I get this question a lot: “How did you come up with the main characters for your Fringe Killer series?” Because I get this question so much, I thought I would address it here. It’s a fun bit of trivia that might wind up having readers of this series change the way they interpret these two shameless, yet lovable, characters.
If you have read either A Blade Away or Gothica then you know the relationship between Jamie and Skip holds a certain level of familiarity that comes with a long-term relationship. So…how did I develop that relationship in such a short time? Inspiration my friend. Inspiration. Let me set the scene.
When I first started writing the book that would become the first in the Fringe Killer series (A Blade Away) it was the early 2000s and times they were rough. At the time the person I was living was very fond of the sitcom Will And Grace and it seemed to be forever playing in the background…regardless of what was going on.
I knew that I wanted my main characters to be a female lead and her gay male sidekick. What I didn’t know was with, Will And Grace playing in the background, how much the character of Jack would influence the character of Skip. And Jamie my strong foil to the fop that is Skip? She was a amalgamation of the Grace and Karen; taking the humor of Karen and the presentation of Grace. From those three characters grew a relationship that would serve to drive the Fringe Killer series forward. It’s a relationship of acceptance, humor, respect, and deep platonic love.
So, when I write Jamie and Skip I hear very specific speech patterns and intonations, I see specific gestures and facial expressions. And I enjoy every moment with them.
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