My knee-jerk response is no. I do not put myself into my books. I write fiction. I let my characters lead the way and tell me what I need to know in order to complete their stories. THEIR stories. Not mine. What I DO include in my stories are things I would like to read or know. That part is me. So even though I don’t include myself, per se, I do include elements of things that interest me…like the subject matter. Or the time period. Or the protagonist. Or the antagonist. (It’s super fun to write the villain.) And let’s be honest: if I don’t like what I’m writing about, I grow bored…and stop writing. So, in a way, I do include me in my stories, but only tangentially.
The only part of me that is included in my stories is the shared experience of being female. My stories are centered around women and usually feature a female protagonist. So, perhaps, that’s why I was asked this question. I think it’s difficult to separate the author from their work and there are certainly incidents from one’s personal life that inform the narrative. But that’s what makes writing fiction so fun: the reader doesn’t know what part was influenced by real life and what wasn’t! Even more fun? Scenes may be driven by a real-life event, but it doesn’t have to be mine—it could be that of any one I know or a complete fabrication! See? Fun!
If you are interested in me, as an author, I suggest following me on Instagram. Scroll through the pics and you will gain a sense of who I am: traveler; foodie; geek (huge geek). Bonus? This is where I share behind the scenes pics/reels from my research adventures. I also feature little known facts, pics of artifacts that informed the story, and general goofing around and being inappropriate at historical sites. So, while I don’t put myself into my books as a character, my stories are very much a reflection of my interests.
