Years ago (and still applies today), the experts were telling fiction writers that in order to really know their main character, they must come up with a character profile sheet for them and definitely applies to all your characters as well. This is a good practice because once you know all the ins and outs of all your characters, the book flows better and allows the author to get inside the head of each of their characters.
We decided to ask authors if they would like to come up with a character sketch of their main character, throwing in a few unique questions to make it really fun!
Today we have Marlene M. Bell stopping by on her blog tour with a character sketch of her main character, Laura Harris. Enjoy!
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Learn more about Laura Harris!
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Name of Character: Laura Harris
Age: In her fourth decade
Eye Color: Brown, the shade of mud per Laura’s mindset. She would’ve preferred her dad’s hazel eye color.
Hair Color: Natural blonde hair with highlights. Like her mother. Petite 4’ 11 inches tall with size 4 feet. Has a habit of blushing brought on by strong emotions. Laura is a trained chef on hiatus from her work as a celebrity chef in California due to her mother’s illness.
Birthplace: A New England Town
Birthplace: Napa Valley, California
Marital Status: Single and looking…
Children: None.
Place of Residence: Coldspell, in East Texas
Description of Home: A small, older rent house in the woods no more than a studio apartment in size. A temporary stopping point.
Dominant Character Traits: Judgmental and inquisitive
Best Friend in town: Duska Novak, owner of the town’s bakery
Enemies and Why: Laura doesn’t have any known enemies in Texas. She’s been living there a short time. Once she uncovers her mentor’s body in Stenburg, TX and investigates the murder, everyone is a suspect and might also become a possible enemy.
Temperament: Kind and helpful to those close to her, although she’s peppered by bursts of snap judgements. She allows her longing for a loving relationship to interrupt logical thought while investigating her long-time mentor’s death.
Ambition: To use her skills as a pastry chef to produce cookbooks and run a Michelin four-star restaurant. She’d like to eventually find a mate with likeminded values.
Educational Background: College and accredited culinary schools based in Europe where she concluded her formal training as a chef in France.
Philosophy of Life: This can change depending on her situation. Helping others who are less fortunate is her strongest driving force.
Bad Habits: Has a habit of taking control in areas best left to experts in their fields. Snap judgments can get her in trouble when charging ahead and bowling others over. Laura can be oblivious once she sets her mind to a goal.
Talents: She’s a superb cook and loves to write about food.
Hobby or Hobbies: Writing a cookbook is the only sideline Laura has time for in this novel.
Why is Character Likeable? She is relatable to most readers who have had elderly parents with medical issues (and pushy friends.) When Laura is on her game and doesn’t allow her emotions to run wild, that is. There is a strong character ARC for the protagonist which changes her by the end of the book.
Favorite Pig Out Food: Chocolate cake and profiteroles (A filled cream puff.)
Character Mini-Interview:
Every New Year’s I resolve to: Finish my cookbook and publish it.
Nobody knows I am: Lonely and afraid of not finding the right mate—dying alone in old age.
I wish: My Dad finds happiness and can push beyond the loss of Mom.
The worse part of my life is: Controlling my impulses to meddle where I don’t belong.
I want to teach my children that: The old ways and philosophies are still the soundest advice for living a happy life.
A good time for me is: Spending time in nature to reflect.
The worse advice my father gave me is: Learn to play golf as a hobby. The game is boring.
When I feel sorry for myself: I think about the time I wasted on my career instead of getting to know Mom on a deeper level.
My friends like me because: I’m compassionate and a good listener.
My major accomplishment is: Moving away from my siblings in order for them to make their own way without my help.
My most humbling experience was: Finding an elderly friend like Hattie Stenburg and listening to her wisdom from the time I was a child. She was a great lady who made me feel good about myself and what I could accomplish in a lifetime. She will be sorely missed.
Meet the Author
Mystery at a killing pace.
Marlene M. Bell has never met a sheep she didn’t like. As a personal touch, her fans often find these wooly creatures visiting her international romantic suspense, thriller, and cozy mystery books as characters or subject matter.
Marlene’s multi-award-winning Annalisse series boasts numerous Best Mystery honors for all installments including the newest IP Best Regional Australia/New Zealand, and Global Gold Award for the fourth cozy mystery from down under.
Her children's picture book, Mia and Nattie: One Great Team! written for the younger crowd, is based on true events from the Bell’s Texas sheep ranch. Suitable reading for ages 3 - 7 years and beyond, a Mom's Choice Gold Award winner, and Eric Hoffer Award Grand Prize Short List winner.
Website & Social Media:
Website ➜ https://www.marlenembell.com
Twitter ➜ https://twitter.com/ewephoric
Facebook ➜ https://www.facebook.com/marlenembell
Goodreads ➜ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17642396.Marlene_M_Bell
Inside the Book
Marlene M. Bell brings distant friends together in the rural South only to have one of them become the victim of a brutal crime of passion.
Once celebrated for her show-stopping pastries and irresistible desserts, former celebrity chef Laura Harris is now making headlines for a far darker reason.
Laura has been accused of murder.
How could this petite chef have brutally smothered the beloved small-town matriarch, World War II ferry pilot veteran, Hattie Stenburg? Hattie wasn’t just a pillar of the community; she was Laura’s confidant and mentor. The shocking twist? Hattie had made recent changes to her will, bypassing next-of kin and leaving her entire fortune and historic estate to Laura.
As Laura scrambles to clear her name, she uncovers sinister secrets lurking beneath the town’s idyllic surface. The real murderer is always one step ahead, leaving taunting clues and threatening Laura to leave Texas—or face deadly consequences. With time not a luxury, Laura must untangle the web of deceit before the killer makes her the next victim.
A Hush at Midnight is available at Amazon.
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