In celebration of the first day of my free promo, I'm going to be talking about some of the main characters in Guilty Deceptions. Who they are, why they are important to the story, and what inspired me to write them the way that I did. I will start with the protagonist of the story, Sheriff Dawson.
Sheriff Dawson
As the protagonist and narrator of the story, Sheriff Dawson plays a key role in the story. Guilty Deceptions is told from his point of view, and the reader knows no more or less than he does at any given time. There are times that it is believed by the reader, that they think they know more. however.
I wrote Sheriff Dawson the way that I did, because I thought while he should be the person not only telling the story, but investigating it, I can also use his mind, thoughts, and feelings to express my own views on certain situations. This is why, even though it's only 1869, Sheriff Dawson has some very modern views on certain subjects. He is ahead of his time.
I wrote it in that this was his first ever murder investigation as Sheriff, because I wanted him eager to investigate, and yet leave it open to mistakes. Because, we all know there was bound to be mistakes made in 1869.
Not only is Guilty Deceptions written as if Sheriff Dawson is sitting down with the reader telling them a story, it is also very much told from the perspective of being in his head. This means that not only can we watch his character grow, but we can see with it the doubt, fear, and even hope that enters his mind with each new turn of events.
Sheriff Dawson is important to the story, not only because of the way he tells the story. He is vital to the story because he genuinely cares. I had a lot of fun with this character, getting into his head, seeing his views, thinking about how he would handle this situation, or what he thought of other characters was easy. I think in some ways, I know Sheriff Dawson better than I know myself.
Caroline Sheppard
Though she is not a main character and doesn't appear too often in the book itself. Caroline is an important character. When I was researching the case this story is based off of. I had read that a group of children were the ones to discover the bodies. I knew that the person that found the gruesome scene, had to be a child. I made the child a girl, because little girls would be more inclined to be traumatized by such an event. Her sisters were with her, but we never really learn much about the sisters. I believe I had cut a scene, (I'll see if I can find it) where Sheriff Dawson talks to all three of the girls about what they found.
I made Caroline as sweet and sensitive as I could, so that she would be the most devastated and torn by what she found. She swore to keep it a secret, out of fear but her conscious has other ideas. Someone once told me Caroline was the heart of the story, and I would say, I have to agree. Without her, the discovery wouldn't have been as impactful.
John Riley
John was based on a real life person, one of whom I obviously never met. I developed John's appearance and mannerisms based on three things. Photos and descriptions of the real person, to the best of my ability. Assumptions made based on how it was recorded the man treated people. I also drew a lot of inspiration from past relationships with "abusive" men.
I also looked at the stereotype for rich men, especially ones in the 1800s. How they treated women, and others who were a lower class than they were.
Deputy Jackson
Patrick was one of the hardest characters I ever written. Yet, Sheriff Dawson needed that sidekick at his side. I think the hardest part was dropping hints to Patrick being homosexual with out bringing it out in the open as such things were considered taboo in 1869. Somehow though, I think Sheriff Dawson suspects but his "modern" views make it so it doesn't matter to him.
Horace Baker
I needed a shady character to run a shady Inn. I took inspiration for shady characters from movies and mixed it with the mannerisms and behaviors from one of my exes. Horace, had to be a character that heard things that went on in his shady bar. He also has an excellent memory, which is good for the story because it gives Sheriff Dawson insight on things that happened the previous fall. Horace is the bridge between Sheriff Dawson's world, and his world.
Becky Dawson
Becky was a hard character to write as well. I needed a character as complex as Becky, because she would make a good match for Sheriff Dawson. There is a lot of love and hate for Becky Dawson. Some people hate her character, and thinks she's sneaky nd manipulative. What do you think about Becky?
Lastly we have,
Maggie Hill
While Maggie is also based on a real life person, one on whom I never met. I drew a lot of inspiration from what I thought a woman from 1869 should be. I put a lot of myself into this character. I know that's funny as I put myself in Sheriff Dawson too. I like to think these characters represent my two sides. There would be no Guilty Deceptions without this key character. Maggie has a love for life, and art. Which is why there is an attraction there to begin with. I can't say much on Maggie, as it would give too much away. But, I feel if this character was changed to someone else, than we wouldn't have the same Guilty Deceptions we have today.
I could go on for another hour about other characters in Guilty Deceptions, but I'm going to cut it off with Maggie. If you haven't read Guilty Deceptions yet, the ebook is free from today until June 16th.
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