I've always loved The Velveteen Rabbit and that idea of becoming "real." As a writer, I've always endeavored to make all my characters are "real" as I can. One of the biggest compliments a reader can give me is to tell me that they felt as if a character was a neighbor, a friend...they felt they were so real they could imagine that sort of connection.And it's not just that I want readers to fall in love with a hero, or want to be friends with a neighbor, but I want them to feel that connection with my secondary characters.
I wrote Nana Vancy for the Everything But...Series. In the first three books, she accidentally cursed her family to bad weddings. After she broke the curse in the last book, readers kept asking for more. So, Nana Vancy tried her hand at matchmaking (alas she wasn't very good at it LOL) in three more books. She found her calling matching dogs up with their real forever homes. And in that capacity she has had a few cameos since that last book. She showed up in Christmas in Cupid Falls and even in Carry Her Heart.
I was so thrilled this week to find out that Nana Vancy's first books, Everything But a Groom was included on Booklist's Top 101 Romances in the last 10 Years.
As a reader, do you have characters who've become "real" to you??
My first real crush was with a character from a number of Robert Heinlein's books, Lazarus Long. He was snarky, wore kilts and had red hair. What's not to love?
So how about you?
Holly
