I have something I need to get off my chest and finally! Finally I can tell the truth. Writers get asked "Where do you get your ideas?" alot. And I make up something vague and try not to make eye contact because I steal all my ideas from Sarah Mayberry (shhhh! Don't tell her). But HIS WIFE FOR ONE NIGHT was stolen from someone else - my cousin Caleb.
First of all, I should point out that Cousin Caleb is a romance hero brought to life. One of the good heroes - not one of the cads with terrible backstories. Handsome, smart, a total adventurer but for some unknown reason has a fear of commitment. None of us understand it, but there you go. Caleb is a hydro engineer who has spent the last several years drilling and repairing wells in Africa. One very tense summer he worked in the Darfur region of Sudan. For those of you who might not know, this area is terribly dangerous. A vicious boiling kettle of almost every motivation for war in the world; race, religion, politics - you name it, they're killing each other over it.
Caleb told us that if the area was dangerous the crews didn't go out to the villages and that he was safe. Most of the time. But because he's a total adventurer, there were some stories that had all of us worried about him and his inappropriate sense of fun.
My hero Jack McKibbon in HIS WIFE FOR ONE NIGHT is based, loosely on my wonderful cousin. I found a way to explain his fear of commitment (a bad Mommy. When all else fails, give him a bad Mommy - though I should make it clear my Aunt Patti is a wonderful Mommy.). I gave him a crisis of faith, a terrible injury and then - just for fun - a wife. His best friend from childhood, Mia. They haven't seen each other in a year and have never had a real marriage, much less a wedding night. All of which Mia hopes to change. But that is for a different blog.
So, finally I can stop ripping off Sarah's books, and instead harvest my family members for story ideas. I'd love to give away three copies of HIS WIFE FOR ONE NIGHT - so please leave a comment. Writers out there - how many times have you based a character on someone in your life? And did they get mad? (Because Caleb is NOT going to to like that fear of commitment bit.) Readers - is there a story/person in your life you think needs to be in a story? Tell us because, what are the chances they read this blog? Really? I can't gaurantee I won't steal it...
I am a bad person.
58 comments:
Molly, my hubby and I were cleaning the other day and we found a miniature microphone hidden beneath the phone. FBI, CIA, Interpol we wondered? I see now that we should have been thinking "O'Keefe".(In my mind, this is pronounced the way Jerry always says "Newman" on Seinfeld when he realises Newman has set him up).
Seriously, however, I love the career you've given this hero and if you can't steal from your family, who can you steal from? Mine are all well aware that any pearls they drop will find their way into a story somehow, someway.
Gosh, family are a minefield of drama - the perfect place to steal from *grin*. I've done it once. The villian in my story was based on an in-law. Mind you, I had to tone the villian down because even including half the real person would have come across as over-the-top, lol.
When writers take from reality it can only be amazing. People are funny creatures. My family are a prime example. I mean: insanity does not run through my family it fairly gallops.
marypres@gmail.com
I'm not a writer but I keep a journal and in that I put all the people in my life. I even color them up, you know... add a bit of oomph to them. Exaggerate a little. But isn't that what great journals are made of? And it's not as if anyone will ever read them, so what's the harm.
Mahalo Sarah for letting us know it was Molly O'Keefe writing. As I read the blog I thought, I'm going to have to go back and see who was on the list for Wednesday!
Molly, His Wife for One Night sounds like a book I really want to read! So many good books to read :)
Stories morphed from reality are great. If I were a writer, I would use my family (loosely of course and probably come up with some composite sketches of family members) as models. I have 5 siblings and 32 first cousins. Lots of material for stories! I'm not the storyteller in my family though. My two brothers are great storytellers as was my grandfather and my dad. Must have skipped right over me... I do like to read though and they don't :) Families are interesting!
His Wife for One Night sounds like a good read -- didn't Jane at Dear Author just review it (positively!)? Will have to go double-check but I'm pretty sure...
My family isn't that exciting but I've got a couple of friends whose lives have had more drama than any soap opera. That whole 'truth is stranger than fiction" thing -- parents having affairs, step-parents running through all their (the kids) money, drama queen mothers, brain tumors (I KID YOU NOT!), etc. Yet, my friends are productive and happy human beings. Ah, the resilience of the human spirit.
His Wife for one night sounds simply stunning I cant wait to read it I just must find out what happens !!
I cant really think of anyone in my life that can be used in a book but I must tell you I don't think your a bad person at all , inspiring the world with your stories and inspiring someone eles's life with the story is so cool !
I do think your right when you say that Caleb will most likely not like the 'fear of commitment" but I am sure he will get over it just fine.
Thank you for sharing the great post with us and knowing where you got the inspiration from will make it so much more enjoyable when I get to read it,I just know if will feel like I am really "connected " to the book ,ABSOLUTELY BRILIANT INSPIRATION POST!
All the best
Desere
Sarah! You found that?? But I was so careful!!
Anita Joy - basing a villian on an in-law?? OMG - you are a brave brave woman. That would put me in the dog house for sure. What was the book?
Marybelle - see, all ready I want to steal from you - insanity gallops through your family??? What a line!
Kristin - I believe in the power of a little exageration - you ooomph up all your family members! Do you journal everyday? that was something I used to love doing until children came along and ruined everything!!!
Hi, Molly! "His Wife For One Night" sounds terrific! Hopefully, you have a very large family filled with lots of colorful characters to keep you supplied with story ideas for many years to come : )
I had a very dear friend who was a handsome older gentleman, and he strongly resembled Charlton Heston. He was tall and broad-shouldered with very blue eyes and high cheekbones. He was a true "Southern Gentleman"! He was also a WWII Vet, a skilled carpenter, and a teller of corny jokes. I met him because he was a customer at the bank where I worked. He knew some of the older members of my family, and had gone to school with my grandfather's sister. Our friendship lasted twenty years, until his death. I changed jobs several times, and he would always come to visit me wherever I worked. He brought boxes of fresh-made assorted doughnuts (I'd love to have one right now), and I supplied the coffee. After he would leave, my coworkers always closed in on the doughnuts. Sometimes they would ask me when his next visit would be! My friend told me many stories of his service in the NAVY during WWII. He was a gunnery sighter on a battleship in the Pacific Battle Theatre. He really made me see the horror of war. However, he was also very funny--quick with one-liners! The funniest story that he ever told me involved an immovable cow. We live in a mountainous area, and my friend loved to ski down through the trees and out into the open fields. One day, the conditions were perfect, and he raced down the mountain, pushing as hard as could so he could almost fly. He did fly, right into the side of a very large, immobile cow. The impact sent him over the top of the cow and almost knocked him out. The cow never moved or made a sound, just blew out breaths into the cold air. That ended the skiing in that field! We enjoyed many meals together, particularly at a steak house with an "all-you-can-eat" buffet. We noticed that the baked potatoes that came with the steaks seemed to get larger each time we ordered, so we started to bet on how big the potatoes would be. One day, they were so huge, when the waiter came around the corner with the tray, my friend said out loud "Boulders!". That almost destroyed me. I laughed until I cried, and my friend sat there with a straight face. Everyone stared, including the management. Mercifully, we didn't get thrown out, and they let us continue as customers. My friend was very, very ill the last few years of his life with a painful debilitative disease. I was honored that he wanted me to sit with him. Truly honored. I cried my heart out at his funeral service, all the way to the grave sight. I lost more than a friend. I lost a hero. He lives in my heart, and I miss him every day.
Snookie - five siblings?! Amazing. I love the stories that come from big families. My Dad was one of five and in his stories it was always like the kids were the wild pack of animals - causing trouble. I always ask "where were Oma and Opa?? While they were playing William Tell with the baby?
Barbara - some people seem to get all the bad luck (and Crazy stories) - I'm glad to hear your friends are okay!! I have one friend who gets every bizarre illness. No joke.
And yes - Dear Author did give HIS WIFE FOR ONE NIGHT a wonderful review. I'm still doing a little happy dance.
Wow - Virginia what a beautiful story! What a lucky person to have someone like that come into your life. Amazing - thanks so much for sharing!!!
Hi Molly,
Oh boy, I would love to write a story about one of my best friends. Honestly, I would have to tone her down b/c no one would believe me!
When you first meet her, she comes off as a very typical Southern debutante. She's bright and bubbly, loves the color pink and shopping. A lot of people meet her and think "dumb blonde."
However she has an astrophysics degree, a law degree, and she used to do street racing as an teenager. (We're not supposed to know about that part, shhh!)
She's completely fearless. She pulled a man out of a flipped over burning car. She's great with car and any kind of house repair you can think of and currently works as a patent attorney. About the only thing she fears? Commitment!
What is it with thees people and commitment? ;-)
Hi Molly! First I have to say that we all wanna steal story ideas from Sarah, lol! She ROCKS! Since I have just started trying to be a writer I haven't used alot of my friends or family, yet! The first manuscript I wrote I did use a guy I grew up with as the hero. He is now a firefighter and so damn HOT! Shhh dont tell my hubby, lol! But he was my inspiration. I'm sure all my crazy family and friends will find their way into my writing at some point.
Can't wait to read your book! Have a wonderful day!!!
I thought I had a "normal" childhood. Apparently not.
My dad wasn't my bio dad (or my brother's), even though my parents were long married before and after my birth (for 49 years "together"). Man across the street was my bio dad and everyone (and I mean everyone) in town knew it but me - until I was 39 and all three of them were dead. And that's just the start!
We have my mom's three sisters who were never happy unless they started up a feud or two within the sister relationships.
I worked at a finance company for years, so I dealt with lots of customers on a regular basis. To this day, I will see them on the street and think, "good account" or "bad account", as I took payments but also phoned and wrote the overdue customers.
My MIL has Alzheimer's and my mom's cancer had gone to her brain, so there's lots of "funny" stories (at least in retrospect) about not being fully dressed in public and faking injuries to "look good".
I "keep up with" my brother's life by reading the "police beat" section in his local paper (OMG, the stories I could tell).
There. That's just a tiny sampling of people who could be in my stories (and are in my blog comments on occasion). No need to fear that they'll read my comments, as lots are dead and the others don't read - unless there's pictures (just kidding; not really).
I am enjoying all the posts this morning. Thank you for the insight into your character Molly. I have a fairly ordinary family. If I could grant a wish I'd conjure up a hero who could live with my niece though. She's been married and divorced. Had a miscarriage during that marriage. Then she had a son but she fought with the son's father. Her ex husband helped her move out in the middle of the night. The father has the son one or two days a week and comes to family gatherings. For a while my niece rented a house and her son's father rented the basement of the house. She remains friends with her first boyfriend from high school who happens to own the house she was renting. He has a daughter but no longer lives with his daughter's mother. He also stood as a witness instead of a bridesmaid at my niece's wedding. Her hero would have to be able to stand for all her exs who are still friends. She doesn't have commitment phobias she just can't say goodbye to anyone.
Molly, it was my first completed ms, aimed at M&B Sweet, and now lurks in the dark depths of my desk drawer - never to see light of day again. Although I do think my villianous in-law may have to jump stories in the future...
Jill - I love it! Your best friend's got everyone fooled....I may have to borrow a little of her...
Alina - if you actually know a hot firefighter you are required by law to use him in a romance novel. It's the law...what can you do?
LANEY!!! The guy across the street and no one told you??? I can't imagine the shock. It sounds like your family has a healthy does of drama!! I hope you are able to keep calm in all of it...
Kaylee - my husband's family is much the same way. His step mom and birth mother are best friends - they even vacation together!!
I always think of my grandfather and grandmother. Someone needs to tell their story.
He was a tenant farmer and railroad worker. She was a nurse who traveled via wagon with the doctor to go on visits. She was much younger, a flapper and read opera and had an incredible tea cup collection. He grew an amazing flower garden and had a coleus collection. The guy talked to beef cattle and worked a garden hoe but, later in life, bought a Karmen Ghia to drive up and down those mountain roads. I was sure he did it to give my grandmother a thrill.
I never knew they were tenant farmers until after they were long gone but their love story makes me smile every time. They were rich in more important ways.
Peace, Julie
I've known several people over the years that are commitment phobic but I think it's easier for men to say it. They say 'I don't want to get married' and most people accept it but when a woman says it everyone wants to change their mind.
As Molly's CP, I can say that HIS WIFE FOR ONE NIGHT is excellent, and Jack a great hero!
Molly, apart from his commitment phobia, Caleb sounds like a pretty interesting guy!
Hey Julie - we have to keep the stories of our grandparents alive and it sounds like your family had a good one. Have you read Half-Broke horses? Jeanette Wells? You'd probably like it.
Maureen - I think you're right, but Men who say they don't want babies - everyone tries to change thier mind. Women who don't want children, they leave alone... interesting.
Hey Mary - Caleb is a wonderful guy and perhaps just very picky?
Loved that your story is based on Caleb. Can't wait to find out what he thinks about the book..let me know when he finds out and I'll bring the popcorn.
Virginia made me cry. That was the sweetest story. And Laney4, holy smokes! That's a story right there.
My family is so full of nuts that my husband bought my mom a sign for outside her door that says "Welcome to the Nut House." No one has ever questioned it.
I've based several of my characters on people I know, usually tweaking them so they can't be recognized as such. One of my recurring characters - Bubba - is based on my youngest brother Blake. Blake is a huge redneck, country as a pot of turnip greens. He'll break your hand with his handshake and bend over backwards to help a friend in need. He loves to hunt and fish and watch chick flicks. I love the irony in him and in my character Bubba. :)
Great post...I'm loving hearing about everyone's real life characters.
@ Molly - I try to journal every day but I think it comes down to 3-4 times a week. It can take up a lot of time and sometimes things just can't really be captured into words anyway.
But I do it for my own enjoyment and don't feel guilty when a day passes and I haven't written more then four words. Like: Bad Day, can't talk. Or: Good Day, talk later. :D
Hi, Molly,
I love your story about your cousin - he sounds like a great guy. And your book sounds so intriguing - I can't wait to read His Wife for One Night!
I have to confess that I've used a real person more than once. In the first draft of a very early book, I made a client I didn't like (demanding, rude, difficult, etc.) the villain of the book. I even used her first name. But it was too difficult to write about her, because instead of my fictional character, I kept picturing my client. So I took her out of the book.
More recently, the heroine of my most recent Super, Life Rewritten, was inspired by a real person. I know nothing about this woman except her amazing voice, her drumming ability and her charisma when she performs, but she started a whole 'what if' thing in my head that eventually led to Delaney.
What can I say? I'm a writer. I'm shameless.
Margaret
Molly,
First off, I love your books. Can't wait to read HIS WIFE FOR ONE NIGHT.
I am working on a book loosely inspired by an event that took place last summer. My husband and his older brother were fishing with the kids and they saw a guy in the river having trouble swimming. They jumped in got the guy to safety and inspired a book about twins who rescue a woman and well, it's a romance, so you can guess the rest.
True events spark the imagination and then can be taken in completely different directions. I also include the true story of the Dish Fairy, but under entirely different circumstances than it actually happened.
Liz - I love Bubba and he's based on your brother!! Love him more. Love the fact that I can hear your voice in my head saying "country as a pot of turnip greens."
Margaret - I've had that problem too in a current WIP. It's the use of the real name, makes it too personal in my head....
Kristina! Thanks - and I sense a love triangle in your books future. I love it!
Molly--First, thanks for letting us know you're finished stealing from Sarah. DIBS! Leave the microphones in place...we can work out any billing/routing issues privately.
The only character I've ever written based on a real person was the best friend of the hero in His Secret Past. She's named after my real life best friend. We "designed" her together, making up her job, looks, love interest, etc. That was fun.
Your cousin sounds fascinating and "his" book sounds terrific. Glad to know the bad mommy is fictional. Bad mommies are so useful to us writers, aren't they? ;-)
I have used family members for the basis of secondary characters. A heroine's dad who was a lot like my brother...or rather the way I wished my brother was. I redeemed him in the end, but my brother...? That's somebody else's job.
Great blog, Molly.
And congrats on the Woo-hoo review.
Deb
Ellen - what we do without bad parents? They are my bread and butter which is ridiculous since my parents are so wonderful.
Deb - I love it! Redeeming our 'based on" characters in real life is someone else's job. Much like getting Caleb to settle down... not my job, though I try every Thanksgiving...
Hi Molly,
HIS WIFE FOR ONE NIGHT is on it's way to me so probably after reading that I'll have to wait for your next to see which relative it is based on!
Trying to come up with a likeable and flawed character is real hard work, so you've given me an idea. Now I'll look in my relatives for all flawed, likeable and loveable characters!
Molly, LOL! Enjoyed your blog. Caleb sounds like terrific hero material.
Maybe we’re lucky to have great parents. We can make up bad ones and ours won’t think we’re talking about them.
I have a ton of relatives; I use their names and characteristics. I’m sure they all think they are the heroines and heroes—and they are—some of the time.
There are many characters in my family and life who'd make good secondary characters. There's one that I would like to see turned into a hero in real life. Talk about commitment issues! Unfortunately, the jury's still out on whether he will get a happy ending and how many hearts he will trample before then.
I'm fascinated with how your hero gets a wife with whom he's never really spent much time as a husband. Hmmmm. Must get my hands on that one!
Ah Nas Dean - there's the problem, we like them because they're family - but will everyone else? Good luck!! And I haven't even started on the next one, so I'm not sure yet, either. i will keep you posted...
Hi Mary, every once in a while my mom will get nervous and wonder what she did to me to make all the mother's in books so evil...
Hi JV - those commitment phobes always attract women who think they can change them... it's a vicious cycle.
Hey Molly, Family as fodder for story ideas is a bottomless well. I like to grab one-liners from my MIL, e.g. "jealous to the death", "it's not healthy for a man to go without sex." She said the last to her son, my husband-to-be at the time!
Molly,
I think your hero sounds wonderful and whats better than a romance between friends? I think it's the best when two people who have known each other for a long time suddenly realise what they've been missing!!
There certainly has been some drama in my family. I'm from Germany and one half of my family was living in the Western part while the other one was living in the Eastern part. So, communication wasn't always easy due to the political situation. Today we mostly laugh about it but back then it was quite a serious matter.
Your boook sounds great! Good luck with it!
Hey I love the idea of putting someone elses stories on paper. What ever works for you got for it.
Molly, I'll chip in for stealing ideas from Sarah. You know you could make a living at this!
I have based one character in my books on a real person, my niece Cassie appears in Second Chance Family. And the funniest thing was I got an email from a reader who said she loved all the other characters but found Cassie unrealistic. Just goes to show, truth is stranger than fiction. Looking forward to your latest release. It got a terrific review on Dear Author.
Karina
Hi Molly, your hero sounds wonderful! And the book has a really interesting premise. Bu you do have to be careful. Family members usually think you're writing about them when it's something bad. I once wrote a secondary character who was a deadbeat dad. He had the same name as my brother who then believed I was talking about him. It took me ages to convince him I wasn't. And he's an amazing father, one of the best I know.
Jean - you've got to be kidding - she said that to her son? Hilarious.
Jacquie - I think that why people love books about Friends who finally realize how much they are attracted to each other... it's a fun journey
Claudia - that is incredible. Honestly, that's epic drama. Political drama doesn't enter into a lot of family stuff - amazing.
Virginia - thanks for stopping by and I have to get these ideas from SOMEWHERE and Sarah found the mic!!
Karina - I suppose I should let you know that the family trip to NZ is actually a ruse to steal your ideas...and you're right truth is stranger than fiction.
I haven't written about someone I know. Yet.
My family is very boring----no stories to be told here.
Molly, what a hoot. It's why I enjoy reading your books so much . I can't believe I'm not the only one stealing Sarah's story ideas. I hope she never finds the mic I hid in her laundry room.
I get my story ideas from a big blue cloud. If I don't grab them quick it moves on and later I see a book in print and think, "That was my idea!"
Worse is when I see a book in print and think, "I wish that was my idea!" And have to wonder if my big blue cloud passed me by altogether.
Ah Molly, so you're coming to NZ to steal my ideas. I only have one a year and I've already had 2011's so you're out of luck! But if you're looking for a new seam to mine I can recommend Abby Gaines.
Molly,
I put a little piece of one of my sister's life in my first ms and she wasn't thrilled- but that may be because I wrote my heroine's story with different facts and a very different resolution than the drama my sister lived through. Come to think of it, my sister absolutely did not do what I would have written for her, so she may be miffed because I changed the story completely.
Hi Molly
Your new story sounds amazing... as amazing as your cousin. Some men I know who work in dangerous jobs avoid commitment because they know the risks they take and know how much a significant other would hurt if something happened to them. One even told me that they shouldn't be allowed to have mothers.
My immediate extended family - siblings,mil, uncles,aunts and cousins (spouses and children)number around 200. I have 5 alpha male brothers to give away free... No returns.
His Wife for one night sounds simply stunning I cant wait to read it I just must find out what happens !!
I cant really think of anyone in my life that can be used in a book but I must tell you I don't think your a bad person at all , inspiring the world with your stories and inspiring someone eles's life with the story is so cool !
I do think your right when you say that Caleb will most likely not like the 'fear of commitment" but I am sure he will get over it just fine.
Thank you for sharing the great post with us and knowing where you got the inspiration from will make it so much more enjoyable when I get to read it,I just know if will feel like I am really "connected " to the book ,ABSOLUTELY BRILIANT INSPIRATION POST!
All the best
Desere
Thanks everyone for stopping by! I love that families are so inspiring and exasperating everywhere you go!!
I couldn't resist, so I got the book and read it. It was wonderful! Had me in tears toward the end, but, thankfully, you came through with the HEA. Friends-to-lovers is one of my very favorite themes, and reunion or second-chance stories are up there, too. This story had some of each!
I just love a tortured hero, and Jack was most definitely a tortured hero. Loved it!
Oh my, what a fab conversation I missed with my crazy week. There are enough character ideas here to keep a writer busy for a lifetime!
Hey JV - thanks so much, I'm so glad you liked the book!
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