A few weeks ago after I had a book party to celebrate my new release, A Chance for Kallie Mae, and had fun answering questions those there asked me, I invited you all to throw some questions about my books or writing at me here on One Writer’s Journal. Love coming up with answers. That’s sort of what writers do from Page 1 to The End. We answer one question after another that are posed by our vision of a story.
Back to the question at hand. Actually, Lavon drove some miles and came to my book party and brought a friend. It was great seeing her, and she did ask a question there. Not what she is asking here. That is why she says “new” question.
Lavon: So my new question is… when you develop your characters do you base them (at least in part) to an actual person you know? If so, has that person recognized themselves if they read that book?
I’m often asked this question at a book talk, and for most of my books I can truthfully say not really. At least, not closely. Everything I experience or read or see does go down into a creative well somewhere in my imagination to simmer and cook and then rise up to mind when I am writing. I might take a hair color from this person, an expression from that person, a way of moving or talking from another without realizing I’m doing that. The attributes of whatever character comes to life for a new story just slide up to the top of that creative well.
Sometimes I might use something about myself. Several of my characters in this or that story have had a desire to write stories. That’s my want and dream sliding over into a character. Or love dogs. When Carlyn in The Innocent had a dog that was a friend and protector, I pulled up my feelings about the dogs I’ve had through the years. (Remember, The Innocent is still on e-book sale on Amazon for a short time longer)
I might consider my own feelings of irritation, anger, happiness, joy to color my characters’ feelings. When I’m doing that – pulling from my own feelings while writing – I don’t consciously think about it. That simply happens when my characters come to life in my imagination.
That is for most stories. However, I do have one set of books or at least the first of the Rosey Corner books, Angel Sister, where I did absolutely set out to fashion characters after my mother and her sisters.
The picture above is my mother, her three sisters, and parents. The girls are younger in the picture than they are in my story. And the youngest sister isn’t a natural sister at all in my story. But that’s where creative license comes into play.
When I sat down to begin that first Rosey Corner book inspired by my mother’s and my aunts’ stories of growing up in a small community during the 1930s, I fashioned the main character after how I thought my mother was at fourteen. I had no doubt she was a strong, independent girl who took hold of whatever problem might arise and did her best to solve it. Her older sister was more spoiled by her mother and more worried about appearances. The next younger sister had a middle child personality when young and while she was ready to cry at most things then (according to her own stories), she became strong and sensible. The youngest child was the beloved baby of the family.
I hardly knew my grandfather because he passed away when I was five, but I heard stories. He was a blacksmith. During WW I, he served in France. He came home with a drinking problem. He loved books. My grandmother once told me that her happiest times were when they were both sitting and reading together. My mother loved him so much, but she knew his faults. Some of those faults were hard for her mother to bear.
When I started out writing that first story, I had much of this in mind, but it didn’t take long to know I had to shake free from seeing my characters, the Merritts, as my mother and her family. They were not. While my mother’s stories of those years and where they lived are threaded through Angel Sister, it is not my mother’s story. The setting and the feels of the time and some of the activities were inspired by those stories, but I had to shake the vision of my mother and her sisters away in order to bring my characters to life as completely different people with a different story. Even if some of the personalities and appearances were inspired by my mother’s family, my characters were uniquely their fictional selves.
The two following Rosey Corner stories veered sharply away from any resemblance to the lives my mother and her sisters actually lived. Still, I can imagine Kate Merritt looking a lot like this picture of my mother in those two other books.
The second part of Lavon’s question is about whether anyone has recognized themselves in my stories. I don’t know if my mother or her sisters would have or not. Sadly all my aunts had passed away before my book was published and Mom had dementia. I let her read my manuscript. She seemed to like the story, but then she always liked all my stories. The book was published before she died, but not before her mind could no longer keep a storyline in her mind. Dementia is a sad disease.
Here’s a picture I’ve shared before, but it says so much about how much fun they always had together. They would laugh about all those stories of when they were kids. They were sisters and the best of friends.
I hope that answers your question, Lavon. It certainly took me down memory lane. I’m still entertaining other questions if anybody else has something to get me thinking.
What do you think is the best thing about having a sister or brother?
Book Giveaway Chance
Leave a comment on my post here to be in a drawing for one of my Shaker books or a Rosey Corner book since I’ve written about them in this post. Any comment will do. So far not many have entered the giveaway. So, you might have a good chance of being the lucky winner. If you already have the books, you can always gift it to a friend.
You must be at least 18 years old to enter. Deadline for entries is September 1, 2o26 at midnight EST. Each time you comment on a new post before then, you get an additional entry. The winner will be selected by random, notified by email, and announced, first name and last initial only, on my post on September 2nd.
Comments 35
Rosey Corner series look forward to reading. Thank you for answering Lavon’s question. Sibling, my younger brother, married to a dear Sister in Christ; we encourage each other in life’s journey.
Author
I have some wonderful sisters-in-law too, Lora. We feel like sisters of the heart for certain. I hope when you get a chance to go to Rosey Corner and fall into my stories about the Merritt sisters that you will enjoy sharing their challenges and loves.
I have 4 siblings. A sister and three brothers. I think it’s one of the best gifts God has given me. To know they all have my back, and love me as I am, with my faults and my good things. And most special is my sister. I think the sisterly bond can be even deeper than with brothers. She understands me like no one does.
Thanks so much for this chance! I’d love to have any autographed book from you!
Author
Loving family members are definitely a gift and a blessing. And it’s so good when you know you can count on them to be there for you, come what may. Glad you and your sister have a close relationship.
Sweet words that you would be happy to win a book from me. Maybe this will be your lucky time.
I only had a brother and he was 3 1/2 years older than me. Growing up we had each to play games with and he would build tree houses in the woods that we enjoyed. He was someone that took me to my first day of school and helped me out with things all during our school years. Later on as adults we enjoyed mostly phone conversations since we lived 300 miles apart.
Author
That a great big brother you had, Connie. Building tree houses for the two of you — I always thought it would be the most fun to have a treehouse. My imagination went a little crazy when I thought about that when I was a kid. And thank goodness for telephones and social media that let us keep in contact even when distance lies between us.
I enjoyed seeing the photo of your Mom and her sisters.
I have a few photos of my mother and sisters, all grown-up
and having fun together. Of course, there were arguments
and hurt-feelings over the years. Time, family gatherings, and unfortunately funerals reminded Mom and
her sisters just how important family bonds can be.
Author
I’m glad your mother and her sisters found ways to stay connected even though there were times of hurt feelings, Patti. We all have those at times. Sadly. But life is short and we never know when we will have our last moments for hugs and smiles together.
The picture of your mom and her sisters make me think of my own sisters- I have 5 of them. We have laughed and enjoyed a lot of good times. Now, one has Alzheimer’s, and one an incurable cancer. Sad times mingled with love and memories.
Author
Five sisters, Donna. You are truly blessed. But sad times do come to us. So sorry that one of your sisters had Alzheimer’s and one cancer. Both dreadful. Hope you can find a way to support them both as you continue to love them and find ways to keep laughing.
The best thing about siblings is that you share lifelong memories. Siblings are there during every stage of your life. From childhood through old age…sharing experiences with one another.
I’m the oldest in a blended family of mostly brothers. But I’m only 13 months older than my brother Jamie. So we shared everything growing up. I always wanted a sister, but didn’t get one til I was 13 years old. By the time she was a toddler I was regretting praying for one. Thankfully we’re much closer now. 🙂
Thanks for answering my question about your book characters. I enjoy the question and answer part of your book parties. It’s always fun to meet other people that like the same books.
Author
That is one of the best things about my book parties, Lavon. Not only the Q&A but just seeing old friends who have supported my writing for years and meeting new reading friends. I’m so grateful to everyone willing to come hear me talk about books.
I had to smile about you sort of wishing you hadn’t wanted a little sister so much after she got old enough to perhaps pester you. But the good part is that you are friends now. And sounds as if those brothers made things fun for you.
The BEST thing about having a little sister is having a built in best friend. She has been part of my life since I was 2 years old. That’s 30 years of friendship! The ups, the downs, the diagnosis’s, the remissions, the losses, the gains, she has been there through it ALL, and I wouldn’t trade her for the world. She just recently moved states away after being together all our lives, and we are having to navigate the separation. Thank God for FaceTime haha!
Author
It’s good you still have a way to connect with your sister, Aberli, but I’m sure you miss her being closer. It is good to have so many ways to keep in touch. I often think about the families back in the times I research for some of my historical novels. Sometimes when someone moved away from a family and went off to frontier territory, they probably never saw their family again. People had to find new connections in those new places.
Thankful for my brother and sister!
Author
And I’m thankful for my sisters, Janice. It’s good to be part of a loving family.
I have two sisters (and one brother who sadly passed away only a couple years ago). I think the best thing about having sisters and a brother is having shared experiences while growing up. Having someone to talk to about what you experienced—laughing about certain memories and commiserating about others—is a connection you can’t find anywhere else. I’m grateful I had siblings and still have my two sisters that I get to talk to and see every so often. No one can understand you as much as your siblings.
Author
Sorry you lost your brother, Janet. While I’m fortunate to still have my sisters, I saw how my mother missed her sisters when they passed before she did. Hope you and your sisters have many more years to do that laughing about childhood memories or propping each other up when things aren’t going so well. Sometimes siblings maybe know you too well. You can’t hide anything from them.
Thank you so much Ann😊
The best part of having a brother and a sister
…..we can always rely on each other. Whether good, bad or indifferent.
Author
You can always depend on a sister or brother when you need a supporting shoulder too cry on or extra hands to help, Rhonda. At least those are the best kind of sisters or brothers to have.
I have a younger brother and sister.
My sister and I are very close now though that wasn’t always the case. One of the best things about it you don’t have to explain they were there and lived through things with you.
Author
Sometimes sisters do get closer as the years go by and the age difference doesn’t matter as much or the aggravations of living shoulder to shoulder is gone, Beth. My two sisters are the best, and Mom always loved her sisters and was there for them as they got older.
Thanks for a really interesting post.
Author
Glad you liked it, Diana.
I grew up with 4 brothers! (no sisters) They were the BEST, and still are! I never wanted a sister. We grew up in the country and I did whatever my brothers did – wrestling, shooting guns, hunting, etc. Daddy never treated me any differently than the boys. I knew there was a difference with Mama, though. I had to do a lot more inside chores, which I didn’t like. Of course, they had chores too, but I had more kitchen and keeping house chores.
Author
You might have had to do those inside chores with your mother, Susan, but sounds as if you got plenty of the outdoor fun with the boys tool. And you were surely a gift to your mother with all those boys. 🙂
I would love to revisit Rosey Corner and see what’s going on now! I think the best thing about siblings is that it’s often the longest relationship you will have.
Author
Siblings have a history and memories that can’t be erased, Dana. Cousins can sometimes hold a close second if in a close family.
I did love my Rosey Corner setting and characters.
I loved your answers to Lavon’s question and love all your books! Keep writing! 🥰
Author
Thank you for your encouraging words, Vangie. Glad you liked my answer to the question. And I do hope to write a few more books.
The Rosey Corner series sounds great!
Author
Hope you’ll give one of the stories, or all of the stories, a try, Taylor. 🙂
Ah, Rosey Corner! My absolute favorite of all your books that I’ve read!! I think it’s because my parents were of that era and I remember them talking about their lives then. It seemed to be such a happy time. The Merritt family’s stories give me “warm fuzzies”! I would love a sequel. (Hint, hint! 😬)
Author
I’m so glad you enjoyed reading my Rosey Corner stories, Judi. I would like to write a couple more stories. One Christmas one and one following Lorena as she gets older. But so far I haven’t gotten a publisher interested inn the idea, but who knows? Maybe someday.