Which Character is Most Like Me?

Since it sheds a little more light on my answer, I wanted to provide the complete question a wonderful reader posed for my blog topic this week. Raggs asked: Is there one of your characters who contains more of "yourself" than others? Is that character more autobiographical in terms of their reactions, etc?

The answer is yes. As many readers may know, my very first erotic romance, Make Her Dreams Come True unlocked my own submissive orientation. The story I’d intended to be a spicy romance set in the mall took a sharp turn into the world of BDSM, at a time when I had no access to resources about the topic beyond my own fascination with Dominance and submission. The psychology I explored in that book drew me both personally and professionally. As such, the psychology of D/s, versus the mechanics of BDSM, has driven my work ever since. Though integrating the mechanics is LOTS of fun (lol).

While Daniel and Meg’s journey allowed me to start my own submissive exploration, Meg’s character was autobiographical on other levels. I wrote Make Her Dreams Come True in my late 20s, when I was carrying around a dump truck load of dysfunction from my teens and early 20s. Though many specific details of Meg’s situation did not mirror mine, her insecurities, poor self-esteem, loneliness, disconnection and depression were closely aligned with my own struggles in those areas. So in essence, I wrote Make Her Dreams Come True as personal therapy! In hindsight, it's a miracle the angst-ridden thing resonated enough with readers to start my erotic romance career. But it was the 90s, when Dr. Phil was all the rage (wink).

Seriously, though, I do love Meg and Daniel's story. And the great thing about writing over the years is your books become like a photo album or diary. You see your own growth, not only as an author, but as a human being. Now when I re-read Meg and Daniel’s story, my feelings toward this lovely character are similar to what an adult feels toward a teenager. We can understand what they’re feeling, but unlike them, we have the perspective to know what they’re feeling are growing pains. An amazing world awaits beyond those hurdles, where our confidence and experience can take us on new explorations of love and the nature of happiness. We can have relationships more complex and rich than we’d ever dreamed they could be.

I thank Meg and Daniel for helping me take the next step in both my personal and professional life.

Note: Many thanks also to Raggs for this week’s topic!

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Worth the Wait is Coming May 31! Free Chapter One Excerpt Here

“You touch what you want to touch, love. When I want you to keep your hands to yourself, that’s what my rope is for.” --Desmond Hayes, Worth the Wait