It’s pretty easy for me to mind meld (Jedi or otherwise) with the main protagonist of my mystery novel. Sylvia’s in her 50s, took early retirement, and lives on the peninsula. It’s not much of a stretch at all for me to get inside her head.
But a few of my other imaginary friends are quite challenging to thoroughly understand. One of them is her 35-year-old boyfriend. Another is his 65 plus boss, the county sheriff. Syl might refer to him as “the stuffed shirt with a badge pinned on it,” but she’s really quite fond of him. Everyone is.
I’m having a lot of fun with Syl’s over-the-hill lounge singer, and I think in this book I might hook her up with the sheriff in a mutually beneficial arrangement. He’s lonely, she’s horny, and it could be a match made in heaven. Especially since he has a nice pension sitting out there on the not-too-distant horizon and she doesn’t.
My “bad guy” in this book isn’t really so bad. He has what he believes is a darn good reason to murder, and comes across as a pretty sympathetic character. I doubt I’ll ever be in his shoes, but I can still be compassionate as justice prevails.
I was married (briefly) to a commercial fisherman, so I can at least understand the trials and tribulation of another of my characters. And I had a very good friend who ran a small, derelict motel I occasionally watched for him, so I’m familiar with his day-to-day operation and challenges.
And since I’m writing FICTION, the sky’s the limit for how these people all relate and interact. That’s one of the things that makes writing a mystery novel so much fun. Nobody can tell me I’m doing it wrong.
Oh, they might try, but I’m not listening. I’m too busy listening to those little voices inside my head, telling me exactly what they want to say!
(PS… You really need to click on the picture to enlarge it to see how perfect for me it is!)