Character Issues

Wouldn’t it be great if all of our characters were beloved family friends to our readers? I remember a story about a woman calling a pastor for some counseling. After talking with the woman for several minutes, the pastor was quite concerned. The woman had related multiple stories of adultery and murder. The pastor, upon further questioning of the woman, felt quite silly at having been so duped. The woman had been relating stories from her favorite soap opera. She was quite concerned over their fates.

If only all the readers of my stories felt so much connection with my characters. Apparently the readers of Craig Johnson’s stories about a fictional Wyoming Sheriff feel that connection. His main character, Walt Longmire, received 13 write-in votes in the recent Johnson County, Wyoming Sheriff’s election. :-) You can pre-order Johnson’s latest offering – Another Man’s Moccasins – at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Another-Mans-Moccasins-Longmire-Mystery/dp/0670018619/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211428575&sr=8-1