Getting to Know Your Character
More on Visual Thesaurus can be found here: http://www.visualthesaurus.com
A few weeks ago the novelist Laurel Dewey graciously shared with us her story about writing her debut suspense novel Protector . It's a book driven by a complex protagonist named Detective Jane Perry. We were curious to know how Laurel created her hero so we called her up for an insightful and fascinating conversation about character development:
VT: You describe your latest book, "Protector," as a character-driven crime thriller. What do you mean by that?
Laurel: Well, the book is driven by the main character, Detective Jane Perry. I developed her over a period of two years, but it goes further back than that. She was an image in my mind's eye years before I ever researched the story. But then I created a character that was so real to me that it was difficult to believe that she didn't exist.
VT: How did you accomplish that?
Laurel: I wanted to learn everything about her so I needed to know where she lived and where she hung out. I chose Denver as her hometown and trolled the streets looking for her house. When I found what I felt was her house, I took a photograph of it and put that picture up on the wall in front of my computer when I was writing the story. Also, this character's an alcoholic who frequents bars, so I found a bar that I thought she'd visit. I hung out in that bar to get a sense of the place, to know what it smelled like, what kind of people frequented it, what the colors of the walls were.
But I wanted to go back even further. Where did Jane grow up? She had a horrific childhood which was critical to the story. So I went to the boonies outside of Denver, where I decided she grew up, and again chose a house, and took pictures of the house and the yard.
VT: Sounds like that took a lot of time.
Laurel: I really took the time to research her character before I sat down to write the book. This was also after interviewing and spending time with cops and homicide detectives and sheriffs. I did a lot of research on that end to get a feel for her work.
VT: What was that like?
Laurel: I went to the sheriff's department in Grand Junction, Colorado, and met with a wonderful detective there who spent hours with me. A brutal crime takes place in the book so I had to look at graphic crime scenes to understand what they look like. I wasn't going to sit down and write a crime thriller if I didn't understand the nature of the beast. When I sat down in March of 2001 to write the first chapter I knew everything about Jane Perry. I knew where she liked to eat, what brand of cigarettes she smoked, what brand of whiskey she drank, what she would and wouldn't do. I also knew what kind of clothing she wore, where she shopped, even what kind of coffee she drank.
VT: But a lot of these details didn't make it into your book, right?
Laurel: No, they didn't. But from a writer's viewpoint, you have to understand these details, the whisky, the cigarettes. The writer must inhabit their main character, that's really the crux of this whole thing. At some point you don't know where you begin and they begin or you end up. You start to entangle yourself with this character. That's the interesting part of really getting into this creation.
VT: Sounds a little scary.
Laurel: There were many times when I was writing the book that my friends would tell me I was acting differently. Jane Perry has an extremely crusty mouth, she uses lot of profanity. I'm not saying that I don't, but I'm nowhere near her. But friends would say to me, my God, what had gotten into me, because I was talking like her. My husband noticed this too. He told me I started walking differently. It was kind of strange. It was the way I envisioned Jane Perry walking.
VT: It seems to me like you were just going along for the ride.
Laurel: I've said this before, it is so true. I was along for the ride but I learned a lot from her, too. I feel I became a more compassionate person after writing her story, and I can't even describe that. I've subsequently written the sequel to "Protector" which is titled "Redemption." It's a long way from getting published because they want to keep "Protector" out for a while. But after writing the sequel I became even a more compassionate a person. I tended to be a little judgmental before I started writing about Jane Perry. People say, well, this all sounds kind of woo-woo, you know, but I'm not a woo-woo person.
VT: You don't sound like it.
Laurel: It caught me off guard as much as anyone. There were times I'd sit back in my chair as I was writing and I'd have to take a breath and kind of ask myself, what's happening here.
VT: It's so interesting because while you're talking about a character, it's a creation that really came to life.
Laurel: It did. As far as I'm concerned Jane Perry's still living in Denver on Milwaukee Street and if I just drive by that house maybe she'll walk out and I'll get a glimpse of her because she's that real. As far as the character development she became so real at times that when I would start writing a scene, and as I would get into the character of Jane Perry, she, I, we -- however you want to say it --- would completely go in another direction. Now it wasn't a direction that was off the charts but a lot of times I would sit there and write this dialogue and I think, wow, that's not what I planned but it's much better. She would carry a scene in a certain direction, and the more I got connected to her the more it became that way.
VT: This seems like it circles back to what you said in the beginning, that you took the time to really inhabit this character's space.
Laurel: People have said to me, are you Jane Perry? I've had agents ask me if I was really Jane Perry because if so, they were a little nervous about representing me. I'd say no and they'd say how can you write about this kind of life if you haven't experienced it? But as one reviewer put it, Jane Perry was one of the most real fictional characters she had ever read.
“The remarkable thing about Protector is the underlying message that even those with the most deep-seated issues, those who seem terminally flawed, can rise above their problems to accomplish things no one thought possible, least of all themselves. Protector is a fast-paced thriller that is an absolute must read for anyone who loves suspense. (It) will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last moment.”
Web Weekly
“As a reviewer who is accustomed to reading the big, bold and commercialized offerings, it always comes as an amazing and sweet delight to run across a new author who can knock these bad boys/girls off the shelves. Dewey does this and more…(She) offers up a tale of a connection between woman and child that will break your heart, a mystery that will challenge your intellect, and the promise of redemption that will remind you to hope. A beautiful and deeply satisfying novel…”
New Mystery Reader Magazine
“This is a first-rate suspense novel. Laurel Dewey is a fresh, exciting voice with a new perspective on the genre and a three-dimensional heroine who is flawed, infuriating, and utterly affecting. Protector is one of the most exciting and moving novels I’ve read in years.”
— Lou Aronica
The Fiction Studio
"The plot is quick and brutal, the characters deep and well-developed. Protector is a must read book for suspense lovers everywhere. Laurel Dewey has crafted a story both touching and riveting."
- Simegen.com (five stars)
"Laurel Dewey makes an impressive debut with Protector, a gripping thriller that goes far beyond the requirements of the suspense/crime genre to provide penetrating psychological insight into the human condition. She combines her riveting tale with emotionally probing psychological analysis that resonates in the reader long after the case is solved. Dewey’s heroine, Detective Jane Perry, is as real as a fictional character can get. Action filled, spell-binding and even spine-tingling, the plot will seize and hold the attention of any thrill seeker. Dewey’s work is about how to help us all to let go of whatever towrope we’re hanging onto."
- Janet Hamilton
Myshelf.com Reviews
"Laurel Dewey has crafted a memorable tale full of mystery and emotion in this debut novel...(She) spins a fantastic suspense yarn, but this story is driven by the relationship of (the main characters). Protector will tug at your heartstrings as Dewey reminds us of the importance of family and relationships. This is an outstanding beginning to what is sure to be a successful writing career for Laurel Dewey."
Jake Chism
Armchair Interviews
"Laurel Dewey writes a hard-edged thriller with plenty of mystery and intrigue...Dewey presents a rough-around-the-edges lead character with real problems and emotional dysfunctions and deftly takes us along on the journey as Jane Perry finds her inner strength, despite her own horrific childhood, to help another child...Ultimately, it's a story of a woman coming face to face with her own deepest fears, and the ride is a wild one."
Curled Up With A Good Book
“I had to keep reading. There are so many mysteries that seemed to be tangled into one. Anyone who likes a page-turning mystery will love PROTECTOR.”
Readerviews.com
“Dewey is a talented writer who shows a flair for creating edgy crime fiction with a strong psychological component and an interesting mystical dimension. (She) has discovered a worthy (story) in Protector, a crime novel featuring an interesting supernatural twist that sets it apart from the traditional mystery.”
TCM Reviews
“Laurel Dewey's debut mystery novel, PROTECTOR, is an exciting, intriguing, and sometimes frightening thriller. Though the mystery in PROTECTOR is about the investigation of the gruesome murders of five people who appear to be innocent victims and the intense search for the criminals responsible, the heart of the novel concerns Detective Jane Perry and nine year old Emily Lawrence, the child she has sworn to protect. It is the relationship between Jane and Emily that makes PROTECTOR a great novel and a fabulous mystery.”
Mysterious Reviews
“Laurel Dewey's debut novel, Protector, is an exciting crime thriller that has a hint of the sixth sense. (It) is surprisingly realistic in depicting the darkness of the human psyche. Dewey captures the flawed personalities of the characters really well, especially that of the heroine, Detective Jane Perry. (She) was one of the most memorable characters I've read about in a long time. (Protector) is an excellent tale of suspense that intensifies…I enjoyed the novel immensely…”
Blog Critics
“A nicely drawn thriller with a few twists of the paranormal to keep the plot interesting…this is a fast-paced journey into the private hell of an abused child grown into adulthood.”
Monsters and Critics
"Protector is a roller coaster ride of emotion, flowing from the extremes of hard-edged police work to abuse to motherhood and loss?(It) is a gritty crime drama to the core. This is definitely one of those novels that is made for the big screen."
Front Street Reviews
"Hang on for a fast-paced thriller that will grip you first page to last! PROTECTOR is an extremely fast-paced, page-turning, jaw-clenching story. The reader is pulled into living the story with the characters. If you like suspenseful thrillers, you will love this one."
Fresh Fiction
“Laurel Dewey has created a realistic heroine in Jane Perry. PROTECTOR is quite fast-paced, and the climax rushes at the reader at full tilt. Readers of suspense novels will enjoy this author, and this heroine.”
Roundtable Reviews
“Dewey writes with a raw intensity that literally jumps off the pages and draws the reader in from start to finish. PROTECTOR is a roller coaster ride of startling twists and shocking turns that you just won’t see coming. Unique, mystic, and almost exhausting, PROTECTOR will have you glued to its pages from beginning to end.”
Vicki Landes, author of “Europe for the Senses – A Photographic Journal”
“Laurel Dewey has crafted a well-told story with totally believable characters. You may even find yourself getting more involved with this story more than others of this type. Look for this one and put Laurel Dewey on your “must read” for her future offerings.”
Baryon Reviews, #106
“Protector totally blew me away. Totally and completely…I ended the book in tears, and wanting to be able to read more about Jane Perry immediately so I sure hope this is going to be a series.”
Kaye Barley, DorothyL Reviews
“Protector takes the traditional crime drama and blends it with the metaphysical to become an intensifying debut novel. (This) is a crime thriller that is both powerful and emotional…”
Quality Book Reviews
See what readers
are saying about Protector
Order your copy now!
ATN Publishing
and
Amazon.com
All rights reserved.
Site designed and Maintained by
Stonecreek Media, Inc
