You may recall that recently I marveled at receiving the first copy of my novel in the mail. After months of production, editing and viewing electronic copies, it was exciting to actually hold my completed novel in my hands. Still feels pretty good.

Soon after receiving my book my dad picked it up and began to read it. My dad is a sixty-year-old “manly man” and I hadn’t actually pegged him as a part of my target reading audience. My feel good moment of the week occurred when he admitted that he hadn’t read a novel in more than thirty years, but found it hard to put mine down. Kind words from a supportive father or sincere words from a future fan? I’m not completely sure, but either way it felt good to hear.

After an hour of reading, my dad asked me which character in the book represented him because the patriarch in the book clearly didn’t. He was right in that the father in the book is not representative of my dad. He was wrong, however, to think I had included him as a character in the book. He seemed disappointed but got over it pretty quickly. That’s when it occurred to me that there will be other friends and family members who will likely pose similar questions:

Was that supposed to be me?

Do I talk like that?

Was that the time we went to the mall?

Relax. Let’s clear the air. The characters in my book are not representative of anyone in my circle of friends or extended family. Sorry guys. While characteristics of people I know may lend depth to some of the personalities or story lines, no one I know is portrayed as a character in my novel. I promise.

So please enjoy the book worry free. It’s not about you. And for those of you that read the book and are still unsure, to you I say, “All characters in my book are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.”