A.R. Simmons asked Ed Ireland:

I understand that bit about your characters being real. (I spend a lot of time with mine.) Do you find that people you know (in the physical world) are also easy to embellish into the inhabitants of your created world?

Ed Ireland Without a doubt! My wife and daughter are pfominant in two characters. My son, my uncle, my grandfather...all of their characteristics have found their way into my books. It's easy to pick and choose what you want in your characters when you have a template so to speak.
And if the character is evil, I have an ex-wife to use.
I think it's just in a writer's best interest to draw upon what is familiar to help build the best characters. Then once they hit the sweet spot, their own personality takes you the rest of the way.

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