I have to be quick. I overslept and it's snowing, which means I should be logging off right this instant, not just beginning my blog.
This morning, I downloaded a picture for my desktop from Vietnam. It's a charming enough picture with palms and water and a boat, but what tipped it from being something I enjoyed glancing at to something I downloaded was the location. I never had all that much interest in Vietnam until Cai showed up in 2003. (Cai is the heroine from The Power of Two.) She and Jake have been gone since the summer of 2004, but I still think of them.
My characters are also the reason why I've developed an interest in a lot of things that I wouldn't have expected. Maia had me studying the inner workings of art museums, Deke had me learning about the LAPD and being a private investigator, and I have an anthropology book courtesy of Kendall.
In the end, a lot of it comes down to research, but I also find myself drawn to things that either remind me of my characters or represent them in some way. Sometimes it makes me wonder.
Off to battle snow and cold.
