One of the best parts of writing this first novel for me has been to create characters that have been living in my head for a very long time. Well, not just create them, but really get to know them. To discover their wants and needs, likes and dislikes, backstory, personality traits—everything. I've created so many characters in my head throughout my life. Finally putting two (or three or four) into actual words felt surreal, but oh-so-good.
So let me introduce you to my two sister sleuths: Mira and CeCe Flynn. The two sisters live with their dad, Patrick, and their cat, Whiskers. Eleven-year-old Mira (short for Miranda) is shy, lonely, angry, and super smart. She has an impressive talent for remembering what she sees. In the past year, she's experienced some upsetting hardships. She's also hit that tween moment when life feels harder, when even small moments can seem overwhelming, when speaking up can seem mortifying if you are wrong. Or when your parents begin to embarrass you because everything they do is clearly designed to embarrass you! As I wrote Mira, I realized that some of my own feelings as an eleven-year-old pored onto the page. In other ways she reminds me a bit of my oldest daughter too.
Mira's younger sister, CeCe, is nine. She adores her older sister. CeCe is all about snacks. And her backpack! She likes to always be prepared, so she fills her bag with all the things a nine-year-old might find handy, from snacks (of course) and flashlights to lucky rocks and scraps of paper (what others might call "trash"). On any given day, she likely has scraped knees, dirt on her face, and hair going in all directions. It's hard for her not to talk—and to talk at a rapid pace! She's got Mira's back, no matter what.
I will write other character description posts that introduces some of the other characters, but for now wanted to devote at least one post (likely more) to my two sister sleuths. I love stories that focus on sisters. I also wanted to write a mystery novel with a female protagonist for kids 8-12. Too few books, in my opinion, in this genre have a girl as the protagonist!
When I get stumped writing, I like to sketch my two sister sleuths. My doodles aren't very good, but they help me think through my characters in new ways. My mind wanders and enter their world. I can't wait to see what an illustrator does to help make this world come alive in ways that I can't!
And I will let you in on a little secret: I wrote this book for my two daughters. I wanted them to see their mom writing for them. I wanted to read it aloud to them and get their feedback (they are harsh critics in the best way possible!). I wanted them to see me struggle to write. I wanted them to see me excited each day to figure out what Mira and CeCe would do next. We brainstorm book 2 and 3 and 4 together. They share their thoughts at random moments about the book. They feel like they are part of the process—and that means the world to me.
And now, I am going to get back to plotting book 2!
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