Manic Monday with Nicki J. Markus

Welcome to another Manic Monday.

I’ve got Nicki J. Markus on tap today. Nicki was born in England but now lives in Adelaide, South Australia with her fiancé. She has loved both reading and writing from a young age and is also a linguist with several languages under her belt. She writes a variety of fiction, especially paranormal and some of her work has been published by Wicked Nights Publishing and Silver Publishing.


In her spare time, she enjoys many other pursuits such as: reading, music, theatre, cinema, photography, sketching, cross stitch and web-design. She also has a keen interest in history, folklore and mythology, pen-palling and travel.

Creating a Character by Nicki J. Markus

Often in interviews or in discussions with friends, I get asked the same question: Where do you get inspiration for your characters?

If you’d asked me this a few months ago, I would have said they come to me on their own. Usually I get new story ideas at night when I am in bed with the lights off, in that final moment before I drop off to sleep. Most of my books started that way, with my mind just running through random things before sleep.

Lately though I have come to analyse this more and I would say now that most characters are the product of what I have been reading and watching lately. For example, in my up-coming release Day-Walker, one of the vampires is able to move about in the day. Not long before I had been watching a lot of True Blood and found myself wondering how the other vampires would react if one of their kind suddenly did have that power. It is that random thought that eventually led to the story-line behind Day-Walker.

At present I am mainly reworking an older story, but I do also have a new idea on the go that I have written the opening couple of scenes for. I was having trouble with my main male character as I have a good idea of the plot in this case, but am still hesitant about what characteristics he should have. Just lately I have been watching a lot of Supernatural and have become a complete Castiel fangirl. So now my thoughts about my own protagonist are blending more and more with him since he is in my mind a lot.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Of course my character cannot be Castiel. He is another’s character and the only way to actually write a story with him in would be to write fan fiction. But as I form my own character in my mind, I blend some of the ideas I already had for him with aspects that I like from Castiel’s personality, and characteristics one of my friends displays, and, voila, I can finally see him in front of me and know who he is and what he is like. He is not born complete but is rather an amalgamation of many other people and characters.

I think this is probably true about any author’s writing. No character can appear out of thin air after all. Rather they are generated from other characters the author has read and enjoyed, or people the author knows in real life. All the things a writer experiences, whether through reading or in their daily lives, are stored away and will one day reappear in one of their books. The statement “write what you know” is often overused these days, or used in the wrong way. It doesn’t mean that you should write about a car accident because you were involved in one, it means drawing on all your experiences of people as well as events —and that is how you create a well-rounded character.


Thanks for joining me today Nicki!  Folks, you can find out more about Nicki J. Markus at the following places:   http://www.nickijmarkus.com/   http://www.facebook.com/NickiJMarkus

In the meantime, here’s a look at Nicki’s new novel Day-Walker...

When Darci spots a mysterious stranger at her latest concert, she is instantly smitten. Will is the perfect gentleman and seems to be everything she has been waiting for. But Will has a terrifying secret and soon Darci finds herself in grave peril. Will her love for him give her the strength she’ll need to prevail against overwhelming odds?


Will is drawn to Darci Madison from the moment she steps out onto the stage. He knows he shouldn’t approach her, knows his secret could put her in danger if he gets too close. But he also realizes that he cannot live without her. When his enemies learn of Darci’s existence and emerge from the shadows, Will must fight to save the woman he loves ... even though it may require the ultimate sacrifice.


For deep in the night, creatures are stirring in the darkness; creatures that long to infiltrate the light.


Join me later this week for Stephanie Campbell and another dishing session with Christine Butler on Friday to to end this fabulous first week in October.

Until then,
Ciao.
JET