Women of The Alcrest Mysteries

For my first post of 2015 I thought I'd talk a bit about secondary characters.  Sure, you don't read a book because of the secondary characters, but they make it a hell of a lot more interesting.  They add colour and a realism.  You go through life as the main character of your own story and have a hell of a lot of secondary characters who add substance to what is going on.

As many of you know, I base a lot of my characters on real people (usually with permission).  Sometimes I write the character and then see a real live person to lean against.  I might know the person.  I might not.

In The Menu (2nd in The Alcrest Mysteries) which I am currently writing Chrys and a bunch of her co-workers from The Alcrest Gastropub go out to a club for ladies night.  Without these secondary characters tagging along she would have a lonely night.

Dee (Diane) with her favorite shoes

Dee - was originally based off of 2 people, but became twins. (1 of which will not show up until a future novel)  Dee is a shoe fanatic.  Her twin sister travels around the world and sends home different and often expensive shoes.  She's based off of my friend Diane who I have known for many years.  She also is the one I go to when in need of shoe and clothing information.

The 2 faces of Hanni
(Nicole and Hanni)

Izzy - She is a brand new character to this book.  Her first appearance is supposed to be in the Sgt. Reid Series when Sgt. Reid comes to Middleton and visits the restaurant where his niece works.  (Yes, that would be Izzy)  She, to be honest, is not based off of anyone I know.  She is based off of a one-time character on a TV show.  She's nothing like the actual character, but I liked the look of her.

Hanni - It's pronounced Honey.  Was originally based off a woman I worked with.  She was a very flirtatious bartender who insisted on where high-heeled boots.  As she developed I began to think of her more as my sister-in-law and her name changed.

Jessie (Dominique)

Jessie - also Spencer's girlfriend.  She was and is based off of a server I saw at a restaurant around the same time I was creating her.  A year ago I met a young girl who looked remarkably like the real life Jessie that I thought they had to be sisters.  There was no relation, but she became the face of Jessie.

These characters make the novels real.  There are a lot of other secondary characters, as there are in life, and without them the novels would be short and boring.  In The Cistern you find out a little about Hanni, Dee, and a fair bit about Jessie - but more is coming in The Menu.  Some of it controversial.  Some of it perhaps shocking to the real live amazing women that these characters are loosely based on.  All of it important to bring to life the adventures of Chrys and Spencer Alcrest.