind of freaked me out, to tell the truth! Nothing happened to that character, thank God, but she made some bad choices!Deb Romanonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-77992167250160053692016-01-13T08:11:16.837-05:002016-01-13T08:11:16.837-05:00Would it be bad of me to admit that I would kinda ...Would it be bad of me to admit that I would kinda want to be the villain? Or at least not a totally "good guy." I think of all the actors/actresses who say playing a villain is so much more fun. Of course, my name does not really lend itself to menace.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-6394880485658563632016-01-13T01:09:58.910-05:002016-01-13T01:09:58.910-05:00Well, that’s an easy choice . . . if I could have ...Well, that’s an easy choice . . . if I could have my name in a book, I would definitely choose to be in law enforcement. As for how I like my characters, I really prefer a blend because no one is strictly good . . . or evil . . . and realism works for me.<br />I’ve really enjoyed your Profiler stories and I’m looking forward to reading “Seized” . . . .<br />Joan Emersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06810313925049108163noreply@blogger.com