and so it began

I once read that a great writer (whose name escapes me) famous for his colorful and varied characters said that he based them on his mother and himself, the only people he knew really well. When I read that, I couldn’t see how only two people, especially one’s mother, could be the basis of so much of an author’s work. Years later when I began to write, I began to understand. My own relationship with my mother was complicated. She was a fascinating but sometimes difficult person. If I had to compare her to a literary character, it would be Scarlett O’Hara. Mom was sexy and passionate, the witty life of the party, and one of the most nurturing and loving people I’ve ever known. She could also be self-involved to the point of narcissism,
    my beloved mother
insecure and in need of constant reassurance, and capable of being both cruel and taunting. In contrast, when I was young, I was a quiet, moody loner, whose nose was always in a book. As you can imagine, we clashed quite a bit while I was growing up and in my young adulthood.But like most mothers and daughters, after a certain time passed, I began to appreciate what a great mom she was, and she decided to set aside the many times I’d disappointed her and concentrate instead on my good points. Together, despite our differences, we forged a new and supportive relationship, and for many years, we were best friends.

When she passed in 2010, I was truly brokenhearted, and I desperately needed a distraction to get past my grief. I had always wanted to develop my writing skills, and I decided that this was the time to do it. The Matty Cruz Adventure series was written during the five year period following her death. Like many authors, when I created my characters, I based them largely on different facets of myself, along with those of the many folks I’d passed along the way, but what surprised me was how frequently I used bits and pieces of my mother. I’m not sure whether this was a way to grieve or understand her, but I found infusing my characters with her traits, both good and bad, very healing.

Now that I am starting something new, I continue to inject her in my stories. I was blessed with a colorful and complex mother, and I would be foolish not to. Mom partially inspired the psyche of Carol Karuso, the main character in my upcoming series. Carol is sexy and intriguing to men, witty, a bit vain and worried about losing her looks as she grows older, and always up for a good fight. I think my mother would have found her to be a much more suitable daughter than I ever was.

Maybe that unnamed author had it right. Just as our mothers know everything about us, we know them in the same intimate manner. And even when they’re gone, their influence on us never ends. In my case, that turned out to be a good thing.