No Brad Pitts, Please

When I write... I like to model my characters (specifically my men) after someone I can clearly hold in my mind as I create them. I guess this is a way of cheating, but I've found since I began doing it, my characters have taken on a fullness and three-dimensional feel I'd never mastered before.

So, who are some of these awe-inspiring, or at the least, story-inspiring men?

I recently finished a contemporary novel, titled Something Better (due out in March 2010). The hero in that book is a sexy actor who had been in the business since he was a kid. Which was a direct reflection of the man who inspired David Bishop... one Joshua Jackson. I've had a few people read the manuscript, and those who know Josh Jackson was my model have told me they clearly see him in the character of David. I hope that for those who don't know... Well... I hope he's still a great character for them.

I have one actor who inspired not one, but two characters in a book series. In The Phoenix Rebellion, I have a father and son - both inspired by the same man just in different stages of his life. The older, seasoned and foxy Colonel Nick Tanner is a reflection of Richard Dean Anderson in his 'Jack O'Neill' days... as I like to call them. His son, a younger and slightly naive man named Michael - would be RDA as seen in his 'MacGyver' years. Of the two characters, I have to admit that Michael is my favorite - but the older Richard Dean Anderson is -- by far -- the sexier of the two.

Often, my choice of models differs from what most people would find 'sexy'. Okay... not always... because yeah, Joshua Jackson just teems with sexiness. What can I say? But, his character called for that. He's an actor -- a well known and sought after actor -- so there has to be some level of sexiness, right? :-) But in my other 'men', I look for that 'something else' that makes them appealing.

A sub-character in The Phoenix Rebellion series takes on a major roll in the follow-up series, Phoenix Rising... coming some time next year. The series is science fiction, and the character is actually an alien. Yeah, he looks human but that's a long story and in order to find out how that works, you'll just have to read the books. :-) Anyway, his name is John Smith (an inside joke), and his 'model' is Christopher Eccleston. I can't seem to figure out how to do more than one picture in a post, or I'd post more pictures. BUT, if you know Christopher Eccleston - he's no Brad Pitt. And for that, I say 'Thank God'. He's got kinda big ears, a big nose and his face is a study of angles and sharp lines. But, there is something that appeals to me in him... and so he's my John Smith.

Someday, I swear I'm going to find the perfect character to model after Ben Afleck. He's a Boston Boy, so I feel obliged. I just haven't found that right 'mix' yet. Every once in awhile, I'll see an actor in a roll and something about them will call to me... and sometimes, that's the very spark I need to create my next story.

Who inspires you? Anyone?