I feel incredibly fortunate that my life continues to grow and evolve
in a way that I continue to make new friends. I enjoy getting to know the
people around me and feel blessed that as I age, the concept of getting to know
someone, inviting them into my life and sharing time with them continues to
feel fresh and new. From my local romance writing chapter to a new job to new
neighbors, there’s always an opportunity to expand my social circle and learn
more about others.
While this is a continuous joy, there is also something about those
friends who “knew you when.” The people who’ve shared large portions of your
life with you and share memories that are ten, fifteen, twenty-plus years old.
I was thinking about this as I was preparing for company this weekend.
One of my best friends from college is coming for a week with her daughter and
it’s hard to imagine we’ve been a part of each other’s lives for twenty-two
years. I was in her wedding and am godmother to her son. We’ve had late night
gab sessions, shared goofy adventures and we both love wine way too much (if
that’s possible!). And through it all, I’ve known I have a friend who will
always be there for me. Distance might keep us apart and we might not talk all
the time, but we always pick up right where we left off.
While I love writing romance, I find weaving other relationships into
my hero and heroine’s life is equally important to me as a writer. As human
beings, we don’t live in a vacuum. Instead, we share our lives with a multitude
of people and the richness of those relationships contributes fully to the
human experience.
In my most recent book, THE MANHATTAN ENCOUNTER, relationships play a
big part in the growth of both my characters. In the case of this story it’s
more the familial relationship with siblings that I focus on, but I’ve explored
the roots of friendships in other books as well (and am doing so in my current
work-in-progress, SILKEN THREATS.)
Romantic love is extraordinary and bringing it to life on the page is
one of my greatest enjoyments, but creating characters who have multiple
dimensions to them – and people in their life who support and encourage them –
is an important facet to me as well. Showing the layers and depth of each
character, I believe, helps create a story that’s dynamic and real. We all long
to be swept off our feet and dashed off to Paris at a moment’s notice by a
yummy hero, but how much fun would that be if we didn’t have a good girlfriend
to tell the whole story to after it happened?
So what do you think? I’d love your thoughts on what you love to read
and how you feel when a character’s friends and loved ones make it into the
story.
Thanks for joining me today!
XOXO,
Addison
~~~~~~~~~~
Despite early ambitions of
being a diver, a drummer or a doctor, Addison
Fox happily discovered she was more suited to life as a writer. She
lives in Dallas and - thankfully - doesn't have to operate on anyone. You can
find her at her home on the web at www.addisonfox.com. Her latest book, THE MANHATTAN ENCOUNTER,
is currently out from Harlequin Romantic Suspense. You can visit her at her
website at www.addisonfox.com
No comments:
Post a Comment