My Novel Character Dinner Guests

When I start to create a character in any of my novels I often imagine which of them I'd enjoy having round for dinner and how they would potentially interact with each other.

In my debut novel, Because of You, Hannah and Vanessa are the main protagonists. Both women are complete opposites. Hannah is loved and secure in the knowledge her life's full of people who care about her whereas Vanessa is insecure and unloved. Their personal journeys and falling in love with the same man make them vulnerable and subject to what unravels in a novel that spans over three decades. Hannah is a fabulous character, the kind of woman I'd feel lucky to have as a close friend, someone to confide in and lean on whenever life throws obstacles in my way, and share good and bad experiences with.

Vanessa, as a character, is the type I'd turn to when I want to have a really fun and exciting time without knowing what to expect, for example, on a night out in a disco or club with people I normally wouldn't meet on my own. We'd dance the night away and laugh and sing as we'd walk home in the early hours of the morning. An evening full of surprises and eclectic company.

Two very different women with a lot to offer in their own unique ways. Their presence at a dinner party would potentially be quite explosive - I'd expect that they would clash quite a few times while enhancing the atmosphere with their personal life stories and how they've managed to overcome all the obstacles life throws at them. These two characters have a mixture of bad and good things to deal with as time progresses!

Read the novel and find out for yourselves! Because of You is a story about love, life, family and friendship. Above all it's a love story and how life turns out the way we least expect it.

My second novel, We Never Said Goodbye, focuses on what happens when a husband dumps his wife on their 20th wedding anniversary. Louise's life falls apart when she discovers the man she's been married to and trusted isn't the person she thought he was. Louise and Mike would be the perfect dinner guests. Just imagine the kind of excitement they'd bring to any dinner party! Louise would be out of her mind with anger and if eyes could kill.... Mike would be dead! After everything he's done behind her back, all the lies, betrayal and deceit...His life wouldn't be worth living had she known what he had in store for her.

I'd ask Louise what made her marry a man she hardly knew. For those of you who have read the novel, you will be aware of Louise's past and that she used to be in love with someone else, someone she left behind in Sweden for a life as model in London. The man who was her first love returns to her life and what happens between them is revealed in the book. I'd ask her if she ever regretted marrying, who turned out to be the wrong man and if past events influenced her to make decisions that weren't right for her. After all, everyone's life is somewhat based on past events and how we felt at the time.

In my third novel, His Guilty Secret, a man's secret incurs devastating consequences on the people he leaves behind. I'd love to invite my protagonists Jacques and his wife Patricia.  Jacques would be the perfect dinner guest: Charismatic, extremely attractive and well spoken. Someone who would have a lot to say about his work at Air France, all the places and people he visited and met.The secrets he managed to keep when flying to different countries and cities.

I'd ask him how he felt knowing he betrayed the people he claims to love, and the price he paid for doing what he did. I'd especially ask Patricia what made her suspect while loving a husband she deep down knew kept something from her.

Poor Patricia suspected Jacques wasn't honest with her yet loved him and their life together too much to want to risk finding out the truth.

His Guilty Secret is a multi layered novel that examines the complex lives of people who on the surface seem perfectly happy and functional but in reality all of them have something to hide and when one secret after the other is revealed their lives change forever. I'm fascinated with what lies beneath the facade of ordinary people whose extraordinary lives are revealed over the course of time.

So, there you are, my favourite character dinner guests. I'd probably not invite all of them at the same time - this might potentially cause too much upheaval and excitement in one sitting. Either way, I'm certain that I would have a ball in their company and get the opportunity to ask them whatever I wish. Now That might be the perfect premise for a novel in its own right...Watch this space!

What do you think, readers? Could you imagine your characters around a table at a dinner party?

All three books are now on sale and can be purchased from here

Lots of love,
Hélene xx