Ellen Byron

True Confession: I’m Jealous of My Protagonist

I have a confession to make. I’m a little jealous of my Plantation Shudders protagonist, Maggie Crozat. For one thing, she’s a few inches taller than me, and doesn’t need to lose twenty pounds to get off cholesterol medication like I do. She can eat boatloads of her mother’s incredible Cajun cooking and never  gain an ounce, the lucky so-and-so.

Plus, she’s thirty-two, and I’m, well… not. Maggie lives in a charming shotgun cottage, just steps away from her family’s magnificently restored plantation home. Our mid-century ranch needs a paint job, new carpet, and a totally new kitchen.

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My heroine is also starting a relationship with a sexy detective. Don’t get me wrong, I love my husband, but there’s a difference between a twenty-two year marriage and the heady first blush of romance.

And by the way, Maggie even drives a cool car…

… A 1964 Falcon convertible. Meanwhile, we tool around in a fourteen-year-old minivan, and recently did a happy dance when we finally replaced our twelve-year-old Protégé with a Honda Civic.

Yes, Maggie seems to live a way more exciting life than mine. But maybe that’s why I created her. My life is that of a woman who’s on the far side of thirty-two juggling a career, a teenager, a husband, and a home in a noisy, busy city. How fun it is to write about young, pretty Maggie and jambalaya and picturesque little Pelican, Louisiana, where my Cajun Country series takes place.

Although… my husband is the kind of guy who doesn’t mind when a dog plants himself on his face.

023And my fifteen-year-old daughter is smart and funny and a great companion. (But she’d kill me if included a picture of her in this post.)

And my house, while a wreck, has “great bones,” and is in a wonderful neighborhood where I’m surrounded by friends and the hills of the Santa Monica Conservancy.

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There is a lot about Maggie’s life to envy. But I think if we were to meet and share stories about our lives and families… she might be a little jealous of me.

15 thoughts on “True Confession: I’m Jealous of My Protagonist”

  1. I love this! Yes, I suffer bouts of jealousy ’cause my protag is younger, has covert access to a high-end wardrobe, knows her way around a crime scene and has an enviable cache of illegal weaponry, while all I’ve got is a crystal nail file. But I’m willing to think as you do, maybe my heroine (big MAYBE) might feel a pang of jealousy about my life. 🙂 Nice job, Ellen!

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  3. I hear you! The ride over the canyons from the 101 to the ocean is still gorgeous, but McMansions are now littering the view. And Studio City, where I live, gave Calabasas Britney Spears, too. Sorry about that!

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  7. I really enjoyed this. And I am where you are. I have so many falling cabinet doors on my 90 year old house my kitchen and bath looks snaggle toothed. Looking forward to reading and learning more about all of you. Thank you.

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