WILLIAM: The inspiration behind the character

People often assume that Julia is a thinly-veiled me. But of the two main characters, it’s actually William whose personality is more like mine. He's reserved, a terrible flirt, and creative but reticent about sharing that side of himself.

My high school boyfriend did have a motorcycle, but other than that, William is entirely a product of my imagination. My model for the physical description of William is a very young Mel Gibson, with the smile of Ewan McGregor.

But I could easily see actor Nicholas Hoult playing him in the movie version (hint hint, Hollywood).

The character of William also changed a lot from the time I started writing the novel. At first, I envisioned William as a clean-cut, plays-by-the-book kind of guy. But as I continued to write, he just would not behave himself. Though he's still fundamentally a very decent guy, he gradually morphed into a more complex character, and in the process, became much more interesting.