Characters on the Couch: SherrieLea Morgan’s Marcus

This week I’m excited to welcome fellow author SherrieLea Morgan back to the couch with a character from her new release GhostDrums. Sherrie and I are in the box set A Wicked Halloween (still free in KU) together, and I also enjoyed her novella A Timed Wager.

Marine Veteran Marcus Lincoln returns home after almost being blown to bits. His physical injuries are nothing compared to his mental state. He now sees the ghost of his best friend. In need of R & R he rents rooms from a landowner in small town Georgia. However, the landlord looks nothing like he imagined. Victoria Silvershade is a spirit seeker. She wants to start a foundation that will allow her to help spirits who have not crossed over. And it just so happens, she has her own troupe of ghosts residing in her home. To bring in money, she rents out part of her house to Marcus, but fails to tell him his new landlord is a woman. When her foundation sponsors begin to turn up dead, Victoria, Marcus, and their combined ghost family try to find the killer. But will they succeed before they become deceased themselves?

1. If your character were to go to a psychologist – willingly or unwillingly – what would bring them in?

Marcus has P.T.S.D and would seek a psychologist only if forced to do so. He would not be willing to take time that could be used by a fellow Marine that needs the help.

2. Is the presenting problem one of the main internal or external conflicts in your book?

If so, how does it present itself? Marcus has nightmares from an incident that occurred in Afghanistan in which his best friend was killed. He also believes he’s having hallucinations of his best friend’s ghost.

3. It’s always interesting to see how people act when they first enter my office. Do they immediately go for my chair, hesitate before sitting anywhere, flop on the couch, etc.? What would your character do?

Marcus would storm in and tell you he’d rather another soldier take his appointment and that he does not need help in any way or form. He would say this while pointing at you and then he would storm out.

4. Does your character talk to the therapist? How open/revealing will your character be? What will he or she say first?

Marcus will not talk to the therapist and will not allow the therapist to talk to him.

5. Your character walks into the bar down the street after his/her first therapy session. What does he/she order? What happens next?

Marcus will order a dark brewed beer. He will sit there and drink it slowly wondering how the hell he got so messed up.

6. When you’re building characters, do you have any tricks you use to really get into their psyches, like a character interview or personality system (e.g., Myers-Briggs types)?

I do a mental interview and type up a short character sketch on my Character List which I have posted during my writing.

Ghostdrums came out yesterday, and you can grab it on Amazon!

Sherrie Lea Morgan constantly searches for ghost walk tours in her home state of Georgia. There isn’t a haunted house she refuses to enter. Bouncing off story ideas with her twin sister is a past time of hers, as her dog Bennett refuses to respond to her questions. When not working her current manuscripts, she enjoys spending time with her family. Sherrie Lea hopes to get readers to view ghosts in a different way. She also works hard to weave other paranormal gifts into her books. She is an active member of Romance Writers of America and her local chapter Georgia Romance Writers and Atlanta Writers. Visit her web page at www.sherrieleamorgan.com or find her on Facebook.