Josie has her say... finally!

I know that this is Ginger Simpson’s Bring a Character to Blog Week, but I’m afraid I’ve ended up bringing myself. Actually I set Judah Raine up – she’s probably still waiting for me at the bookstore – because I wanted to break loose a little, have a little fun without my so-call “creator” breathing down my neck and trying to tell me how to say things.
Oh, maybe I should introduce myself… I’m Josie Tate, heroine of Judah Raine’s Still Running. I still haven’t figured out how that works exactly – it’s her book but my story. Without me she wouldn’t have had a book, at least not this particular one. And I’ve heard she got a 5 star review for it as well. Go figure…
Anyway, I’m not narky about it. She did have to work hard. I don’t think I’m the easiest person to write about. It’s better now, of course, but back then there were a lot of things getting in the way – you know, issues – that made it kind of hard to let the real me out, which had to happen of course. You can’t exactly write someone’s story if you don’t get the real story.
I’m still not quite sure why she picked on me out of all the other characters rattling round her head. Although I must admit it’s a lot more peaceful now that my story’s done and I don’t have to share that small space with gazillions of other people all demanding equal attention. I didn’t expect to be first. Being first was something I wasn’t used to, and I’m afraid I fought it a bit. It would have been much easier to let someone else have a go and then see how things were done.
But it’s over now, all said and done and it’s quite a relief. It’s also nice to know that my story’s out there, and that maybe it’ll “talk” to someone or strike a chord, or touch their lives in someway.
Having your story told is a really personal thing, you know. This complete stranger ferrets around in your psyche, trying to work out how you tick so that they can explain it to everyone else. Darn uncomfortable, a lot of the time – a bit like having a shrink who you know is going to tell everyone they meet about your sessions. It took a long time before I settled and learned to trust her enough to be honest.
It’s a funny thing – looking back I can see all the weird stuff and I wonder how it all managed to get so far without me seeing it. When I think of what it did to me, and how it drove poor Cade absolutely nuts… we human beings can just be so dumb at times. But I suppose if you’re living the mess, and it’s in your face all the time, it’s kind of hard to see past it.
Which made it hard to “tell” it as well. I think I kept getting in the way, and I was very particular. It had to be right or not at all, so I think Judah maybe earned those 5 stars! She was very patient with me, but she’s a perfectionist too so she kept asking all these questions and making me go back over stuff so that she wouldn’t leave anything out. There were times I wanted to just strangle her, but she’s persistent, I’ll give her that much.
And I think that maybe I could have done worse. I might have ended up with someone who just want to write the thing and get it over with, have another book out there making money for them. My advice to any character is to find an author who is willing to listen. They might drive you nuts sometimes, but at least they’re genuinely interested in telling the story as it is instead of trying to squash you into their own little book box and make you fit, no matter what…

Ok, I see other people want to have their say as well, so I'm going to scoot. You can pick up my story at: http://www.bookstrand.com/product-stillrunning-13915-330.html

And you can find out a bit more about it at Judah's website: http://www.judahraine.com/ (she gave me my own page)

And, seeing as she didn't make it, here's her banner. I know, I don't have to, but it's the least I can do.... it just occurred to me that without her, I might not actually exist...

Hugs, Josie