Author’s notes …
One of my aims in creating this series was to present a series of memorable, even relatable, characters inhabiting a universe (the Church) that’s foreign to most people. In case you’re wondering, nobody in the We Are Not Saints universe is based on anyone I’ve encountered in real life. They’re all composites of characteristics I’ve seen in a variety of people (in and out of the collar), seasoned liberally with my imagination.
One motivating factor was my becoming bored with so many people imagining others to be weird just because they lived different lives. “Different” does not equal “strange” or “bad,” whether the characters might be LGBTQ people, clergy, or dedicated religious. I believe that all human beings do their best to sort out life regardless of their faith, their profession, their sexual orientation or gender identity, or spiritual or moral convictions. That’s one thing I tried to show through my writing: everybody struggles.
I think I’ve been able to create some memorable characters. Each book has one or two that stand out. In The Priest, Jared attracts our attention because he’s such a contradiction and so hard to “figure out.” Tony, on the other hand, who’s even more exotic in some ways, is very straightforward. In The Acolyte, Randy himself is somebody I would have liked to have known. Besides him, Daisy (the waitress) stands out for me.
In The Monk, the character that most grabbed me and demanded to come to the forefront was Brother Tobias. There’s something about the quiet rebel that draws us in. Finally, in The Bishop, the biggest surprise for us all is Clyde, the guy that’s absolutely the opposite of what he seems … again, another quiet rebel.
Those are some of my favorite characters. One of the reasons for structuring the series as I did was to make sure that those folks we met and really got to know don’t just disappear after the last chapter. They keep coming back to remind us of who they are. I’d love to know which characters were your favorites, and why. I’d love to hear how you experienced them!
