I’ve been asked by readers how I come up with the ideas for my novels, how I imagine my characters, and how I come up with their names. I’ll tell you 5 things that come to mind.
Names
How do you name your characters in your novels? I have 3 methods for naming my characters. The first is using names of people I know; beloved family members and friends, and friends of my kids. You will notice this in the Davina and Quinn Love series https://deboraharmstrong.ca/forever-love/. So, if you know my friends and family, you’ll recognize them in Forever Love. In most cases, these names are used for the “good” characters. The second method is using names that have caught my attention and made me want to use them. For example, I love the names Jules, Quinn, and Stevie. The third is naming my characters by running a contest. It’s fun to have readers participate in naming a character or two. A reader entered the name of Foxx for my antagonist in Love’s Games. Foxx fits this redheaded troublemaker perfectly.
Storyline
How do you know what you’re going to write for your novels? This answer is easy. I don’t. The Davina and Quinn Love series started without an ending in mind. Davina and Quinn kept telling me to write their story. It unravelled in my brain like a movie, each scene becoming a chapter. When I wrote the original ending, my daughters convinced me to change it and so Love’s Promises and Love’s Games came to be. In the Game Changer series, I wrote what I thought was the ending first. Little did I know that Dane didn’t want this to be the end of his story, only part of it. He and Lucky had other plans https://deboraharmstrong.ca/boss/
Timeline
How long does it take you to write a novel? When the characters talk non-stop to me, I can tell their story in 3 months. If the characters are secretive and don’t like to tell me everything at once, it takes me 6 months or more. For instance, Forever Love and Love’s Promises came quickly, both ready for publishing in the first year. Boss had to be rewritten. The first few chapters of the book didn’t fit and so Boss was given a new beginning. Bates‘ story is coming to me slowly. Bates is the strong and silent type. It wasn’t until this winter that he finally let me in on his secrets. The same with Luke. His story comes to me every night before I fall asleep.
What is your writing process for novels? There are plotters and pantsers. Plotters know every scene, the word count, the characters inside and out. Pantsers write as the story comes to them. I’m a panster, although I do write out a scene if it comes to me and I know I’ll want to use it at some time.
Characters and Setting
How do I see my characters in my novels? This is a tough one. At first, I use Pinterest https://www.pinterest.ca/deboraharmstrongauthor and find as many celebrity or model photos of what I think would work for my books. I go pin-crazy and then I go through my pins and imagine the various faces as belonging to my characters. Subsequently, I go back and forth, unable to decide on an exact face or body type and then my characters become hybrids of real-life people. Quinn always has long dark hair and a chiselled face. Quinn became a combination of Taylor Kitsch, John Corbett, and Joe Manganiello. Davina is a combination of Paige Turvo and Diane Ladd. For Dane, I zeroed in on Tom Hardy and Jessica Chastain, along with a redheaded Drew Barrymore. I still add to my boards when I come across an interesting face, outfit, setting, and anything else that would look great in my stories.
What’s Happening Now?
Good news! Love’s Promises is in its final (fingers crossed) read-through before it gets uploaded to Amazon. Love’s Games will be hot on its trail, coming out early fall. As I mentioned earlier, both Luke and Bates have pushed their stories forward, and so I look forward to what they have planned.
I’ve answered 5 questions about my novels. Do you have anything you’d like to ask? Do you imagine the characters looking different than the celebrities I have in mind? If so, I’d love for you to share them with me.
Plans are in the works for celebrating Love’s Promises‘ release. I’ll have giveaways with great prizes. Be sure to follow me on social media to get your chance to win.
Happy reading!
Deborah Armstrong is an expert in writing engaging and scintillating romance. For example, in the Davina and Quinn Love series, Deborah Armstrong writes hot and spicy contemporary romance with a touch of country, inviting her readers to experience Hollywood, New York City, and her very own dairy farm in Canada. However, in the Game Changer series, Deborah uses the foothills of Alberta as her setting for her sensual romances. Deborah Armstrong’s books are for you if you love passion, drama, and suspense in your romance stories.
©Deborah Armstrong, 2021 all rights reserved
