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Last week, I hosted an online discussion all about Discernment: Washington Square Secrets 1 for my private readers group on Facebook. Since not everyone is on that social media site, and those who are often don’t want to juggle too many groups/friends/etc., I thought I’d share a few things that were touched on in the discussion.

One big chunk of time during the discussion were conversations about Alvin and Deborah Farley, the main characters in the first book in the Washington Square Secrets series. It was nice to start a book with an already married couple, though with their newlywed status, there was a bit of romance going on in their elevated relationship and even an upset with a secret or two being discovered.

With any characters, I try to make them as human as possible. I do this by layering them not only with their physical appearances and likes/dislikes, but with things that annoy them, hobbies, talents/gifts, how they unwind, and sometimes with psychological or medical diagnosis that we know today, but weren’t necessarily named or understood during the time period I’m writing about. If you’ve read The Possession Chronicles, you might have noticed characters with alcoholism, bipolar disorder, and other issues–some directly addressed and others not.

With Alvin, I tried to convey him as studious, hyper-focused on his passions, and autistic in nature with his eye for patterns, stiff manners, and slight social obliviousness. But endearing–even when exasperating. Like when he lectures Deborah about croquet in the memory of the day they met in the opening scene. Deb’s not paying attention to his words (she’s too busy swooning for him) and the other young teacher thinks Alvin is ridiculous as he prattles on.

Alvin connects with people through shared passions like football and chess rather than on a personal level. The common interest/obsession is the ice-breaker. (That’s a big deal today with those on the autism spectrum. See it in action at any fandom gathering.)

Alvin is a “don’t rock the boat” guy because he doesn’t deal well with heightened emotions. And with autism, when something is out of the norm for social situations (like flirting) it’s common to either not even notice or carry on as you normally would, while ignoring the situation you don’t know how to respond to. Which leads to the person trying to get a response to think “hey, they didn’t say no” and continue their game. (Hello, Aunt Cathy.)

Deborah, being so enamored with Alvin, sees his weaknesses, but loves him through it with gentle nudges and understanding. She didn’t get mad at him when he left her on the cathedral portico for so long because she wanted him to enjoy the architecture/patterns of design even though she physically couldn’t go inside. She sees his need for male friendship and urges him to join the gym with the football players (common interest) though it will mean more time without him at home.

She respects Alvin’s awkward endearments and long silences, finding ways to show her affections that meet his love language. She feeds him physically and emotionally because she knows his job is draining and wants him to be completely at ease as “king of the castle” when he’s home, though she is definitely the neck turning the head of the house.

As for Deborah’s abilities, I researched Alan Kardec, who was a leading professional in mediumship/invocating in the late 1800s. He was a large part of the spiritism movement in Europe. (He’s French, and Kardec was his pen name.) The book Deborah borrows from Sean Spunner is real and available for download in ebook format (in English and other languages) if you are interested. Plus I watched a movie on Kardec and a modern documentary on mediums. But I’ve also been absorbing information about mediums/ghosts since childhood.

For auras, after searching many places and comparing the information, I found one color chart the most comprehensive for auras. It even lists shades of the colors and the “shadow side” of the aura colors. You can find the visual of it on my Pinterest board for the book.

Did you notice the auras around Alvin and Deborah on the cover art?

Let me know if you have any questions about the Farleys or anything else relating to Discernment. I’m happy to chat.