Melyorise asked Joy Ellis:

I just recently discovered your DI Jackman/DS Evans series and I am hooked. Out of all the characters, DS Evans intrigues me the most. She seems to embody an ideal in the novels. I don't mean she is not a believable character, but more like she is the conduit for much of the message in your stories. Did you create her by mixing more than one person/-nality into one or is she a pure product of your imagination?

Joy Ellis Hello there, so pleased that you like the Jackman and Evans books, and I have to say, Marie has always been one of my favourite characters. Although she is a product of my imagination... she kind of 'arrived' as a fully formed person, as I started to write the series. Her background, that of losing her husband in a motorcycle accident, was something that happened to an old friend of mine, and I was so moved by the tragedy and how she coped with it, that I allowed Marie to immortalise it for her. I used to ride a motorbike too, so fully understand her love for riding and for bikes. Marie, to me, is a voice of honest reason, someone for other characters to look up to and respect.

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