It’s always hard to put yourself in another person’s place, especially when that person’s personality is totally different from yours, but maybe that’s why I like to do it so much. It is a very special Challenge if this person belongs to the opposite sex on top of that. Admittedly, one often can have more in common with the opposite sex than with one’s own. What do I have in common with George’s father, Ray Susniak? The love for music, old movies and cosy old honky-tonks. It is precisely this very specific romance of the old things, the secret niches and the little pleasures of life. What do I not have in common with the good old Ray? That he is a father, or generally that he has children. So, we cannot have in common that we have left a child.
When writing, or rather developing his character for a long time I thought about what might drives a person to walk away and how that must feel. I can well imagine that this is not an easy decision. It wasn’t an easy one for George’s father in particular, since he loves his son. However, I do not want to go into the motives, otherwise there would be spoiler alerts. It can be said, however, that he often fabricates a lot of bad things out of a good intention.
I would much rather refer to Ray Susniak as a general character. He is a highly likeable swashbuckler who is extraordinarily devoted to women. He has never put up for long with a lady, except when it comes to his beloved Dolores.
On the other hand, he is tremendously loyal to his friends. Ray has had his long-established clique since his youth. Even if they have already had to mourn one or the other death among them, they also remain faithful to their favorite pub. This, too, is an important part of his personality; the regular – almost daily – visit to the pub. There his favorite music, the old classics is played. The seating area in which the old boys have kept sitting night after night has already adapted to their backs and with the barwoman Cherry one of course is on the first-name terms. Like most of my characters, Ray naturally is not a food scorner. So, George’s father is almost constantly chewing something.
Reveling in old memories, listening to music, having a little sexual adventure occasionally and eating something good that’s what makes Ray Susniak.
Martina Writes 