I’ve had several questions about the characters in The Portal’s Choice and how I came up with each of them. I’ve also had readers ask if the characters are based on people I know? Or on me? It’s time to see if I can answer these questions and I am going to start with Tallis Challinor.

When I first had the idea for The Portal’s Choice I only knew that I had a story about a connection that existed between an old house and an even older cemetery. I wasn’t sure if the protagonist was going to be an adult or a young adult. I wrote bits of the story from the point of view of Tallis’ aunt, Gabbie. But those sections didn’t sound right. Then I wrote a chapter, one that did stay in the book in very much the same form, from Tallis’ point of view. I tried it in third person and in first person. In the process I found out that Tallis had a definite personality and she wanted to share herself from a first person perspective. I didn’t have a choice. Tallis is a strong-willed kid.

Once I knew who the protagonist was, I needed to see her clearly. That led to the obvious question, “What does Tallis Challinor look like?” I can tell you that Tallis went through a few incarnations before I saw her clearly. At one point, she was very tall and thin. Somewhere in there she had red hair. Her eyes were brown. No green. She was a sloppy dresser. She was very neat and tidy. (I have teenagers so I quickly threw out that idea.) She was petite. She was overweight. She was, she was, she was…

I wrote all sorts of descriptions of Tallis in a gray, spiral bound notebook. I like looking back at that notebook from time to time just to trace the beginnings of Tallis through to the finished character. I ultimately figured out her look and her demeanor when I discovered her name. I’ve written in past blogs about my penchant for looking up names and their meanings as I develop my characters. The name Tallis jumped out at me and finally I saw the young woman in my head.

Tallis is a medium height with curly black hair and very blue eyes. She started out in The Portal’s Choice with a habit of munching on Peanut M&Ms. She liked to crunch on the candy and just having it around was a comfort. She’d gained weight as a result but I knew, and so did Tallis, that the weight was a protective barrier. She missed her parents, who had died. Her living situation with Uncle Craig and her cousin Hanna was stressful. And M&Ms were a coping mechanism. I had a feeling that she would change as her story progressed.

As important as Tallis’ physical description was to me as a writer, I needed to understand what motivated her even more. What drove her? What was most important to her? First and foremost, Tallis loves her family, especially her brother, Wyatt. She always includes Wyatt’s welfare in her decision-making. She loves him more than anyone else. So a prime motivation for Tallis is to protect the welfare of her brother.

I also determined that Tallis is a very courageous young woman, she simply needed to realize that herself. I believe that The Portal’s Choice is, in part, a story about making courageous choices even when they are difficult. Tallis did just that.  She has a sense of honor and a need to do what is right, not simply what is easy. She grew stronger as her courage was tested. And she learned about herself through challenges.

Essentially, Tallis is a very normal teenager. I have watched my kids and their friends face challenges and difficult situations. And they’ve learned and grown from these experiences. I suppose Tallis is like another one of my kids. Just as I enjoy watching them change and grow, I look forward to Tallis’ evolution as she and I create the next books together.

 

Picture courtesy of http://www.sentimentalnakuhinja.com/page/2/