By Joanne Rock
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| My small town series |
You know the saying that a reader lives a thousand lives?
Well, a writer writes a thousand lives, it seems. And there are a lot of fun
perks to that. Not the least of which is dressing and housing my characters.
As a long time subscriber to magazines like InStyle and
Southern Living, I’ve spent a lot of hours daydreaming over beautiful clothes,
homes and landscaping. But no one person could possibly emulate all those styles
of fashion or interior decorating. Much as I like Mexican Rustic furnishings, I
don’t necessarily have a place to put pieces like that in my home. Lucky for
me, every character is a blank slate for my stylist’s eye. Every home an
opportunity to either Design on a Dime or pretend I’m decorating a Million
Dollar Listing.
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| Dress your character! |
One of my first inspirations for my characters’ wardrobes
came from this adorable mini book called Fashion Astrology . I might not have any idea about the star sign of my heroine,
but in thumbing through this book, I could choose a whole wardrobe aesthetic for
her. Did her closet look like that of an uptown sophisticate? Or was she more
of an eclectic, vintage store shopper? I dressed plenty of characters using
this as a springboard and my most recent issue of InStyle for a specific outfit
or two. I might not be able to afford some of those designers, but who’s to say
my heroines were on the same budget? Or
maybe they were just better shoppers than me. Either way, I let them
wear what they liked.
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| Bungalow in my Superromance |
Houses were equally fun to dream up. From Central Park West
apartments to California coast bungalows, it’s always fun to think about where
a character might choose to live. And better still, how they might decorate.
Some characters are Spartan, never acquiring too much. Others are collectors,
with snippets of their past all around them. I like seeing what the
surroundings tell me about their personality. Recently, I underscored my
heroine Heather Finley’s backstory (from Dances Under the Harvest Moon) by
having her live in a converted bungalow on her parents’ expansive farm
property. Sure, she had some space between her and her mother. But she’d never left
her hometown and her home reflected that. I did make it charming though, with a
small porch for a swing and an airy loft bedroom.
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| Marchesa for Desire heroine |
Recently I started writing for Harlequin’s Desire line, and
this series allows me to really push the boundaries on wardrobes and decorating.
There is no budget in the Desire world of wealth and privilege! Now, I can shop
on Net a Porter and find gorgeous designer gowns to send my heroines to elegant
charity fundraisers. I find it funny that after I “shop” for a while, my
Facebook feed fills up with ads for other clothes I can’t afford, continually
asking if I want that Marchesa gown or Louboutin shoes. Well… maybe not today.
I already gave them to a lucky secretary swept off her feet by her wealthy
boss.
***Are you addicted to HGTV or fashion magazines? Do you
have a favorite store to browse through—online or in real life—looking at
things you aren’t prepared to buy but just love to look at? Share with me in
the comments and I’ll give one random poster a copy of my Harlequin Blaze, MY SECRET FANTASIES.
