My Characters

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To . . . Work!

August 25, 2012 by scarletdarkwood

Okay, a funny thing happened on the way to the day job–I’ll call it work. I happened to be stopped at a traffic light and looked over to the car on my left–when what to my wandering eyes should appear, but a good living example of two of my characters in Pleasure House! I was stunned, not to mention smitten at the same time. You see, in this black car (failed to catch the make or model, but it looked nice and neat) sat a young man and woman. I couldn’t see their faces, but the backs of their heads left a lot to my immagination. They looked like they were in their twenties, and the guy had bright red hair, and his girlfriend had long blonde hair falling over her shoulders.

I sat back and chuckled to myself. Just think, Rose and Daren personified. Of course in Pleasure House, these two didn’t drive cars, but they spent time together during a few chapters in the book. In one of my posts, Getty Images Has Nothing On Me! I mentioned how difficult it was to even find good pictures of models who even remotely resembled your characters. Now, in living flesh, were two living, breathing specimens! Perhaps if I’d seen their faces I might have felt differently, but I didn’t; so I can always carry the experience with me that I saw two people who could have been my novel characters.

Just imagine what those two would have thought if they’d been told what their character likenesses did in a book such as mine! Oh, the blushes–not to mention some squirming, I believe. I wonder who dominates who between the two? Do they practice the kinky stuff behind closed doors? What’s the kinkiest or naughtiest stuff they’ve ever done? Believe it or not, I have not obsessed over those last questions. I only thought of them now as I write this post.

What about you other writers out there? Have you ever seen who could have been your characters in your writings? If so, I’d like to hear about it. What was it like to experience that? Was it good for you too? Well, that question was uncalled for, but I couldn’t resist! As far as how it was for me–it made me smile. I still think about that couple, wondering where they were headed off to, what they had planned for the day. Were they dating, married? What part of town were they from? In this modern day and age, what did the female do for a living? Were they both going to a college?

The modern gentleman and his lady–whatever she is to him–were different from the couple in my book. The young girl is now living in an age where she has choices, rights, and cannot be hauled off to the local insane asylum just because she wants to exert her rights or explore her sexuality or sex in general. She won’t be called a hussy or slut because she’s with a male unchaperoned. Heck, she could be living with her flaming red-headed companion for all we know.

The bottom line is, those two beautiful, real creatures live a totally different lifestyle this day and age than Rose and Daren did in my novel. And as for me, I’m glad I caught a brief glimpse of them, even for just a few seconds before we all three headed of into the morning sun.

Let’s Hear It For The Red-Heads!

August 16, 2012 by scarletdarkwood

I don’t know about you, but I’m sick to death of people bashing red-heads for not being attractive. Talk about feeling like the “red-headed stepchild!” Even Patty Stanger on Millionaire Matchmaker said on an interview one time that she didn’t invite red-heads to her mixers because nobody ever picked them. I have two words to say to that . . . *rolling eyes* . . . no that’s not what I’m thinking, so don’t be ugly. I have two words to say to that: SO WHAT! Patty, you need to invite those girls (or guys) anyway! Personally, I think most people I’ve met who have red hair are quite attractive. So why all the rant about all those guys and dolls with flaming locks? Because one of my male characters in Pleasure House is one of those people Patty Stanger said she’d never invite to a mixer. Too bad, because this guy is one who knows how to fire you up and make you beg (though I must admit, he does have a slightly weird side).

Most erotica tales seem to feature men who are the typical tall, dark, and handsome types. Yes, I have those, too, in Pleasure House, but when I was in the middle of creating my scenes and developing the characters to go in them, I found myself growing rather weary of those tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed hunks. Surely there had to be something different out there, something that stood apart from the rest. Enter Daren! Now, I know that name is not a common one for the time period the book is supposed to have taken place, but no matter, I like it anyway. I like him a lot! As a matter of fact, I think I love him!

When I created Daren, I racked my brain trying to figure out how to make him special and unique. And then it hit me–make him a red-head. Make his skin flawless and his eyes golden–“the color of rich ale.” Make his face incredibly handsome, and try to make his character show a way about him, one that makes him not only irresistible to the admits at The House, but irresistible to the reader as well.

The thing I like about Daren is that he is a meticulous lover, one who puts thought into every detail. He’s one who will spend lots of time on how to make an event special. Once you meet him, he’s one of those people you just want to please, or at least not make angry or cross. So there he is, mamma’s red-haired, golden-eyed beauty!

There, there, now. No more bashing those with fiery tresses, for they have their own special steamy brand, even if they aren’t exactly like Daren. And the next time you host a party or mixer, invite some red-heads to spice it up a bit.

Getty Images Has Nothing On Me!

August 4, 2012 by scarletdarkwood

If you’re a character in a novel, I’d be willing to bet my last Godiva chocolate and a hot, steamy kiss that Getty Images, Big Stock Photo, and iStock will not even begin to have a picture that replicates the vision of you in your author’s head. I know this is true because I had a hard time finding photos, and the ones I might have selected barely came close. *Sigh* Did I really create someone so unique that no one on earth looks like them–even just a teeny, weeny, little bit? Appears so, sad to say. Though I must say *perking up* I marveled at the discovery. Part of me even felt a twinge of pride. Containing a vision of someone so unique that nobody even came close made me feel rather smug. It’s like I broke the mold after I birthed the person. What I found even more strange is how I saw the features of some characters more strongly than others. In Pleasure House, I see John, Daren, and Joe with much more clarity than I see Thomas or Rose–and Rose is, like, the MAIN character! Actually, she reminds me of a friend I met on my first orientation day in college. *Shudder* Okay, I must admit I hate to see a friend in that light, but it’s been such a long time ago. So Susan, if you’re out there, just disregard this post.

Now on to the next part: Voices. No, I’m not hearing voices in the way you think, but I did hear my characters’ voices. Their sounds were just as unique as their faces. Take my character, Ramon, for example. When he spoke in my head, he sounded like Antonio Banderas, though the didn’t look like Antonio Banderas. And the fact that Ramon is a cross-dresser in my novel made the comparison even more weird. I don’t know about anyone else, but I have a hard time imagining Antonio Banderas in a red gown. *Sudder, again*

And would you believe it, even though I’m now working on the re-edits of my book, I still think about my characters from time to time, especially the two characters in my ending (which broke my heart to write, I must say. The “good-bye” of it all made my heart heavy at the time. I nearly felt like crying, and trust me, I’m not one for crying). But some of these characters stick with me. Yeah, I hate to admit this, but between you and me, I once had a dream of Daren and me–together. Well, enough about me . . .

But there are writers who model their characters after their neighbors, family, strangers they see on the street. I find myself starting to do that too. I’ll get a whiff of a personality here, and good bit of juicy “can you believe . . . ?” there, and then my mind starts to turn. These people make great fodder for novels. I have a neighbor right now who has been brewing in my mind, just dying to hatch out in a story somewhere. The problem is I just haven’t worked out the details yet. So don’t worry if your character comes up missing on Getty Images. It’s all right, just keep creating and enjoy the satisfaction of having one-of-a-kind.