Hey there, lovely reader,
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I have some of the smartest readers out there.
I know this because the standard of the questions I received from you last week was outstanding.
So outstanding in fact that I will take a few weeks to answer them in this newsletter.
Question of the week
Roxy is such a different character than your others. The setting too. How did Roxy come to you as a new main character with her own stories to tell?
Many authors prefer to write for the same target reader with each of their series which makes a lot of sense, but I wanted to write for a different type of reader. I knew this would stretch me creatively as a writer which is what I find most satisfying.
I had already written two series set in the UK, and one in Canada when I decided to write a fourth series. I wanted to situate my new series in the US to be different. And I wanted to write a younger protagonist.
The character journey was fairly simple from that point. Roxy, at age 23, is someone who starts timid and naive and who goes on a journey of growth and confidence. It's something of a coming-of-age and over-adversity story.
So I thought of the most extreme opposite location in the US that would provide a contrast with the UK. I came up with New Orleans. And I wanted a merry band of unusual characters to go along with the colourful stories and setting. The characters pop up unbidden out of my brain as I start drafting.
What I learned this week
Many hours of intense writing ensued these past seven days. Here is a selection of searches and research that supported my work which may or may not end up in a book:
- The properties of yuzu tea
- Rules for visiting drivers to Jersey
- The features of Georgian architecture
- 16th century paintings
- Forensic facial reconstruction
- Symptoms of congestive heart failure
- Wisteria
- I even revisited (online) a village I worked in as an 18 year old. The pub is still there.
Right, back to it. Graham and Janice are dealing with some tricky customers and I've got to get them out of the mess. Have a lovely week.
Happy reading!
