The Romance Reviews

Thursday 22 October 2009

The Haunting of Keena Kincaid


All of us authors talk about "hearing voices" but how many of you are haunted by your characters? In the bathroom, no less?


It seems regardless of what book I'm working on, whenever I'm in the tub, trying to soak away the stress and horror of the day, my characters come calling.


They inspect the sink and toilets (as I write medievals, running water is a big deal to them) give my toothbrush a cursory look, and study the deodorant/antiperspirant stick.



And as they pillage my bathroom, they begin to chatter, idly spilling secrets I've tried to draw out of them for months. As I relax, eyes closed and nowhere near pen and paper, they FINALLY decide to confess the childhood trauma that (they swear) left no lasting damage to their psyche, other than a lingering fear of moldy wheat.


And since I write about Druids out of time, they tell me about the first time they saw a ghost, if they are afraid of their own magic, or if they ever misused their gifts for selfish purposes.


Like a real ghost, these visitations are sporadic and unpredictable. I never know if it'll be a gentle haunting, the brush of spectral ideas against my relaxing brain or full-blown, poltergeist-esque tempest that re-energizes my muse and keeps me up all night typing.


So...am I alone in this? Do your characters haunt one specific room in your house, or do they just take over the entire abode?



7 comments:

Lindsay Townsend said...

Hi Keena! Very original take on hauntings, and very arresting!

To answer your question, I find my characters often start chattering when I go to bed and then won't shut up!

Stephanie Burkhart said...

Keena, I agree - definately an interesting take on hauntings. It's not surprising your druids come to visit - **smiles and giggles** at the thought of them visiting your bathroom...

More seriously, yes, they haunt me, too. Usually when it's dark and late at night - they prefer to assault me right when I settle down into the bed, but sometimes they show up in the car on the way to work. They are fasinated by cars - both Anton & Matthias - since they just got them in 1901.

Linday, haha! Yes, I had the same problem.

Creative, Keena!
Smiles
Steph

LK Hunsaker said...

Okay, I'm chuckling about your bathroom visitors!

Mine tend to haunt the whole house and especially my garden, but only when I'm alone, of course. This makes the shower a good place for them to emerge. There must be something about water that attracts them. When I used to swim alone, they always did laps with me.

Liana Laverentz said...

This is why I say a writer can never be lonely. We have all these imaginary people living with us!

Liana

Savanna Kougar said...

Keena, I'm chuckling. It is a haunting, isn't it?
And, yep, they do haunt me in the bathroom... at inconvenient times... and, when I'm driving... something about the open road they especially enjoy.
Oh, my semi-lucid dreams, they come calling. Course, I can't complain a whole lot there, unless I can't remember when I finally wake up.

Keena Kincaid said...

Hi, everyone. Sorry I've been MIA today. Been on the road, traveling to Ohio to see my parents. They'll celebrate 50 years of wedding bliss next week, so I'm here to help plan the party.

Thanks for the great comments. And I'm feeling a little lonely in bed now. LOL! Seldom do they talk to me as I go to sleep, but then I tend to fall asleep pretty fast.

I'm on the road again tomorrow (going to a book signing). I'll see if any of them come along for the ride.

Lindsay Townsend said...

Good luck with the book signing, Keena!
Happy anniversary to your parents!