The characters of Ten Years and Then…

Ten Years and Then… officially comes out next Tuesday, so here’s a little bit more background on the book.

If you’ve read any of my other books, you’ll notice some familiar themes and ideas. The setting, for one thing – like Dream Student and Finders Keepers, Ten Years begins at college, and at the end of the 1980’s.  And also like Dream Student especially, this new novel features some things from my life.  I’m definitely not Daniel, the male lead of the book, but there’s a lot of me in him.  And a lot of what happens to him springs from moments in my life that could have gone differently.

Like Daniel, there was a girl at the bus stop in high school who I didn’t realize was flirting with me; but unlike Daniel I didn’t have anybody to tell me that’s what was going on at the time.

And like Daniel, there was a “Nora” in my sophomore year, but unlike him, I had one very awkward date with her, and nothing more.

There was even someone like Valerie the law student who I met my senior year of college, but again unlike the book, we were never more than slightly more than acquaintances.

On my first business trip at my first real job, I ended up at a karaoke bar, just like Daniel did.  And also like Daniel, I was in Paris on December 31, 1999.  But in both cases I was alone, unlike him!

And speaking of Valerie the law student, she’s only got a small role but she was a fun character to write.  Here’s an illustration of her, which I think really captures her: