Let’s talk about writers’ secrets.
I’ve written enough over the decades to know now that many, MANY of my works have secret meanings. Some are not intentional… just comes out that way.
There are 2 things I do ALL the time that only the people who know me best MIGHT catch, or people who were with me at a certain point in my life.
Secret #1: My Supernatural Characters Are a Code
All my supernatural characters represent something at a deeper level, even if it’s not obvious in the book. My fictional witches are the misfits and outcasts who don’t belong. The demons in my novels are past trauma. The angels represent our better selves. My chimeras are torn between 2 or more purposes in life and struggle with them all. The ghosts represent what was, or what was lost, and the frustration of what can never be. Monsters represent rage or hate in action and the physical outcomes from hidden enemies. A few examples, but I have my own internal code for each category of character.
Flying by Night — a witch on the run, the people who betrayed her, and the ancient Goddess watching it all. If you want the character code in action, this is where it lives. Available direct from the author →
Secret #2: My Villains Are Named After People Who Earned It
My villain always has the name (some derivative) of someone who did something bad to me, usually something stronger than an annoyance. They’re a personal who’s who of people who’ve pissed me off at the office, and it’s hard for people who know me REALLY well to read my mystery or suspense novels because they know who the villain is the first time they see the derivative of the name. It’s my way of expunging mean people from my list of grievances, and if the villain appears in multiple novels, well, I guess some people are harder to expunge.
A Personal Who’s-Who of Grievances
Now the villain’s surname could be the last name of my 2nd grade teacher who gave me a lower grade than I’d earned because she insisted to my mom that giving me a low grade in English would encourage me to be more athletic—THAT backfired, of course, because then I just studied that much harder. But I do remember gathering up all my A+ English assignments at the age of 7 to build my case for my mom to take to her because even then I knew that “documentation is your friend.”
Or my villain’s surname could be influenced by the annoying guy at work who blamed me as an intern for his mistake and got me yelled at by the Front Office.
Or my villain’s first name might be the same as the aging socialite at church who humiliated me as a teen because she got me mixed up with someone else, and then doubled down on the mistake.
Or it could be a private reference to the romantic interest who went to extraordinary lengths to hide his relationship status.
The level of offense varies, yes, but they are all people who did something mean or cruel and either never got called out for it or had enough power in the situation that they avoided any correction or apology.
Is It Silly? Sure. I Do It Anyway.
Is it silly to do this? Maybe, but I get a chuckle from it. Have been since 1993, if not earlier.
(disclaimer: the image is just an AI quickie and NOT based on any real names from my books)
A witch-on-the-run thriller where love, betrayal, and murder collide under the watch of an ancient Goddess.
Visit the Book Page →