Is This Character Based on Me?

That’s a common question I get from people who know me. Whether they’ve read the books or heard me talk about the different quirks my characters have, they’re curious if I pulled from their characteristics to create the people in my stories.
The short answer is no. I didn’t base any of my characters on any one single individual.

That said, I have definitely pulled traits from the people in my life. One person that comes to mind is someone who is very open to people being exactly who they are. I love that about this person, and I wanted to blend that into Julianne, a character you’ll meet in late 2026.

The long answer to that question, however, is that all of my characters do pull in pieces of a certain someone…

Me.

Ryan Blake: The first thing I did with Ryan was complicate her by giving her a traditionally male name. But you know what? I’ve always loved Ryan as a female name, so that’s what I went with. She was the first character I ever named. Ryan and I are similar in a few ways. She’s been hurt, has trouble trusting, but she also has a lot of self-doubt. Is she good enough? Is she too much? If she does X, will Y still like her? Is her body okay? I know, I know…a lot of us have asked many of these same questions. She’s also a Green Bay Packers fan (Go Pack!) and ultimately ended up moving to Charlotte after college, something I had once dreamed of.

Cody Calloway: There’s a little of my dad in Cody, namely his affection for the Chicago Cubs, including naming his dog Wrigley. I love hearing the stories of my dad going to the games as a young boy with his brothers. It seemed fitting to incorporate that somewhere. There are probably other aspects of me in Cody, but the one that stands out is his profession. Cody’s a back-end web developer, exactly what I went to school for myself. So when he talks about a semi-colon being nearly the death of him, know that he (and I) speaks the truth. Accidentally typing a semi-colon when it’s supposed to be a colon, or vice versa, is one of the worst mistakes a coder can make. And they’re nearly impossible to find!

Madison Quinn: There is so much of Madison that doesn’t come from me that sometimes I wonder where she did come from. However, there are two parts of her that are all me. First, in a previous life, I did a lot of graphic design work. I wasn’t nearly the doodler Madison is, but I spent a fair amount of time designing marketing items. Second, Madison is snarky. I think that’s what I love most about her. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind and doesn’t care what people think of her. Most people don’t see that side of me until they get to know me. Then watch out! The snark appears. Sarcasm becomes a second language. And I’ll tell anyone what I think…except the person it logically applies to. 😉

Declan Healy: On many levels, Declan is my favorite character. He’s driven, patient, and he looks beyond the armor. Declan’s love language is acts of service. He takes care of the people in his life. I mean, who else would buy a house with enough rooms in it so everyone could have their own space, decorated in a style that fit the person? There are so many parts of For You that I love, but the beach scene between Madison and Declan is my favorite. He stays calm. He listens. He doesn’t give in to the bullshit. Admittedly, I can be a pretty emotional person. (Give me a sappy commercial and there WILL be tears.) But when things go sideways, I’m like Declan. I’m calm. I listen. I do what needs to be done. Unfortunately, I’ve been in that kind of intense situation more times than I’d prefer. That’s where Declan gets it from.

Abby Maxwell: Abby was an interesting character to write. We learn a smidge about her story in The Shore, but we don’t get all the details until Beside Us. At her core, Abby is fiercely independent. What she goes through and how she builds her life proves it. (You’ll have to read the books for more details!) As for me, yeah, I’m pretty independent myself. I’ve learned how to spend time with myself. I’ve even travelled by myself (sometimes it’s just better that way!). Independent isn’t something I set out to become. Life just kept giving me opportunities to learn I could handle more than I thought.

Luke Keil: While I’m no Marine, the person that resembles me most is Luke. The third book took me a long time to write. Ten years kind of long time. And one late night, I realized I am Luke. Luke is me. It kind of hit me over the head. I don’t want to give too much away, but Luke struggles with being good enough just for who he is. Again, I know a lot of people fight with this feeling. But the one thing writing Beside Us, and specifically Luke, showed me is that writing can hold up a mirror to the writer. More than I ever thought it would.

Looking back, maybe the people around me inspired pieces of my characters after all. But the biggest surprise? Every time I sat down to write, I ended up learning a little more about myself.

Maybe that’s the magic of storytelling.

Mentioned in this post

The Shore
For You
Beside Us

Stay Connected

Want to know when the next story, blog post, or book is released? Join my newsletter.