Inspiration comes from all manner of sources. This is an almost verbatim transcript of an e-mail conversation Heide and I have been having over the past week or so.
Heide:
I realised last night that for a couple of weeks or maybe more I have unconsciously been picturing Simon from BWG [Birmingham Writers’ Group] when I think of the Archangel Michael. [a character in our novel]
He’s got a face that is just right, somehow…angelic, but could go lofty & arrogant or gloating and malicious. Am I a very bad person? More importantly, do you agree?
Iain:
Hah! I utterly agree. He’d make a brilliant Michael. Youthful, dynamic, blonde! Oh and very well spoken.
Heide:
I think if we asked him, he might be quite pleased to be the face of Michael, what do you think?
Iain:
I’d also like to think Michael/Simon could be able to beat someone to pulp if he really wanted to.
Heide:
Yes! indeed. I will ask him.
And she did and he said yes.
Heide:
I reckon that Simon will tolerate a fairly accurate description of why we chose him for Michael, so I think we should use all of the words that we exchanged with each other, and I think we’ve probably got the illustrations for most of them… I even think he’ll be quite chuffed & want to share it with his friends. He’s got a LOT of friends on facebook (I just checked…921)
Iain:
No one has 921 friends. Not really. I mean, he’s a loveable chap but no one has the time to maintain 921 friendships. Or maybe he does. I bet the Archangel Michael would click ‘confirm’ to every friend request he gets.
Have you seen the pictures on Dropbox? Not sure if the Archangel Michael has such expressively evil eyebrows. Or such a dashing taste in knitwear.
Heide:
The knitwear is the star…Michael relaxing at Christmas!
I saw the pictures, what a hoot! You’re right about the “Wolverine” eyebrows though…they are hilarious but not quite Michael. Not unless Clovenhoof has done something really, really bad anyway.
