Confessions: The Truth about Jake
JAKE has earned a lot of great reviews and I have been asked by more than a few readers if I based my hero in the novel on a real guy. I believe that writers, when they are successful, write from a place of experience. This doesn't mean that we recreate actual events (though we can and sometimes do) but that we tap into emotional memory when we write.
That said, I believe JAKE is what I wish would have happened in my life. I did date a man who looks like Jake, feels like Jake, smells like Jake, and, hot damn, even kissed like Jake. Our date was singular. We met at work (he's a police officer who came to give my students a talk and demonstration as part of a career awareness program I was running) and a week later we went for a walk on the beach and out to dinner.
What attracted me to him (other than that fine body) was the way he interacted with my students. In particular, one of my students who had Down's Syndrome and wouldn't give up the bullet proof vest "Jake" had let him try on. He was patient and kind and had a charming sense of humor.
He was a Marine, we did have running in common, but the rest is pure fantasy--and though it's been years and I hadn't thought of him but briefly during that time, the moment I sat down to write the story, he appeared on the page. He's still knocking around inside my head, plays a leading role in my fantasies (and I really need to get out of the house, go on a date, and get new fodder for my imagination to play with!).
I know you want the ending--all of us readers do. So I'll tell you this, our date quickly went down hill. The walk on the beach was beautiful. I learned a few more things about him that earned my respect (he was helping care for his nephews because his sister was a drug addict, he was continuing in the reserves, he had to earn his way onto the police force by working first for a "lesser" agency--all character building stuff, right?). And then we sat down to dinner in a nice, beachy restaurant and he proceeded to tell me all about the women in his life. No kidding. The women who hit on him on an almost daily basis--including the secretary at my work. I don't know what you do with something like that. I must have looked shocked, because then he pointed out that he chose me.
"Ah, great, maybe." So the date was over for me at that point. He kept talking and it became clear that I was just a body. It made me so mad. I have that blond hair blue-eyed thing going and I was used to guys hitting on me. I've had several conversations with men I didn't even know, where it was obvious that inside their head, they were nailing me. But I am SO much more than that. (We all are, ladies!)
So I was boiling. And the timing was wrong, because I'd thought it would be different--I respected the guy and I'd hoped...but what I had was that smack of anger working inside me--haven't felt that before or since.
We got back to my apartment and he asked me if I had a VCR. He had something he wanted to show me. (I should mention here that I was still a little naive when it came to men and relationships. "Jake" was only the third man I'd been with and the two before him had been friends first...) So we went up and he popped in what looked like a movie -- turned out it was a clip of him in full Marine uniform doing that "A few great men" thing.
I remember thinking he had so much going for him, why would he use a ploy to get a woman into bed?
I started thinking if one night stands are so great, then why not?
If he kept his mouth shut, he was sexy as sin, and I may as well get a few orgasms out of an otherwise shitty night. Yep, I did it. But a few hours of great sex wasn't meant to be. I swear the whole encounter lasted five minutes. A big part of that was my fault--I am not made for one night stands, and I'm a quickie kind of girl only after I've known the man and he knows me and we can get to our "soak zones" with dart-like accuracy.
So the beauty of creating a hero on page is that we can choose his attributes, those that make our hearts sing, and make adjustments along the way. In this case, fantasy is much better than reality. I'm so glad a girl can dream. . .
That said, I believe JAKE is what I wish would have happened in my life. I did date a man who looks like Jake, feels like Jake, smells like Jake, and, hot damn, even kissed like Jake. Our date was singular. We met at work (he's a police officer who came to give my students a talk and demonstration as part of a career awareness program I was running) and a week later we went for a walk on the beach and out to dinner.
What attracted me to him (other than that fine body) was the way he interacted with my students. In particular, one of my students who had Down's Syndrome and wouldn't give up the bullet proof vest "Jake" had let him try on. He was patient and kind and had a charming sense of humor.
He was a Marine, we did have running in common, but the rest is pure fantasy--and though it's been years and I hadn't thought of him but briefly during that time, the moment I sat down to write the story, he appeared on the page. He's still knocking around inside my head, plays a leading role in my fantasies (and I really need to get out of the house, go on a date, and get new fodder for my imagination to play with!).
I know you want the ending--all of us readers do. So I'll tell you this, our date quickly went down hill. The walk on the beach was beautiful. I learned a few more things about him that earned my respect (he was helping care for his nephews because his sister was a drug addict, he was continuing in the reserves, he had to earn his way onto the police force by working first for a "lesser" agency--all character building stuff, right?). And then we sat down to dinner in a nice, beachy restaurant and he proceeded to tell me all about the women in his life. No kidding. The women who hit on him on an almost daily basis--including the secretary at my work. I don't know what you do with something like that. I must have looked shocked, because then he pointed out that he chose me.
"Ah, great, maybe." So the date was over for me at that point. He kept talking and it became clear that I was just a body. It made me so mad. I have that blond hair blue-eyed thing going and I was used to guys hitting on me. I've had several conversations with men I didn't even know, where it was obvious that inside their head, they were nailing me. But I am SO much more than that. (We all are, ladies!)
So I was boiling. And the timing was wrong, because I'd thought it would be different--I respected the guy and I'd hoped...but what I had was that smack of anger working inside me--haven't felt that before or since.
We got back to my apartment and he asked me if I had a VCR. He had something he wanted to show me. (I should mention here that I was still a little naive when it came to men and relationships. "Jake" was only the third man I'd been with and the two before him had been friends first...) So we went up and he popped in what looked like a movie -- turned out it was a clip of him in full Marine uniform doing that "A few great men" thing.
I remember thinking he had so much going for him, why would he use a ploy to get a woman into bed?
I started thinking if one night stands are so great, then why not?
If he kept his mouth shut, he was sexy as sin, and I may as well get a few orgasms out of an otherwise shitty night. Yep, I did it. But a few hours of great sex wasn't meant to be. I swear the whole encounter lasted five minutes. A big part of that was my fault--I am not made for one night stands, and I'm a quickie kind of girl only after I've known the man and he knows me and we can get to our "soak zones" with dart-like accuracy.
So the beauty of creating a hero on page is that we can choose his attributes, those that make our hearts sing, and make adjustments along the way. In this case, fantasy is much better than reality. I'm so glad a girl can dream. . .
No comments have been added yet.
