Are the Characters in Hanging By The Thread Inspired by Real People?

Yes. Mostly me. That is not so much me being egotistical as it is me being a new writer. As I created different personalities, I never got beyond myself! One reader who knows me well said, "They're all you!" Now, they all stem from different parts of me, so they are still distinct. And in fairness to me, that did help in the consistency of each character. Jeff reflects my sillier side. Colton reflects my personality in a lot of ways. But the character most reflective of me is the professor.

The professor is a hybrid of me and a friend of mine. He looks and acts like my friend, but he thinks and speaks like me. In other words, I express my voice through him. This is probably obvious to anyone who reads the lectures and may be annoying to some. One critic of an early manuscript was put off by the book's idealistic view of economic freedom--a view he termed as unrealistic in today's world. He said that it seems as if the author was speaking and not the professor. This did not offend me at all. I do use the professor to communicate a message I feel strongly about. Where I disagree with the critic is not in his claim that I use the character to express my own view. Where I disagree is in the conclusion that economic freedom is not realistic in today's world.

I think I am doing much better in my One series (current project) to create characters that are not just variations of me. But I don't ever intend to write a book that does not teach great truths in engaging ways. My characters, events, and stories will always teach.