Where did Joshua come from?

I write in first-person. I began this practice upon the recommendation of a publisher who rejected my first novel, Innocent People, but saw merit in the story.

But I am not Joshua. Or Evie. Or Brad. I develop my characters from a composite of my experiences, based on where I want them to go.

Joshua came mainly, I think, from my experience of teaching high school. I saw many young men like him--talented, full of potential, and completely lost.

Evie is a stereotype I created when I was young. The "fifty-year old woman." I've known very few people, personally, who fit the stereotype, but it remains. When my mother turned fifty, she mentioned my "fifty-year old woman" concept. But she didn't fit it--and she never has.

In two days, insha Allah, I will be fifty. I don't fit the stereotype either. I don't care about fashions or what other people think of me--except when it comes to my writing. I'm not Evie. She remains a decades-long figment of my imagination--though she has come to mean more than that to me.

When my next book, Turbulence, is published early next year I will talk about where Brad came from. But not yet.

My characters come from me, in the deepest sense. I have met people--often briefly--who inspire them. I take mental notes during all my encounters. And when I sit down to write, all those past experiences, those mental notes, come into focus.

Joshua comes from many different places. My concern for young men who lack direction. My experience with students who slouched through life. He comes from my experiences and my imagination. Amazingly, he has become a part of my life.