At long last ’tis cover reveal week and I thought we’d have a little fun first by way of character introductions. So without further ado, here’s a peek into those pages of A Heart Adrift…
Creating a new heroine is always a joy & a challenge. I begin with a name, one that is period-appropriate but not quite as common as Martha or Ann. Esmée is a traditional English name with a French flair and goes well with Shaw. Sometimes it’s as simple as that and a character blooms. I never plan or plot out my character’s personality. On paper they assume a life of their own without my help, thank you very much:) It’s always a bit mystifying that all my heroines are unique yet share that one essential commonality of being likeable, or so I hope. I sometimes think as I’m writing their story, “Would I want this person as my friend off the page?”
I like Esmée Shaw especially as she’s older and hopefully wiser. She shares one of my passions – chocolate. And she has a kind, benevolent heart, something I find endearing about book characters as well as real life people. Her sister, Eliza, is her polar opposite. Poor Esmée. But we don’t get to choose our relatives. I don’t know that I’d like Eliza for a bosom friend but she was lively & wonderfully fun to write:) I even miss her!
And then there’s our hero…