I came up with the premise for The Last to See Her because I have sisters, and we’ve always had great relationships. One day, I started to think about worst case scenarios in a sibling relationship, and what would happen if two sisters went on a trip and only one returned? What would the police think?
I’ve watched so many movies and read so many books where I’ve heard the term used in an investigation: You were the last to see her. As a sister, I can’t imagine the angst in not only having my sister go missing, but in also being examined by the police as a suspect.
So I started to unpack the idea of how that would feel, and the circumstances that must be involved in such a situation. I pictured my relationships with my own sisters, and how the plot would have to bend and twist in order to put myself in a situation like my characters, Meg and Gen.
I feel that the key in developing believable characters is always to put myself in their position, to see through their lens, to feel what they feel. I’m a method writer, so I try to become the character in my mindset as I write.
In The Last to See Her, the sisters have a multi-faceted relationship, one filled with secrets, competition, and rivalry, along with their love. If you have siblings, then you know that a sibling relationship is complex. You love them, you relate to them, and at times, you can have strong feelings of resentment and/or competition. Usually siblings get over that in a day or two, but what about times when they don’t?
How far will siblings go?
Gen is a writer, and Meg is a surgeon. They both are successful in their careers, but in their personal lives…. that’s a bit murkier. Gen is getting divorced, while Meg has a happy home. Or does she?
Secrets emerge layer by layer, and to me, that is necessary for a good story. A good book has to have layers for the reader to uncover, much like a puzzle. In college, a writing teacher once told me, “A good writer will lead her readers down a path. You’ll know that you’re good if the reader decides to follow.”
So that’s how I approach every story. I lay a path and try to make it one that the reader will follow me on. I drop breadcrumbs as clues, and hope that by the end, the reader will be happy they took the journey.
In The Last to See Her, I begin with a set of sisters who, by all appearances, are normal siblings. They bicker, they love. But as the story continues, bits of their past emerge, things that seem incriminating. But is the information accurate? Is it painting an accurate portrayal of their relationships and their lives? Is the narrator reliable?
These are all breadcrumbs that are dropped on the path. If I achieved my goal, my readers will pick up all the crumbs, and at the end, will still be surprised by how the story turns out.
Courtney Evan Tate is the nom de plume (and darker side) of New York Times and USA
TODAY bestselling author Courtney Cole. She spend her days dreaming up new characters and storylines and surprising plot twists and writing them beneath Florida’s rustling palm trees. Visit her at www.courtneycolewrites.com.
