Is that Sam and Ella? Not quite.

I have a habit of copying images from my digital camera, instead of moving them completely off the device. This evening, while removing pictures from my camera I came across this one of my sister and Lady, and had to share - since Lady was the inspiration for Sam in While Snowbound.

My sister and Mom tagged along on a family reunion this summer in South Dakota. The reunion was for my mother-in-law’s side of the family. Since my daughter and her family were coming down from Alaska to attend, we invited Mom and my sister, Lynn along.

Lynn shared a room with my husband and me. The room had two queen sized beds. When it came time to go to sleep, Lady didn’t think it was right my sister have that big ol’ bed all to herself. Lady never barks (much like Sam in While Snowbound) – but she sat next to the bed, looked at my sister, and gave a little WOOF.

You can see who got her way.

The Females from the Sensual Romance Series

In my last post I discussed the men of the Sensual Romance Series. I think it is only fair to give the women the same attention.

I used my own job experiences when creating several of my female protagonists. Kit Landon, from After Sundown, once managed her parent’s restaurant. I once managed my parent’s restaurant. She is an old fashioned girl, who just wants to be a stay-at-home mother, and raise her young daughter. Unfortunately, her husband was tragically murdered, and she is forced to find some way to support her daughter and herself. 

Ella from While Snowbound is an author, like me. While Kit from After Sundown is focused on her daughter, Ella is focused on her writing career, and enjoys spending time alone. Ella’s special needs Aussie was patterned after our Aussie, Lady, who like Ella’s dog Sam, needs help to get in the car, and rarely barks.

I borrowed my daughter’s career for Sugar Rush's Lexi. The character Lexi has recently graduated, earning a graphic design degree. Our daughter Elizabeth is a freelance graphic designer, and the one responsible for my beautiful book covers.

As for Lexi’s hot fudge recipe used in Sugar Rush – that was borrowed from my father. But enough for now. Sugar Rush hasn’t been released yet.

Photo: Our Aussie, Lady, who I patterned Sam after.

Ella and Sam, from WHILE SNOWBOUND...well, it could be them!

Writers often put a bit of themselves into their characters. I know I did with Ella, from While Snowbound. Although her personality is nothing like mine (at least I don’t think so), she possesses some of my interests and disinterests.

When I was a teenager, I never plastered posters of famous rockers on my bedroom walls. I might be able to match a song with a group, but don’t ask me to pick them out of a lineup, I would probably fail – even when I was a teenager.

I’ve never been star struck – it isn’t in my nature nor is it in Ella’s. Mention some famous male rock star, and chances are I won’t have a clue who he is. Ella is the same way.

This particular quirk is important for my character, because it would have been an entirely different story had she swooned over the sexy celebrity when she found herself trapped with him during the blizzard.

She also has a dog like mine - an Australian Shepherd named Sam.