Blond Characters

Someone just commented on the fact that my books have a lot of blond main characters. I guess this is true. Samantha in All’s Fair in Love, War, and High School, Cami in Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Free Throws, Jessica in Fame, Glory, and Other Things on My To Do List, and although it’s not done being written yet–Chelsea in Revenge of the Cheerleaders–all have blond hair.

It’s not that I have anything for or against blonds. True, I married one and now (despite what my biology teacher told me about dominant genes) four out of my five children are blond.

When I’m out with them I sort of feel like Midge, Barbie and Ken’s token brunette friend.

But my family doesn’t have anything to do with why I write blond characters. It’s a habit I first picked up when I started writing. I was afraid my old high school friends would read my books, shake their heads at my main character and say, “It’s really Janette. And we still remember all of those stupid things she said and did.”

See this way I’ve disguised all my main characters as blonds so people won’t recognize me. Now when they read my stories (assuming any of them ever have or will read my stories) They’ll all think, “That sure is an amusing character. It can’t possibly be Janette though, because Janette’s a brunette.”

Writing blond characters is like being incognito.