Years ago I attended a lecture by a bestselling author. I hadn’t published a book yet, so I took copious notes and committed his every word to memory. One of his pearls of wisdom was this scintillating thought:
“Never align your character with a product you don’t like.”
He went on to explain that he’d created a protagonist who loved a certain brand of beer. “Not my favorite brand,” said the novelist. “I just randomly chose a brand. Pulled a name out of the hat.”
Lo and behold, everywhere this author traveled, fans brought him…beer. That non-favorite brand. Then they’d expect him to either 1.) drink it or 2.) be thrilled. Which got pretty old. Fast.
So when I was trying to flesh out my character of Kiki Lowenstein, I thought, “What do I love?”
Right at the top of the list was Diet Dr Pepper.
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| This can is ice cold. Yum. |
So Kiki became a Diet Dr Pepper fanatic. (By the way, the word “fan” is actually short for “fanatic.”)
And guess what? Very, very often when I visit a city and do a signing, some kind soul will bring me…
A can of DIET DR PEPPER!!!!!
Yep.
And guess what? Very, very often I happily drink it or squeal with joy. (Unless it’s warm. Then I take it home with me and put it in the ‘frig.)
Now you know why Kiki Lowenstein LOVES Diet Dr Pepper.
Because I do, too!
