I LOVE WHEN THAT HAPPENS

As a novelist, I’m often asked, “How do you create your characters? Are they based on real people or do you just make them up?”

Most of them, I just make up. Sometimes they are composites of people I’ve known or met in my journey through life, but more often than not they are merely products of my imagination.

Take my novel, EYEWALL, for example. The character of Dr. Nicholas Obermeyer, or Obie as he’s called in the book, is based in very small part on Dr. Steve Lyons, the former tropical weather expert at The Weather Channel. I wanted a character who possessed the vast knowledge of hurricanes and hurricane behavior that Steve does. But I also wanted a character who was essentially “over the top.”

Steve, while he holds strong opinions, is controlled and professional when it comes to expressing them. Obie isn’t. He’s an outspoken maverick. His mouth and actions get him into trouble, a lot of trouble. He’s well-intended in what he does, but he’s just too “in your face” when it comes to executing what he wants to do or say.

The character of Karlyn Hill, the aerial reconnaissance weather officer (ARWO) in the novel, was inspired by a former on-camera meteorologist I worked with at The Weather Channel, NIcole Mitchell. Having a female in a key role of the book opened up a lot of romantic possibilities to me as an author.

Nicole, like my fictional Karlyn, is an ARWO with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, the famed Hurricane Hunters featured in EYEWALL. But Karlyn, unlike Nicole, is a free-wheeling, edgy character who doesn’t display all the best moral qualities.

Nicole was afraid the character would be viewed as reflective of her. But nothing could be further from the truth. Nicole is a mature, responsible antithesis to Karlyn. Nicole, besides her jobs at The Weather Channel and with the Air Force Reserve, performed community outreach work and put herself through law school.

The name Karlyn, by the way, is one I’ve always liked. I went to high school with a girl named Karlyn who was smart and attractive and later became, many years ago, Miss Oregon. The Karlyn in the book is smart and attractive, too, but needs some “adult supervision.” Again, the fictional Karlyn bears no resemblance in terms of behavior to the real-life Karlyn after whom she is named.

Speaking of names, there’s a mean-spirited, churlish executive vice president in the novel by the name of Robbie McSwanson. He’s the quasi-namesake of a friend of mine, Bob Swanson. Bob badly wanted a character in the novel to be named after him. I told him all I had left was a Scotsman who’s a real jerk (I might have used a stronger description than that.) “Okay, okay,” Bob said, “that’s fine.” I wonder if he still feels the same way.

Bob, by the way, is not a jerk. He’s a cool guy who’s also known as Stormin’ Bob Swanson, the Singing Weatherman.

One final anecdote about a character in my book, Sherrie Willis. Sherrie, an on-camera meteorologist at the fictional network in the story, was not originally meant to be a key player in the novel. She was designed to be a mere walk-on, a stereotypical dumb blonde about whom Obie could fire off some one-liners. After that, gonzo.

But the first line out of her mouth surprised me and I thought, “That was clever. I have to keep her around. I kind of like her.” Sherrie not only became an important character, she pulled off the most shocking scene in the book. Shocking because it wasn’t in the “script,” my outline of the novel.

After I wrote the scene, I was stunned. “Where in the heck did that come from?” I think I actually said that aloud.

It wasn’t me. It was Sherrie, startling the author. I love when that happens.

 

Visit Buzz at: www.BuzzBernard.com

Read an excerpt of  EYEWALL at : EYEWALL

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BARNES & NOBLE

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