One of the things I love to think about when writing a book is where my characters live. Not just their town—which is also fun—but their house or apartment. In WAITING ON YOU, Colleen shares a two-family Victorian with her twin brother, Connor. She has the upstairs apartment. There’s a little deck in the back, and when she’s out there, she can see the backyards of the people who live on the next street, including her best friend’s house.
Colleen’s apartment is cheerful and cluttered and colorful. It’s filled with pictures of her family and friends—her little sister and her dog, her brother, her best friend on her wedding day. There are scented candles and cozy throws. I pictured it as never quite picked up. I’m quite sure her closet bursts with clothes, and her makeup basket is filled with every product known to mankind, because Colleen is that kind of woman. (I am too, for the record).
Colleen’s kitchen doesn’t see much cooking action, except for one notable scene. She owns a restaurant, after all…why cook at home when your twin is a chef?
One of my favorite parts of Colleen’s house is the laundry shoot that goes from her apartment to Connor’s. The twins yell at each other through it, and Colleen drops a wet towel on her brother’s head. Someday, we’ll probably see Connor’s apartment in more detail. : )
In contrast, Lucas’s place is sleek and immaculate and stylish and…a little sterile. A typical single man’s place in the city. Upscale but lacking that hominess, which of course says a lot. Most important is his desk, where he spends a lot of time working. A couple of photos of his nieces, and that’s it for personal touches. Still, it’s top-notch and quite beautiful.
Recently, I said to Princess Daughter that I had a fantasy. That someday, I’d live in a house because of the house itself. A cute Arts & Crafts bungalow, maybe, or a tiny Victorian. Maybe a Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie style house. “You should, Mommy,” she said. “We could live there together.” Sweet, especially considering her advanced age of eighteen. Because already she knows, it’s family that makes a home.
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