Writers are often asked by non-writers where they get their ideas, or if the characters in their books are based on real people, or—as happens frequently with romance authors, particularly those who write on the spicier side—whether their sex scenes are drawn from personal knowledge heh heh heh.
In the first place—asking a stranger about their sex life? Yeah…um…no.
In the second place, imagination is a miraculous thing, and coupled with research, it allows authors to explore vistas that are outside their own experience.
That being said, however, I confess that there are certain aspects of my own personality that make their way into my characters’ personas on a more or less regular basis.
Socially awkward? Check. See Riley in Stumptown Spirits or Bryce in The Druid Next Door.
Ace spectrum? Check. See Nate in For a Good Time, Call… or Gareth in Bad Boy’s Bard.
Geek/nerd? Check. See Gideon in Clickbait or David in Cutie and the Beast.
Good cooks? Ch— Oh wait. That’s not me, that’s my Curmudgeonly Husband. I only benefit from the results of his skill.
Unfortunately for them, both Stefan and Luke, the main characters in Tested in Fire, share one of my more inconvenient personality traits:
I find it nearly impossible to ask anyone for help.
If I try to analyze myself, I might point to my childhood (a loooong time ago), with fundamentalist grandparents who’d lived through the Depression and come out the other side with a “shut up and deal” attitude. Or maybe it’s a Pavlovian response to the times when I’d mustered up the courage to ask someone to help, been thrilled with their acquiescence, only to have them bail on me when I was depending on them.
Stefan doesn’t want to ask anyone for help because he’s terrified of falling into old patterns of dependence. He’s gone so far the other direction, however, that he’s making Luke think he’s not committed to their relationship.
Luke, because he’s Luke and so much of his self-image depends on being self-reliant, won’t ask for help and he won’t accept it either, because he’ll be damned before he lets anyone think he’s not able to manage his own shit.
Well…
The events of Tested in Fire challenge those particular issues.
Too bad guys. Heh heh heh.
*****
About Tested in Fire
Six months ago, Stefan Cobbe was at rock bottom: grief-stricken, guilt ridden, debt laden, artistically blocked, and living on charity in an isolated mountain cabin. But after reconciling with his first love, Luke, and moving to Sarasota with him, Stefan is preparing for his first major show. Yes, he still has debts, and no, Luke doesn’t understand Stefan’s desire for independence. But compared to last year? No contest.
Luke Morganstern ought to be happy. After all, his art-investigation business has recovered and he’s got his boyfriend back. But Stefan stubbornly refuses to move in with him or accept Luke’s financial help, and it’s really starting to bug him. Who knew that the biggest test of their relationship wouldn’t be time or distance, but his own insecurities? After Luke’s next job—a trip to Italy to retrieve a mysterious artifact—he plans to convince Stefan that it’s time to totally commit.
But when Luke returns, he changes, and Stefan begins to suspect that the person in Luke’s skin isn’t Luke at all. He can hardly go to the police and claim his lover is the victim of a supernatural hijacking though. He needs alternative help to find Luke and get him back, because he refuses to let anyone—or anything—come between them again.
*****
About the Art Medium Series
Artists use all manner of materials to express their vision, to interpret the world around them, to affect the hearts and minds of their audience.
But what if the artist himself were the medium? And what if artistic inspiration weren’t the only force at work?
If painter Stefan Cobbe and art investigator Luke Morganstern don’t answer those questions fast, they stand to lose their reputations, their relationship—and their lives.
*****
About E.J. Russell
E.J. Russell holds a BA and an MFA in theater, so naturally she’s spent the last three decades as a financial manager, database designer, and business-intelligence consultant. After her twin sons left for college and she no longer spent half her waking hours ferrying them to dance class, she returned to her childhood love of writing fiction. Now she wonders why she ever thought an empty nest meant leisure.
E.J. lives in rural Oregon with her curmudgeonly husband, the only man on the planet who cares less about sports than she does. She enjoys visits from her wonderful adult children, and indulges in good books, red wine, and the occasional hyperbole.
Connect with E.J.:
Website: ejrussell.com
Blog: ejrussell.com/bloggery/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/E.J.Russell.author
Twitter: twitter.com/ej_russell
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ejrussell/
*****
Giveaway
To celebrate the release of both books in the Art Medium series, E.J. is giving away a $25 Amazon credit and an ebook copy of both titles in the Legend Tripping series! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Contest closes at midnight, Eastern time, on April 7, 2017 and is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Don’t forget to leave your contact info!
Thanks for the post! I’ve heard the same from other authors, it’s not that they based their characters on real people, it’s more like they take some traits to model them.
serena91291@gmail(dot)com
Yes. Kind of like a character trait buffet!
Sometimes, before I start reading a book, I check the author’s bio first. Get some hint on how the story is supposed to go or if I can predict how the writing style would be. And I read yours & I grinned when I saw that you injected humor in it which basically tell me that I’m about to read a good story. Call it intuition or IDK…instinct but I think my guess was spot-on. ^_^
When I read the cooking scene in this book, I was like, “Oh! There you are, CH! “.
I love how you made Stefan & Luke as real as they could be. <3
mushyvince(at)gmail(dot)com
Ha! I’ll have to tell him he was recognized! Whenever I write a cooking scene (and I seem to have one in quite a few of my books), I always write one of CH’s recipes. The trout, rice pilaf, and green beans from The Artist’s Touch happens to be one of his “greatest hits”–at least as far as I’m concerned!
Thank you for sharing. I think it’s a natural thing for some of a writer’s persona to bleed into their characters.
humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com
I think it actually might be impossible to avoid!
Sounds good!
jlshannon74 at gmail.com
Thanks!
It makes sense that a bit of an authors’ personalities seeps into thier charaters. Thanks for the giveaway. Fingers crossed ti win.
sonniperry (at)gmail(dot)com
Yes, it’s insidious. We get into our characters’ heads so much that it’s inevitable they start to possess us! Good luck!
I’m psyched to meet Luke and Stefan!
vitajex(At)aol(dot)com
Yay! I hope you like them–they could use a little moral support, given how much I’ve tortured them!
Thanks so much for hosting me today! And to all the commenters who are making such great remarks (and giving me such wonderful encouragement and support)–thank you!
Sounds like a great book, looking forward to reading it!
nikolina1812 @ yahoo .com
Congrats, Kim, and thanks for the post. This sounds great. – Purple Reader,
TheWrote [at] aol [dot] com