A Little Bit Me and a Little Bit You

posted by Aunty Cindy aka Loucinda McGary

The other day, I was sent some interview questions for a guest blog I'll be doing in a couple of weeks (Aunty squees with excitement). One of the questions was: Do you base your characters on real people or are they purely figments of your imagination?

My first reaction was of course they are TOTALLY made up from my imagination. But then I realized that's not exactly true. So in order to honor the "truth in lending" law... No wait! That's not right! So in honor of honesty being the best policy- -yes, much better!- - Aunty will reveal some of the real people whose names or traits wound up in characters in The Wild Sight.

• The hero's older sister, Doreen. Okay, might as well start with the obvious! I have three younger siblings. It was my duty as first born to see that they did not run amuck too terribly much. THEY called me bossy (I suspect they still do), but I was merely doing my duty and trying to look out for their best interests. It was only natural that I give my hero's older sister some of these same wonderful traits.
• Doreen's husband, Sean. My DH has a cousin in Northern Ireland named Sean (imagine that!) who is a sweet and charming man, and definitely influenced my creation of this character.
• PSNI Inspector Colm Lynch. When I first went to work for the Department of Health Services lo these many years ago, my boss's boss had the last name Lynch. He was a big, beefy man with white hair, but I swear all resemblances end there!
• The heroine, Rylie is a petite, sassy young woman with the tenacity of a bulldog. One of my beloved nieces happens to be 4' 10" and a size two, with quite a mouth on her (can't imagine where she got that trait), but the resemblance ends there. She is a couple of years younger than Rylie and does not have blonde hair or gray eyes. There is, however, a certain pointy-chinned young actress who has portrayed several sassy characters in films that provided much inspiration for Rylie.
• The hero, Donovan is one of those strong, rather silent types who does not like to talk about himself nor his feelings. Gee, has anybody EVER met or known a guy like that? (To quote Craig Ferguson, "Remind you of anyone?") ME TOO! I even married a guy like that... AHEM! But Donovan's interest in art is definitely rooted in my DH and his artistic endeavors. And yes, there is a certain tall and lean Aussie actor who provided some physical inspiration for Donovan. But you already knew that Aunty likes 'em tall and lean. ;-)
  

Finally, I purposely named a minor character for my son. He has an Irish first name, after all, and he actually thought that was "cool." He didn't even mind that I gave his character two daughters who have the same names as two of my nieces. They don't know yet, but I think they will get a laugh out of it.

What about you? Have you ever read a book and thought you recognized one of the characters? Or certain aspects of a character? If you are a writer, do you base your characters on "real" people? Bits and pieces maybe? C'mon now, honesty is the best policy!

Fictional Families

posted by Aunty Cindy

Not long ago, I was working on the back stories for the main characters in my latest proposal. I decided my hero’s father had recently passed away and his mother died a long time ago. That’s when I realized how many fictional characters are orphans or have at least one deceased family member, usually a parent.

The hero of my Golden Heart final was an orphan, and both the hero and heroine of my debut novel The Wild Sight have lost their mothers. In yet another of my unpublished tomes, the heroine lost both parents in a car accident. SHEESH! Did I have a freakish propensity for killing off family?

But then I started looking at some other books I’ve read… I hope it’s not too much for a spoiler to reveal that Donna’s Mrs. Brimley is an orphan, as are Christine’s heroine Gemma in Scandal’s Daughter and Anna C.’s Verity in Claiming the Courtesan. Poor Gemma and Mrs. Brimley don’t even have siblings! At least Verity and my heroes and heroines also have a sibling or two, though usually in my stories the sib turns out to be a bossy older sister. (Can’t imagine where I came up with such a character!)

Nor is this a recent phenomenon. Remember Dickens’ penchant for orphans – Oliver Twist, Pip in Great Expectations? Can't forget Cosette in Hugo's Les Misérables. Or Bronte’s poor, plain Jane Eyre? Clearly authors have been killing off family members for quite some time. Oedipus Rex anyone?

Could it be that characters who have a “normal” family (whatever that is!) are just not good fodder for stories? Must a character be orphaned or suffer the loss of a family member to be interesting?

What do you think? Have you read, or written any books lately where the main character was not an orphan, but had a full family complement intact?

Who Was That Masked (Wo)Man?

posted by Aunty Cindy

I’ve never listened to a lot of pop music, but back in the day when I was newly divorced, I went on a blind date to a Billy Joel concert. While I never saw Mr. Blind Date again, I did develop an appreciation for the lyrics in Billy Joel songs. One of my favorites was “The Stranger,” a song about the masks everybody wears and the faces that we show only ourselves. I think the reason this song resonated so strongly with me is because I’ve always felt myself “a stranger,” someone set apart from everyone else.

As a young child, I realized not everybody had this “other life” going on inside their heads the way I did. My parents, siblings and the few friends I confided in thought me extremely odd. I wore my weirdness as a badge of honor through my rebellious teens and into my twenties. Whenever I had to “fit in” or be “normal” I rummaged in my trunk and donned the appropriate mask – devoted spouse, doting mother, dependable employee. But I was always secure in the knowledge that it was never the “real” me.

The “real” me was the stranger, aloof, untouchable, and she obviously scared people who got a glimpse of her. My (then) husband, my mother, my best friend… Sometimes she even scared ME! I had to keep her well hidden, but I always knew she was there, lurking behind those other masks -- familiar masks that made her acceptable, able to blend in. But I cherished my stranger, because Billy was right, she wasn’t always evil and she wasn’t always wrong.

Best of all, when I was writing, I could pull all those other masks out of my psychological trunk and try them on my characters! All those lovely masks the stranger wore became pieces within all my heroes, and all my villains too. Then, as I met more and more writers both in person and online, I discovered we all did the same thing. They had that “other life” going on too! But the revelation was double-edged. I felt relief but with wariness.

While we often traded secrets, the other life and the stranger are dangerous and require protection. What is all right to reveal in fictional characters is still not openly acknowledged in one’s self. Most all of us came to writing from someplace or someone else. We learned our lessons well. Show what we must. Show what we dare. We writers must wear masks too. And I’ve been my stranger for far too long.

How well can you ever really know someone else? How well do you think they know you? To paraphrase Billy: did you ever let another see the stranger in yourself?

A Rose By Another Name?

posted by Aunty Cindy

No, this is NOT going to be a post about Shakespeare, so keep reading!

In case you haven't noticed, we LURVE unusual names here in the Lair, whether it's for each other or our characters. Some of our sobriquets are pretty easy to figure out- -Foanna, Vrai Anna (or VA), Jo-Mama, and even Aunty Cindy. But exactly how did we come up with some of our more colorful monikers like Posh, Le Duchese, Madame D-W or Smoov? Okay, some of those explanations would take more time than Aunty has column space. And of course, for others if we told ya, then we might have to... (ya know, call in our weapons expert or something equally drastic)

"But Aunty!" I hear those of you without delightful designations and not so vivid imaginations complaining. "I want a peachy-keen Bandita nickname for my very own."

Yes, Aunty has a solution for you! And being the very picture of restraint, I'm even going to resist the urge to snap my riding crop and ask if you want CHEESE with that WHINE. So here are nine ways to generate your very own super-cool name (and credit where credit is due, I found this on author Kate Johnson/Cat Marsters' blog)

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current street name);
2. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three
letters of your middle name)
3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2
letters of your first name, first 2 letters of mom's maiden)
6. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The", your favorite color, favorite drink)
7. NASCAR NAME: (the first name of your grandfathers)
8. FUTURISTIC NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne and
the name of your favorite kind of shoes)
9. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother & father's middle names )

Here are some examples from yours truly and Bandita Suz Welsh:

Rock Star: Frisky Luna
Fly Girl: C Ire
Detective: Turquoise Penguin
Star Wars: Munci Hi
Nascar: Edward Paul or maybe Paul Edward
Futuristic: Windsong New Balance

Rock Star: Rocky Brennan

Fly Girl: S. Wil

Star Wars: welsuma

Witness Protection: Katherine Ferrel

Now here's your chance to win some Bandit Booty! The commenter who correctly identifies the most Banditas in the following examples will win a Romance Bandits button and liquor filled chocolates.

Number 1

Rock star name: Grindel Hague 
Fly girl name: C Eli
Detective: Orange Cat 
Soap opera name: Elizabeth Nashville
Star Wars name: Helca Du 
Superhero name: The Orange Mai Tai 
Nascar name: Dayton Frederick
Futuristic name: Shi Birkenstock
Witness protection name: Jeanette Holland

Number 2

Rock Star Name: Soccer Harriet
Fly Girl Name: S Rob
Detective Name: Blue Dog

Soap Opera Name: Roberta Detroit
Star Wars Name: Seysucr
Super Hero Name: The Blue Vernors (it’s a Michigan soda—really strong ginger ale)
Nascar Name: Francis Earl
Futuristic Name: White Musk Rocket Dog
My Witness Protection Name: Earl (my mom doesn’t have a middle name. So it’s just Earl.)

Number 3

Rock Star: Rusty Hickory

Fly Girl: D-Rey

Dective: Blue Dog

Soap Opera: Rey Towson

Star Wars: MacDorey

Superhero: The Blue Margarita

Nascar: Earl Howard

Futuristic: KL Rockport

Witness Protection: Dorothy Eugene (but you may not want to publicize it - I might need it one day )

Number 4

YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: Dubh Smoketree

YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: JPick

YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: Scarlet Gryphon
YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: Pickering Boomer

YOUR STAR WARS NAME: Adajefe
SUPERHERO NAME: The Scarlet Russian (worked better than Decaf Mocha!)
NASCAR NAME: Elisha James
FUTURISTIC NAME: Victoria Bandalino
WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: Lou Herman

Number 5

YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: Ratbag Broadway
YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: Abha
YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: Red Cat
YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: Bharier Exeter
YOUR STAR WARS NAME: Suganhe
SUPERHERO NAME: The Red Mojito
NASCAR NAME: Julian Fred
FUTURISTIC NAME: Chanel Stiletto
WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: May Gil

Number 6

Rock Star: Kimby Falcon
Fly Girl: KCar
Detective: Sage Cat
Soap Opera: Carlisle Los Angeles
Star Wars:. Bea Kat Ca
Superhero: The Sage Gimlet
Nascar: James William
Futuristic: Oscar Payless
Witness Protection: Patsy Carlisle

Number 7

YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: Duchess Binowee
YOUR "FLY Girl" NAME: CJen
YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: Red Dog
YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: Jennifer Brisbane
YOUR STAR WARS NAME: Welchpar
SUPERHERO NAME: The Red Red Wine
NASCAR NAME: Robert Reginald
FUTURISTIC NAME: Allure Slides
WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: Fay Christopher

Number 8

Rock Star: Daisy Winter
Fly Girl: B Ann
Detective: Red Dog
Soap Opera: Ann Erie
Star Wars: Burbeli
Super Hero: The Red Mountain Dew (Yes, I know I'm too old to love Mountain Dew)
Nascar: John Arthur
Futuristic: I have terrible allergies so call me Sneezy
Witness Protection: Elizabeth Arthur

Number 9

Rockstar: Pebbles Landcross
Fly Girl:J Mar
Detective: Blue Cat
Soap Opera: Marie Louisville
Super Hero: The Blue Sangria
Nascar: William William
Futuristic: Angel Sandals
Witness Protection: Thelma Lawrence

So let's hear your answers, and share some of your names too!

Two Guys and a Girl...

by Christine Wells

Buffy has two of them. So does Stephanie Plum. I believe our own Kirsten Scott is writing two potential love interests for her heroine in The Delcroix Academy series. They're the ultimate accessory--not one but two hawt love interests for our heroines. Erotic romance takes the love triangle even further, and I'm told the menage a trois sells like hotcakes. But we're seeing a lot more of this phenomenon in traditional romance, too.

Do these love triangles simply explore another female fantasy, or is something deeper happening here?

The romance thread in stories featuring women has changed dramatically over the years. In the past, the heroine often had two love interests, it's true, but one of those dishy men usually turned out to be a blackguard, or at least unworthy of our heroine's love, while the other revealed himself her true knight in shining armour. Wickham or Darcy? There was never any real doubt who Elizabeth would choose.

Now, things have become a lot more ambiguous, particularly in series like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books. Stephanie's life is complicated--there's good cop/bad boy Morelli and scary lethal dude Ranger and she can't seem to decide which she wants more.

Poor Buffy the Vampire Slayer has a lot on her plate. There's the saving the world thing to cope with on top of the normal trials of being a young woman in modern society. And then there's the slight problem that the only time her true love releases his inner demon is when he has a moment of perfect happiness with her. Angel (most of the time) is the demon turned good. Spike is the vampire who might love Buffy or kill her. Each of them seemed right for her at a certain point in the series. Isn't it magic the way great writing can make you cheer for one man (or demon) to win, then change your opinion in the next episode?

There's something luxurious and thrilling about wanting (or more accurately, being wanted by*g*) two different men. But my theory is that writers are doing more than simply turning up the heat for their readers or providing a smorgasbord of yummy men to choose from. Secondary characters often reflect aspects of the protagonist's character. So, what does it say about Stephanie Plum that she has a solid relationship with solid cop, Morelli, yet hankers after the risk of Ranger?

I think most traditional romance fans still like the happily ever after, and they like one hero to get the girl. But what do you think? Is it possible to love two men at the same time? Do you think there's a place for two heroes in a romance?