During my blog tour, I wrote a post called, Finding Dory Fisher. It was about how it can be difficult to change a character's name at the end of the process. Names are important. But even more than the name, it's crucial to find the characters themselves. When I write, I "cast" my characters, much like they do when they make a movie. I pick someone to embody each person I create. And that can be the most difficult part of the process for me. Until I find the perfect match, I can't write. And for To Katie With Love, the biggest challenge was in finding Cooper Maxwell.

I've mentioned, more than once, how chapter one was written on napkins in a dark, smoky, karaoke bar while I was waiting for my turn to sing. In this very first version of chapter one, I envisioned Cooper as Josh Duhamel (Captain Lennox from Transformers.) But despite the fact that he's pretty good looking, he never really felt ​like Cooper. So chapter one sat, collecting dust while I ran though the possibilities. ​

Then one day I came up with the idea of using Robert Pattinson of Twilight fame as my Cooper. He wasn't a bad choice, but he wasn't the ultimate choice. In the end, I went with the another handsome Brit, Henry Cavill. He had everything the other guys had, and more.

So I immersed myself in everything Henry Cavill. I watched interviews and movies until I felt I had him down, then I merged that with everything I'd imagined for Cooper, and the rest was magic. ​So is Cooper Maxwell actually Henry Cavill? No, in my head, Henry Cavill is playing Cooper Maxwell. That's just how it works for me.

I don't know how other writers approach character development, but for me, it's crucial to have a face to put with the fantasy. Every character in my book ​started out as a real person playing a part inside my head. I think that's why they feel so real, because to me, they are real. And the world inside my head is a pretty cool place to hang out...I'm just saying...

Until the next time...I'll be creating new characters for a new story.​

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