In Praise of Jennie Olson

If you sat down ten different authors and spoke to them about their process, you might be surprised to find that no two are really the same. I know plenty of them and have stopped being shocked that what they do is so different from my process.

A perfect example can be found in creating characters. I have heard of authors creating notepads filled with details about each of their characters, much of which will never make it onto the page. For me, they tend to come to life as I write the story.

There is, though, one notable exception. That would be Jennie Olson!!

When I was invited to be part of the Murder Maker anthology, I joined the other authors in selecting from a list of short character bios that came with a picture attached. As I was scrolling through, this lady basically told me to stop, saying. "We need to have a conversation." I listened and her story came to me very quickly.

When I was given the chance to use Jennie again in the sequel, Murder Makers, I jumped at the chance. It took no time at all for her character to come through loud and clear, as she never really stopped talking to me at the end of the original story. You should be warned that Jennie is not a loveable character, but she is one that you cannot ignore. I should know because she is still talking and I'm still listening. She will show up somewhere else down the line and I'll probably end up going wherever she leads me.

Murder Makers will be available on eBook October 1, so be sure to tell Jennie I sent you.

JW