Mac Rome, Author with Midnight Frost Books!

Today on the blog, I'd like to welcome fellow Crimson Frost/Midnight Frost author, Mac Rome!

Mac's written several short stories, one of which I have the privilege to read, 11th Month Inn. 

It was a great take on the months of the year! My review can be found here.

Thanks for being today Mac!

Thanks to Lillie for giving me the chance to share this blog post.

“Where do your characters come from?”

“Are your characters based on anybody in your life?”

“What is the inspiration for your characters?”

I’m never entirely sure how to answer such questions. I never set out to base characters on anyone, although I sometimes find I’ve written aspects of a person into them. (That’s especially true of my wife. Pieces of her personality or elements of her mannerisms have a way of getting written into my work without my realizing it.)

“Who’s your favorite character in this book?”

You might as well ask, “Who’s your favorite child?” I’m sure my children wouldn’t want me to answer that, and how would I choose between them to do it?

But some characters are easier to let go than others. Some live while I write them, in my mind and heart and on the digital page. But others won’t let go.

I had that experience in writing Eve’s Thieves, my novel coming out in November from Midnight Frost Books.

There’s a character in the book called BeBe in Eve’s Thieves. In my original outline for the book, BeBe was going to appear in one chapter, early on. But BeBe captured my imagination at some level.

When I needed a means for Peri, one of the lead characters, to accomplish something, BeBe simply made logical sense. But then she just kept cropping back up.

It was as if I could hear BeBe, with her Appalachian foothills dialect, whispering in my ear, “Hey, Mac, you really need me here, y’know.” “Hey, Mac, you need someone to fill this function in the book, and, hon, you know I’m perfect for the job.” “Hey, Mac ...”

(Thankfully, I wasn’t literally hearing BeBe. If I had, I would have sought medical attention!) 

(*snort* I've been there Mac!)

The story is written now, but BeBe is one of several characters to stay with me from Eve’s Thieves. She’s also the one I’ve had rumbling through my mind the most. As I understand her more and more, I realize her hopes and dreams, as well as her strengths and shortcomings. All those things were always there, but they were buried inside me, waiting to come out ... kind of like BeBe herself.

Where do characters come from? From unplumbed, uncharted places in the heart, the soul, and the imagination. And the best find ways to stay with you, regardless of whether they’re heroes, villains or somewhere in between.

Eve’s Thieves tells the story of a group of six women, victimized by magical thieves who’ve stolen aspects of the women’s physical beings, rather than money or property. The women find the means to band together and restore what was stolen, but it comes at a price. Little is as it seems. Not everyone can be trusted. A loss can mean death, but each victory brings them closer to an inevitable confrontation with an ancient and powerful evil.

Thanks again, Lillie!

Mac Rome

Thanks again for being here today Mac! Can't wait to read Eve's Thieves!