I love discussing my teen novel, All of This, with readers. It’s fun to chat about the characters like they’re real people…because in my mind, they kinda are. I also love hearing what readers imagines happens next after they reach “The End.”
While I’ve had all kinds of conversations about Sadie, Truitt, Becca, and the rest of Pecan Creek’s residents, some questions come up more than others. Here’s one of them:
“Is Trissy based off your little sister?”
In case it’s been a while since you’ve read the book, or in case you haven’t read it yet (click here to grab a copy), remember that Tristan “Trissy” Elliot is Sadie’s eight-year-old cousin. She’s got bright orange/red, curly hair and a firecracker personality.
My little sister is also eight, and if we’re friends on any kind of social media, you know she’s creative, sassy, and very animated. She’s also super similar to Trissy in a ton of ways. That’s a totally valid question.
But the weird thing? Trissy isn’t based on Ellen.
Ellen was two when I started writing All of This, and she was five when it was published. So I had no idea at the time what the eight-year-old version of my baby sister would look like.
Even though it’s impossible, it seems like I imagined Trissy to be like my sister. But really, eight-year-old Trissy came first. And Ellen ended up a lot like her.
Here are some spoiler-free similarities they share:
- Currently, they’re both eight years old.
- Larger-than-life imaginations and personalities.
- Daddy’s girls.
- A strong sense of justice.
- They like to stick their noses in conversations they shouldn’t be a part of because they like to know all there is to know.
- Curious about everything.
- Sharing a bed with either of them is setting yourself up for a kick in the face.
- Unique, bold, and creative fashion sense.
- Because of the people they’re around, they see themselves more as sixteen than eight.
- A big love of Barbies. Do you even know how many Barbie stilettos I’ve found with my foot?!
- Maternal instincts. They both look out for their people and their love language is doing things for others.
- They both blush if they hear you say the words “cute” and “boy” in the same sentence. Which sort of makes you want to say it more…
- Big, tender hearts. They hurt when others hurt, and they want to make things better.
- Pink-themed bedrooms.
- Distinctly Southern accents (they don’t have moms; they have mamas).
- Coffee drinkers.
- Cheesy sense of humor.
- They’re both into hugging it out when there’s a disagreement.
- Big vocabularies for kids their age.
- Fiercely loyal.
There are a few more things I could add to this list, but I’ll stop there. Mainly because I forgot the rest of the list (I really need to start writing this stuff down when it comes to me).
But still, there are some uncanny similarities between these kids, even though one came from my imagination when the real one was still a toddler.
I remind Ellen all the time that she’s my best buddy, and I included little Ellen in the acknowledgments section of the book, saying how she’s the inspiration behind every kid character I write. Who would’ve thought she’d end up so similar to one of the most fun kid characters I’ve written?
I have a feeling they’d be BFFs in real life. The world wouldn’t be ready.
Have you ever read about a character and been amazed at the similarities between them and someone you know in real life? Or maybe you’ve read a character’s journey that’s super similar to your own? Isn’t it weird?
Trissy bopped her way over to me and the strappy pair of sandals I was admiring. “What? Need some help? I’m pretty good with clothes and stuff.”
I glanced down at the mismatched socks she wore with her plaid shorts. “Uh-huh. Listen, you’re also a kid, and you’re supposed to stick by me, okay?”
She smashed herself to my side, wrapping her arm around my waist. “How’s this?”
-All of This
Anna Schaeffer's Blog 