Meet the Characters: Emery Drake

While I'm busy pounding away on some new Meridienne Drake stuff, I wanted to introduce you to some of my inspiration for the characters. I can't say any one person inspires my characters. I like to take the best of some and the worst of others and mix-mash it into my idea of who's who, but sometimes I know exactly who'd have the ability to play a character in a movie. Like Emery.

Characteristics of Emery Drake:

• His gray hair is cut and groomed perfectly at all times.
• I haven't personally been in his closet, but I doubt he owns a pair of jeans and wouldn't be caught dead in a tee-shirt.
• He speaks pretentiously because he is of greater importance, well-cultured, and knows his capabilities and talents. He believes contractions in speech mean you're a lazy person.
• If you had a race on who could carry a book on their head the longest and farthest, he'd win every time.
• His elbows would never touch the table at dinner.
• Don't look at him while you're eating. He's probably sporting  a disgusted face because of the way you chew your food.
• He is highly likely to give you Emily Post's Etiquette book upon arrival to his home.
• When he looks at you over his spectacles, run far and run fast. You're in trouble. His oldest son nicknamed this look: The Glass Gaze.
• He will make you feel smaller than a grain of sand at least once. A day.
• On the up side, he's a powerful ally.
• He will defend his family in public.
• You may not always agree, but he is consistent and fair.
• Oh, and don't say, "Yeah." in his presence. It's "Yes."

There is only one person for this role. It's someone I admired greatly as an actor even before he was Gandalf the Grey. Sir Ian McKellan couldn't be a more perfect Emery Drake. If it would ever become a movie, I would beg and plead and probably even do some despicable things to get him to agree. Well, I don't think I'd fork over my rights or royalties. A girl's gotta have some boundaries. hehe

Here's a funny clip from a British sitcom, "Extras," where he plays himself.

Can you picture him as Emery?

Lots of <3,