What Inspired The Characters? by Leigh Raines
In one sentence: The people in my own life who have affected me for better or worse.
My college experience was a HUGE inspiration to me. I wouldn’t say entirely, because I took a lot of stuff from the post college years as well.
The situations are similar but the people themselves had to be different because I love my friends dearly and wouldn’t do them dirty like that. There was the aspect of being a girl and living in a sorority house, the politics of it all.
I met people unlike anyone else I knew. I thought I came from a certain world and my mind was blown. I went to a preppy, rich kid school with a lot of brilliant people who were also nuts and partied really hard. Let me be clear: I loved loved LOVED it. It was literally the best 4 years even though I had an epic meltdown at 19 years old. Shit happens. The friends I made weren’t because of a school district and kindergarten class. I made them because of similarities, growing together, new experiences, loyalty, need, and connecting on a different level.
My friends, boys and girls, were the biggest entertainment and there was never a dull moment. There were so many stories to be told, so many stories to live and they weren’t all glamorous because 18 -22 year old kids are screw-ups and I say that in the best way possible. You should make a million mistakes at that age, because you will learn from most of them.
Everyone has that lovesick feeling, first heartbreak. Relationships are so much less definable in our generation because of social media and the overabundance of options out there. It’s also not always a huge deal relationship. There are people who bring good and bad into our lives.
I love the quote, “People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.”
To get specific on some of the characters, I’ve taken bits and pieces of my friends and used them, Charlotte’s bossiness, Gemma’s playfulness, Ella’s loyalness, those are inspired by real people.
Charley- I ended up putting her in a southern family because I’ve always had a weird Sweet Home Alabama obsession and my parents bought a house in Georgia and moved there part time when I went to college and so I wanted a southern gal. The head bitch in charge.
Gemma is more familiar to me. She is NYC, Kardashian but not, one of those girls who is just “known”, glamorous, vain but loving, funny usually when she’s not trying, and is balls to the wall fun. The party girl.
Ella actually came out of a character I was writing in my junior year creative writing fiction class in college. She is quieter because she is the next story I want to tell and I wanted there to be an aura of intrigue around this ice queen who seems so perfect. Jade needed a touchstone, a sister she didn’t find in her own. The ultimate best friend.
The boys- no offense to the other writers out there who keeps me endlessly entertained and burning a hole into my kindle, but I literally do not know one girl who had multiple orgasms when she lost her virginity. I know more than my fair share of awkward and funny sex stories and I wrote a column my senior year for our school paper.
Also the whole “girls love bad boys”- they’re not always bad boys at all. Sometimes they’re just confused, adolescent, dumbasses who for some reason we feel drawn to. Chemistry is chemistry.
I hadn’t seen the show before I wrote it, but Will IS Jackson from Teen Wolf, played Colton Haynes. The real Chase is NOTHING like Tim Riggins, the real Will is NOTHING like Jackson. My high school boyfriend was a great guy. Was there a similar situation of being in the right place at the wrong time and being confused? Maybe. Maybe more than once in life because that’s life.
Title: We’re All Mad Here
Author: Leigh Raines
Blurb: Jade Thompson had the kind of adolescence you would find in a Norman Rockwell painting. But
at 19-years-old when her seemingly normal life is flipped on its head, she’s forced to take a closer look at the relationships in her life and the decisions she has made.
It feels as if she has fallen down a rabbit hole. As she returns to college and stumbles through her new reality, she finds herself more than a little lost. With the help of her three closest friends, we spend the year with Jade through her ups and downs where she discovers everyone is a little bit mad in the world.
About the Author
Leigh Raines graduated from college in 2007 with a BA in Journalism. For the past 7 years she has worked in either PR or various writing jobs. She’s gone the freelance route, and her main gig for the past 3 years has been at TVFanatic.com reviewing television shows, conducting interviews, and doing op-ed pieces. She also does copywriting on the side although she isn’t afraid to admit that is far less exciting.
Leigh can be found on Tumblr and loves to interact with her readers on her blog: leighraines.tumblr.com
Website: www.leighraines.com
Check out Leigh’s recent chat with Book Trib.
Giveaway!
Win one of 2 eBooks of We’re All Mad Here by Leigh Raines.
Note: The winners’ email addresses will be provided to the publisher for distribution.
Lovely guest post! It’s nice to know that her inspiration came from her college years and of the people that surrounded her. I love people-watching (in a non-stalkerish way) and I definitely think that people’s quirks and personalities are fun to get to know and they certainly leave their mark upon us. 🙂
Melissa Robles recently posted…That’s What HE Said Thursday #32: Loch to Tonya
People watching is probably one of the best hobbies for writers, huh?