Sometimes when I write, I pick out a picture of someone that I want to fashion my character's appearance after. On a few occasions it's been a well-known celebrity. But sometimes it's a random face that I find on the internet, and when I'm writing about that character, especially when I'm having another character describe that person's looks, I pull up the picture and study it as I write. I thought it might be interesting to you to see the faces behind the characters, and if they're anywhere near what YOU thought the character looked like as you read.
Here are some of my favorite characters who I picked out a visual prompt for, along with the description of them in the book!
HANK
She stood, looking down at him as he kneeled. His eyes were the azure color of the ocean, she saw, now that she was close to him. A vivid, amazing blue she could lose herself in, if she stared much longer. Maybe he reminded her of someone. A celebrity? Which one?
"Hank … I don’t believe I know your last name.”
“It's Harrison."
She trotted down the wooden stairs. Then an idea hit her. She turned back. "It just dawned on me who you remind me of. Harrison Ford!"
He scratched his head. "The Star Wars fella?"
"Yes! You really resemble him, and what a coincidence your last name is Harrison."
He chuckled and shrugged.
Roadtrip to Redemption
LESLIE
Marianne admired the older woman's grace as she reclined. The woman reeked of class. Petite, fit, blonde and possessing a classic beauty, she'd always reminded Marianne of a young Doris Day, except she was quintessentially modern.
Journey to Fulfillment
JEREMY
Intrigued by him? Yes, maybe. Did it have only a little to do with his rugged good looks? His dark hair, flung back from his face, just a bit too long, with a subtle trace of curl at the ends. His jaw line, noticeably pronounced, covered with the faint stubble of whiskers. His bright blue eyes -- definitely the most captivating thing about his face, the color of a Carolina summer sky. And his lips. No. She wouldn't think about the man's lips. Definitely not. Because then she'd have no choice but to rate the kissability of those lips -- and since they were full and sensual, housing the bright white, straight teeth underneath that he'd graced her
with on the rare appearance of his smile -- she'd have to give his lips high marks.
Tide to Atonement
DAX
She looked up and her heart jumped into her throat. Tall, lean, thin-hipped. Wavy brown hair, shoulder length. Smoldering brown eyes and just a hint of whisker on his chin and lip. He was dressed in white scrubs and his tanned skin glistened in contrast.
The man was gorgeous. Her voice had disappeared. As had her mind. What had he said?
Bridge to Fruition
Mansion in Sanctuary
Although the mansion on the book cover of Sanctuary was different, this is the one I pictured while I was writing:
Patty parked the car in front of the house and they both exited, their heads tilted up to gaze at the majestic old mansion. A huge gray house, it had a stairway of about a dozen steps up to the front door. A wraparound porch was covered by a roof on three sides of the house, providing access to breezes on a hot day. The house seemed to be built in sections, and they didn’t all blend smoothly together. The divergence of shapes were peculiar. The roof of the porch above the front door was a stark triangle, however on the left side of the house was a wing in the shape of a circle, as if there were a round ballroom on the second floor and the outside walls were built circular to accommodate it. The round side of the house jutted up against a section of the second and third floor that had straight lines, square walls, and to the right, another outdoor porch started on the second floor with another roof covering it. It was odd. It was beautiful. It was an eyesore. Nora couldn’t quite make up her mind.