Camp NaNoWriMo Day #2 My Protagonist

 Meet Henry Bell, the main character of my story. Henry is a tall, well-built fellow, dark-skinned and curly-haired and looks every bit the Romany gypsy of his mother's blood. He usually wears his hair tied back in a ponytail and is beardless, especially during COVID days when this story begins. This is a picture of Colin Farrell doing his best not to look too crazed. Henry actually has a more heavy-lidded, deadpan look on his face when he's in public. But this is a start. He's 6' 4" tall and only his best buds call him "Tink" - short for Tinker Bell, the name of his business. We'll get into more of that in another post. 

What else about Henry? He's fairly agile and quiet and his hands tend to have gray stains, especially under the nails and fingertips. No tattoos. The only piercings are for two earrings. That I know for sure. He likes to walk barefoot. He has a deep voice. He does not snore. He's a runner. 

I'll add more as he evolves in my imagination. 

Do you use photos of famous people to imagine your characters? An image in front of my face is so important to start imagining their personalities.

Camp NaNoWriMo Day #1 Naming a Book

On the Edge is the working title of this new book idea, and I have been trying to remember how the idea and the character came to grab my throat about six months ago. I suppose something I was reading caught my fancy. I remember reading a historical novel that had a book character who wore throwing knives. That lead to some research and the discovery that knife-throwing is quite the hobby in modern day America. Who would have guessed? 

Of course, I had to give it a try myself, so I bought myself several sets of throwing knives and asked my husband to make some end-cut targets for me. And then the winter weather set in and I couldn't practice much. That will change soon. Because these wicked toys are waiting for me!

I have an affinity for knives that goes back a long way, I suppose because I like to cook, and so I like sharp knives. It didn't take long for me to make the jump to knife-sharpening and finding groups - large groups! - on Facebook that make a living in this trade. I started practicing and found I like the actual process of honing a steel blade to a razor-sharp edge. 

And what does this have to do with my story? It's the basis of the first Cutting Edge Mystery. It's also the start of creating a hero who likes knives as much as I do. I'll be working developing ideas, characters, and a lot more all the month of April. 

So tomorrow, I'll introduce my main character. I do know his name, if not too much else. But you'll have to wait a day to meet him. See you tomorrow!

April Fool's Day

 Testing.

Planning for April

 I am organizing a daily writing challenge at Colorado Writers and Publishers on Facebook via Camp NaNoWriMo. My goal is the brainstorm the Cutting Edge Mystery series, which currently only has a few characters and absolutely no plot ideas! This could be interesting.

Join me over at Facebook if you want to play along and look for writing prompts with this image. Or if you have an account at the National Novel Writing Month website, join my cabin here. 

With Due Credit to the Creator of the Header

 Such an amazing piece of art! Click here for more information. 

Designing a Home on Wheels

 

Well, it doesn't look like a vardo, but it does help in researching how to go about designing a custom van. This Scooby Doo van is kind of fun. Read more here.

Have you ever gotten a custom paint job on your vehicle? Leave me some tips for how you went about it. 

A Modern Vardo Look

 

And So It Begins