writing wednesdays: The Hidden gems in stories

One of the things I've always loved when writing, is inserting what you may have heard called Easter eggs, what I call hidden gems. These are little nods to special people or places in my life, quirks of mine or someone I know that I'm fond of or find amusing or absolutely cannot stand.  

In the manuscript I'm currently working on, for example, the main character has a special ring tone for her best friend. When the Star Wars theme goes off, she knows to answer the phone, and fast. That's a ring tone I use as well.

In Carousel Beach, Maya listens to Chris Botti as she works. Trumpet is one of my absolute favorite instruments and Mr. Botti is my not very secret crush (you'll find me at every performance close to home).

Emma, the main character in The Distance Home, picks up a stone and slips it in her pocket as a reminder of the stable and better times. There's a stone on my desk that I picked up years ago that's the inspiration for the one in the book. 

I've slipped names of friends into every book but never attach characteristics that would be familiar (you know, gotta protect the guilty :-) ).

And every book I write has one character named Alex as a nod to my favorite person in the whole world.