Questions
Many people have asked me where the inspiration for Nancy Jane came from. Was she based off of someone from my past? How did I come up with the nasty things she did to Emma in A Secret Fire?
The Answer
*This post includes a few small spoilers*
I don’t really know. I mean, we’ve all had those people in our lives, be they boys or girls, that have ruined certain days, sometimes years, for us. But was there just the one?
No. Not for me, anyway. Nancy Jane is not based on anyone specific that I knew. She was mainly the accumulation of people I had witnessed being rude to others, people who I have interacted with myself years back, and people who I can imagine are out there tormenting everyone with their pompous and degrading attitudes.
I remember seeing television shows and movies, reading books, and seeing in real life when the ‘bad girl’ would always end up just being ignored, and that was the only pleasure the victim would receive. I did not want this to happen in A Secret Fire, mainly for Emma’s sake. I wanted Emma to feel empowered, to be able to stand up to the bully in her life, and to feel, for once in her life, that she was in charge. However, I did not want her to be as rude to Nancy Jane as she was to Emma, because then she’s just as much in the wrong, and that is just not who Emma is.
So, as we read in A Secret Fire, I came up with a way to have Emma stand up for herself, but not be nasty, this being, in my opinion, the best way to handle certain situations with bullies of every kind. But of course, as the author, I could be a bit crueler than Emma could, so I allowed the pink-clad Nancy Jane to get what was coming to her: a nice dousing in some horse-spit water!
Confession & Conclusion
I must admit, however, that I enjoyed writing Nancy Jane Tilman’s part in the novel. She brought out another complication in the story, as well as another way to allow Emma’s character to shine through the writing. My favorite part was being able to write about Nancy Jane’s clothing and accent. She reminds me of the annoying Gertie Cummings on the musical, Oklahoma: always giggling and getting in the way of true love!
I’ve also considered writing a branch off of A Secret Fire where I tell Nancy Jane’s story, but I just don’t know if I could do it. I’d either have to keep her as nasty as a flea or change her into something as sweet as a Georgia Peach, and I just don’t know if I could decide between the two! So, for now, I’ll keep Nancy Jane just as she is: flirting, scowling, and sopping wet.
Until next time, happy reading!
Deborah
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