All Those People Are In My Head?

by Elizabeth Noble

Where on Earth do those characters come from? Good question. Sometimes I scare myself with the number of people cavorting around in my head. It sounds nuts, but it’s not really. Well, not much.

I tend to think of a plot or story line first and then the characters come along to play their parts in the story. At first the inspiration comes from the type of character I need, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. As I write the story and get to know each of the characters better little facts and details about their lives now and in the past come to me. Sometimes these little tidbits are in reference to the part of their story I’m writing and sometimes they’re from a different time in each character’s life. The characters themselves drive their development and the plot always seems to take some turn I never expected.

I’ve used people I know and folks I work with for inspiration, good and bad. It’s great for mental health to write someone you dislike into a story and then kill them. My four-legged characters are generally based on a pet I’ve had in the past. Sig in Run for the Roses, and Obi in the Sentries are both based on a horse I had many years ago. Moose from Electric Candle is a reincarnation of my dog Phoenix’s personality. Physically Moose is the same size Phoenix was, and both dogs are mixed breeds, but they differ in color and general looks.

I love all my characters, even the bad guys, but right now I think my favorite is the vampire Jonas Forge from Electric Candle. He’s lived a long time, hasn’t simply endured but flourished and has a wicked sense of humor.

About Run For the Roses

Wanting to end his pattern of choosing controlling and abusive men, Vladimir ‘Val’ Mihalic figures it’s better to live alone than live in fear. Just when things are settling down—his biggest trouble recently is a Kentucky Derby hopeful that won’t load into a starting gate—his best friend Janelle’s violent ex-boyfriend kidnaps her. After she’s seriously injured in a car wreck, Wyatt Harig, Janelle’s estranged father, comes around to tend to his daughter. Despite Val’s determination to avoid relationships, Wyatt interests him in ways that make his resolve waver. As complications and repercussions pile on in the aftermath of Janelle’s kidnapping—including a gambling charge and a murder—Wyatt and Val must work together to seek answers. And the closer they get to each other, the more Val wants them to stay that way.

Available at: Dreamspinner Press

Excerpt from Run for the Roses

“I think it’s time I get going. I’ll call you tomorrow… well, later,” Wyatt said as he glanced down at his watch and laughed. Wyatt pushed out of his chair, offered Val a hand, and when he was standing, took Val’s glass and his own inside to the kitchen.

“Thanks again. Tonight was great, perfect,” Val said. He leaned in the doorway.

Wyatt stepped up to Val and rested one hand on his hip. “It was perfect, and thank you.” He applied soft, insistent pressure to Val’s hip, moving him into the kitchen, with the wall at his back. Leaning in, he pressed his body against Val’s, holding him against the wall, but not with so much force Val couldn’t sidestep away if he wanted to. He most certainly did not want to.

This time Wyatt ran his tongue along the length of Val’s neck, planting gentle kisses and nips on his skin. Val moaned, tilted his head back, and reached between them with both hands, trying to unbuckle Wyatt’s belt.

“I think I’d really better go,” Wyatt said softly. He gripped both of Val’s wrists and moved his hands away, holding them lightly against the wall. He pushed forward and ran his tongue over Val’s ear, then—finally—kissed him. Warmth rushed through Val. He widened his stance, inviting Wyatt’s leg between his. Steady, maddening pressure to Val’s groin from Wyatt’s thigh made his knees feel like mush and incapable of supporting his weight. The constant pressure up against his balls and cock, the way Wyatt held his hands, and how he kissed and caressed Val made Val dizzy.

Wyatt let go of Val and stepped away, leaving him panting and desperate for more. “There’s no need to rush.”

Val nodded, but he wanted to shout that there most certainly was a need, and it wanted to burst out of his jeans and rush right to Wyatt. “I… um… it’s late and we’ve had enough to drink that you probably shouldn’t drive. It’s a long way back to Lexington. You could…. I mean, I don’t mind if you stayed.” Now didn’t that just make him sound like a horny teenager after prom?

“Val, I—”

“Please. I’d feel terrible, devastated if you got a ticket. Or something horrible happened to you. We don’t have to do…. I have three bedrooms.” He put on his most pleading expression and tilted his head to one side. “Please?”

Wyatt smiled and Val’s heart melted, the man was so damn handsome. “That’s nice, very nice. Thank you. I don’t want to be a bother.” When Val opened his mouth to protest, Wyatt put one finger to his lips, stopping the words from coming out. “But since you want me to, I will.” He brushed the back of his fingers over Val’s cheek. He glanced down at Val’s groin. “Oh, and no touching. Not until we’re ready.”

About Elizabeth Noble

Elizabeth Noble started telling stories before she actually knew how to write, and her family was very happy when she learned to put words on a page. Those words turned into fan fiction that turned into a genuine love of M/M romance fiction. Being able to share her works with Dreamspinner is really a dream come true. She has a real love for all things sci-fi, futuristic, and supernatural and a bit of an unnatural interest in a super-volcano in Wyoming.

Elizabeth has three grown children and is now happily owned by an adorable mixed breed canine princess named Rosie, and two cats, Murphy and Yeti. She lives in her native northeast Ohio, the perfect place for gardening, winter and summer sports (go Tribe!). When she’s not writing she’s working as a veterinary nurse, so don’t be surprised to see her men with a pet or three who are a very big part of their lives.

The prize in this blog tour is an ebook copy of Run for the Roses. Just click the link below to enter!

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Don’t forget to check out Nikyta’s review of Run for the Roses to see what she thought of it!

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