J.C. Seal asked Tirza Schaefer:

Hey Tirza, I was asked this question on Twitter some time ago, and it made me reflect on my own writing and the characters I create. So, I thought it might be fun to pass on. How much of yourself (your personality, strength, fears, hopes and faults etc.) is in your characters?

Tirza Schaefer So sorry to be late with answering. I didn't see this before. As to your question, it varies in degrees. I tend to create female characters that are somewhat more along the lines to myself and female friends I am close to and love. A bit of a mix with some fictional ingredients added for good measure in varying proportions. The men are a lot more fictional. If I knew someone even remotely as hot and charming as the characters I write, I wouldn't let them go again, hahaha! But seriously, I construct the men's characters to fit the female ones. For example, in Izzy, her three men are boisterous and can be loud and the "boys will be boys" type. Izzy is a family person and thrives in a lively, happy environment, something her best friend Ria reflects upon and thinks that would kill her. She is a quiet one, often lost in her creative art and spiritual journeys. She has one man, Jordan, who can actually follow her flights of fancy for the most part and understands when she needs to be in her headspace. She couldn't divide her attention on more than one man and spread herself thin because that is what it would be for her. In Tank, we find three very different characters all playing a role in Sarah's life. However, Tank, the character, is the one exception to the golden rule because he is the one man I wrote for ME, meaning that he would be my ideal man. If I could bake one for myself, that would be him. And there will be much more on his background in Dom and Seb, the two sequels of the trilogy that are not out yet. Tank was, for once, the first character I had in mind and then Sarah followed and after that Dom and Seb was last. They all have their own unique roles in the story and even though they are so different, they work together perfectly. And in Sarah's case, she learns to fit into that dynamic over time. It's not all glitter and unicorns but it's very human. So I guess, I gave her some of my former and present insecurities and some I know a lot of women have in general to work through with her men.

flag