Are my characters based on real people?

Are My Characters Based on Real People?

Are my characters based on real people?  The quick answer to this is “no.”  However, it’s a bit more complicated than that.  While none of my characters are based directly on someone, several are named after real people and several are representative of people who existed.

In addition, all my characters feel real to me, so they’ve taken on a life of their own.

Named After Real People

Several characters in the WWI trilogy (Angel of Mercy, Those Left Behind and Adjustment Year) are named after historical figures.:

  • Lucretia – named at Lucretia Mott
  • Dorothea – named after Dorothea Dix
  • Alice – named after Alice Roosevelt
  • Steven – named after Stephen Colbert

These characters were named after other fictional characters:

  • Hettie – named after Hetty Wainthropp
  • Gardner – named after Samantha’s uncle in the American Girl historical books
  • Cornelia – named after Samantha’s aunt in the American Girl historical books

Finally, Gwendolyn (Olive’s dead mother) was inspired by a client I had when I was developing Angel of Mercy.

Representative Characters

 

Some characters are based on people who existed during the early 20th century.  The most obvious of these are Hettie, Charlotte, Bessie and Olive who represent nurses who served overseas, Freddie who represents the men in the medical corps, and Geoffrey and Alfred who represent soldiers.

Others are a bit more obscure.

Amelia “Mama” Bartlette:  Amelia represents many types of people.  She represents anxious/depressed people, Victorian mothers who lost multiple children and Victorian widows.   In addition, her children call her Mama because Angel of Mercy was inspired by the My Chemical Romance song “Mama.”

Olive:  Olive represents all the nurses who died in the Great War.

Maeve:  Maeve represents all the victims of the 1918 pandemic.

Do you prefer characters who are based on real people, or do you prefer characters that are completely original?  Leave a comment below.

Learn More About My Books

I’m a multi-genre author of numerous books.  I write contemporary fiction, historical fiction and nonfiction.

Curious about The Rock Star’s Wife series?  Click here to learn more.

Curious about The Unmarriable Kind? Click here to learn more.

Curious about Rose’s Assignment?  Click here to learn more.

Curious about Journey of Hope?  Click here to learn more.

Curious about the WWI Trilogy?  Click here to learn more.

Curious about my nonfiction books?  Click here to learn more.

Not sure?  Click here for an overview of all my books.

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