When characters come alive...

This morning I was at the train station (I went to Nottingham for two hours - I'm such a jet-setter) when I saw a girl who made me stop in my tracks: with her short platinum hair, battered leather jacket, long legs and punkish look, she looked exactly how I imagine the heroine of the book I'm reading to look.

Spooky, or what?

Carry on over the cut to find out what I'm reading...

The book is Paint it Black, Janet Fitch's long-awaited follow-up to her excellent debut White Oleander (which I heard about back when Oprah's book club highlighted new fiction - aka: the good old days). The main character is Josie Tyrell, twenty year old artists' model and casual drug user, whose painter boyfriend has just killed herself, leaving her reeling.

I'll be reviewing the book next week - so find out what I thought of it then, but in the meantime, have you ever seen characters from a book you're reading 'appear' in real life, and been completely spooked? (I do hope I'm not the only one!)

When characters come alive... - Comments

  • Very Spooky

  • Ooh, you should have, Jill! ;)



    It must be even cooler/more shocking when it&#39s one of your own characters!



    Thanks for the vote of confidence in the book, Superblondgirl, I&#39m finding it good so far, but am not far into it yet...



    x

  • Glad I&#39m not the only one! It&#39s only happened once to me, but it knocked me sideways. I&#39d just finished writing a book and saw one of the male characters (a bad boy) walking down the street. It was definitely him, in every respect. I nearly followed him...

  • That&#39s so awesome - and I absolutely loved Paint it Black, it was incredibly good.

  • This has happened a couple of times. Not only that, but I&#39ve had a YA book in my head since I was 15 (am kind of writing it when I feel like it although I&#39ve planned it all!) There&#39s a small character who isn&#39t significant but she&#39s the town&#39s local reporter. I&#39ve always had her in my head and her name&#39s Jenny - I was pretty spooked to go on work experience and see MY town&#39s local reporter - who looks and sounds EXACTLY like MY Jenny - and her name, creepier still, is Jenny too.



    I know that sounds stupid but it can happen with your own characters too. Which is probably more eerie.

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