Character sketches

Who are you?

That's the first question I ask when I sit down at my computer. I can't write a story if I don't know who my characters are: their history and motivations, what they look like, how they feel about themselves. I need character sketches before I can even begin to think about plot. I like to spend some time playing with my characters in my head: what happens to the heroine if I do this? Or that? How does hero #1 meet her? Does hero #1 know hero #2? Et cetera. I create scenes and populate them with my heroes and their lady. I try to put myself in their shoes (or leather jackets or pelts). It's a lot easier for me to figure out how the characters are going to react to conflict if I know who they are.

Recently I discovered Shelfari as I poked around Amazon, trying to figure out how other authors got those cool extras on their book pages. Since I already have character sketches typed out, I thought it might be fun to post them online. The sketches for Tango Trio's three main characters are up at Amazon and Shelfari, if you're curious.

The character sketches for Appassionato and The First Time is the Sweetest are also up. Check out Shelfari if you'd like to see them!

One of my ex-wives

One of my ex-wives, Wendy, phoned the other day. I’d emailed her a link to the Siren-BookStrand “coming soon” page. Wendy had reviewed an early draft of Venture and had given me some useful feedback.

“Bill, it’s me.”

I recognized her straightaway. She has a voice that sounds like Princess Diana. “Oh, hi, you got my email then?”

“Yes. Who’s that on the cover?”

“Don’t know. The publisher supplied the photo.”

“I thought it was Heather at first. Blonde, blue eyes, same cheekbones and nose, and intelligent looking.”

Heather was one of Wendy’s classmates at high school. I’d dated her briefly then at one of her parties I met Wendy. “Well, if you recall, the heroine in Venture has a very high IQ. More like you, in fact.”

“Still as good with the flattery. I seem to remember that’s how you snared me in the first place.”

“Snared? You make it sound like I kidnapped you.”

“I was only twenty.”

"So what? And anyway you are super smart. You’re an investment banker, for heaven’s sake."

“So your heroine, Lydia, isn’t based on Heather, then?”

Ah, that’s why she called, I thought. I decided to give her the answer she wanted. “No. As I said, she has a lot of you in her.”

“I have green eyes.”

Aargh! In spite of what she said about flattery she wanted me to spell it out. “Smart, I meant.”

“Yes, you mentioned that already. Is that all?”

“Lydia is good in bed, and has your slender figure and sexy demeanor.”

“Don’t get carried away. That’s all you men think about.”

I made a conscious effort not to react to the truism. “Plus, she has your terrific sense of humor.” This was not flattery, either. I had ascribed to my heroine quips and putdowns that Wendy could just as easily have made, and probably did.

“I must go now,” she said. I could hear her teenaged kids screaming at each other in the background.

“Don’t forget to recommend Venture to your friends and colleagues. And don't forget to tell them the heroine is based on you."

“I will indeed.”