Like the Chicken and the Egg . . . Which Comes First: Character or Plot?

A few weeks ago, a journalist asked me which comes first . . . the plot or character. Answering, I said, "Character comes first."

For my stories, a plot doesn't exist without the presence of a character. Character makeup drives my stories and steers the story's path. How might the story in Blackhorse Road or Flower Girl have turned on a dime with changes in the character's makeup?

So what's my special elixir?

Before characters are worthy of being featured in my stories, they must pass a...