Mark Callaghan was not even on the horizon when Grace came into being. I knew Grace needed a special hero, but I figured I had plenty of time.
On February 4, 2012, I attended the Glendale Chocolate Affaire and met Jimmy Thomas:
http://laurelhawkes.blogspot.com/2012/02/chocolate-affaire-jimmy-thomas-and-me.html
By this time, I knew when Mark's Grace was due. I decided the curator played a far more important role than I first gave him. Mark slowly took shape. When I met Jimmy I knew how I wanted Mark to make Grace feel. He revealed himself much more quickly than Grace did once he knew he was in.
I did not expect him to become such good friends with Luck, in Luck in Love. More surprising was how he appeared in Luck in Love while Grace did not. Mark was bold and very much "what you see is what you get." Since Jimmy was the inspiration for Mark, I borrowed a little bit more. I don't usually use a specific person for my characters. I want people reading the book to be able to visualize their own hero. Mark is my exception. If you want to know what he looks like take a look at Jimmy Thomas, businessman extraordinaire. http://romancenovelconvention.com/
Mark is also uniquely his own man. My characters frequently surprise me. I think I know them, and they tell me a secret, something they've never told anyone else. Something that makes them who they are, and once I know, everything about them falls into place.
Love this look into how your Mark developed as a character!
ReplyDeleteI love how Tolkien describes us a sub-creators with God.
DeleteI've heard a lot of writers talk about Jimmy Thomas. He seems to have that effect! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, he does. :-)
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