When it comes to writing my novels, I’m a pantser—someone who doesn’t plot out the whole
story but writes by ‘the seat of their pants’ as they work out how things will evolve. However,
there is one thing I’ve always done first, which is find my protagonist. And, for me, that means
finding a real person.
I’ve written three series and in each one, my main character was based on a real person. He or
she was not necessarily a part of my life, but something about each inspired me to cast them in
my novels, taking on characteristics they may or may not have had.
My first series, The Laurel and Helen New York Mysteries, features Private Investigator, Helen
McCorkendale. Helen grew out of an article I read in The New York Times about a female
undercover private eye. To help her catch her prey, she wore many disguises from
businesswoman suits to jeans and tee shirts while on the hunt for the bad guys. What could be
better, I thought? They never saw her coming as she tailed them and brought them down.
I filed this investigator away until I started the series and began to figure out how each book
might flow. As I wrote, I always kept the real-life PI I’d read about in mind and wondered what
she would do. A few years later The Times did a recap story of this investigator and how her job
had changed. I’d already written the three books in the series, but it was perfect timing. I
contacted her and invited her to speak with a group of Sisters in Crime mystery writers. I
confessed to her that she was my ‘Helen’ and that I was so delighted to finally meet her. It was
an eye-opening experience to see how much her job had changed over the years and from what
I’d written in my books. Now, it was cyber work rather than going out in the field.
My character, Helen is witty and clever just like the person I modeled her on. She always
succeeds in catching her prey, often putting herself in peril. Of course, when you’re a P.I., that
can happen in real life, as well.
My second series, the four-volume, Murder on The Rocks Mysteries, features female bar owner,
Jude Dillane. Being around the restaurant business for years inspired this protagonist, a
combination of several female bartenders I know. I wanted to give my bar mysteries a twist and
set them on The Lower East Side of Manhattan at 10 th Street and Avenue B.
With each book, I thought long and hard about how to build on Jude’s character and the
situations she faced. From going undercover at a food bank, to finding a body in the dumpster
out back, and encountering two serial killers, Jude became very real to me, and I gave her the
qualities I thought would help her succeed in any situation. The scenarios I created for her as I
wrote became even more serious and more deadly and I taxed my imagination to make sure she
was clever and tenacious enough to solve them.
Another of my series, The Nick Donahue Adventures features professional Blackjack player,
Nick Donahue. I ‘met’ Nick at a very upscale casino in Venice, Italy. While my husband and I
were playing Blackjack, I noticed an incredibly well-dressed man in a bespoke tuxedo who stood
out among all the other very well-dressed patrons. He was tall, dark, and handsome and as I
watched him play, I knew instantly he would be my next protagonist, a professional Blackjack
player who traveled the world playing cards. He was a natural.
Nick is smart and savvy and a little susceptible to female charms, as I showed in my first book in
the series, “Nick Of Time,” where he meets Marina DiPietro, an MI6 operative who cons him
into helping her out with an operation to thwart a gang of jewel thieves and a mob money-
laundering operation. It did not go well, and Nick was detained until Marina rescued him. By the
end of the story, I had him return the favor and he and Marina became inseparable. While Nick
was fixed in my mind, the story was not and as I wrote it, I conjured up other scenarios that had
him hop-scotching all over Europe.
Nick and Marina are still together. They fought off ISIS terrorists seeking a weapon of mass
destruction in book two, “Out Of Time,” where I again had them traveling the globe. Book three,
which is releasing this summer, “No Good Time,” finds Nick and Marina settled in London,
where I’ve put them through a suspenseful situation featuring a forged Artemesia Gentileschi
masterpiece, a long con, and a murder.
Now, I’ve found a new protagonist—a young woman whose serial eavesdropping could turn
deadly. She’s based on several people I know who enjoy listening to bits of conversation
overheard on the street. I’m uncertain what will happen next, other than there’s trouble ahead,
but that’s the fun of being a pantser.
Bio:
Cathi Stoler is convinced she was born knowing how to read. The writing came later. She is an Amazon Best Selling author and Derringer winner. Her three series include The Nick Donahue Adventures, The Laurel and Helen NY Mysteries, and The Murder On The Rocks Mysteries, all of which have been nominated for several awards. She is the author of multiple short stories, as well. Cathi is a board member of NYSinC, and a member of MWA, and ITW. You can find her at www.cathistoler.com, or email her at cathi@cathistoler.com.
Synopsis of OUT OF TIME: It was supposed to be a simple and quick assignment for Marina DiPietro and Nick Donahue. Help Marina’s client, Adnan bin Haddad, guard his fabulous racehorse, Devil Wind, from human predators who are threatening the stallion with death if millions aren’t paid in “protection money.” Just guard the horse and catch the attackers before they strike. If you’re lucky.
Turns out, the threat against the horse is just the opening gambit in a deadly game with ISIS. With events spiraling out of control Nick and Maria must stop the terrorists from getting the real prize they want: a weapon of mass destruction that could tear the world apart.
Now, Nick has to use all the cunning, skill, and subterfuge he’s acquired as a gambler to discover the ‘tell’ that will help him turn the predators into prey. And, there’s no time to lose.
Congratulations, Cathi, on your upcoming release. It sounds like a page turner.
Thank you, Grace. It was a lot of fun to write about such a fmous woman painter and a long con that involved one of her (made up) paintings.
Susan and Cathi, this was a thought-provoking post on the sparks that lead to whole novels. Inspirational. Thank you.
Hi Pamela,
Thank you for your comment. The sparks are what start the fire and the imagination. For me, it’s a great way to work.
Cathi