@mymy5150 Dear mymy5150, thank you so much for your lovely note. It was great to receive it. As for your questions, I am not sure I try to "make my characters appear real"; it's just that they are real to me, so when I write about them, somehow that comes out and conveys itself to the reader. As for inspiration, there is no one thing that inspires me, but I draw on whatever is around me and within me. Thank you again, and I wish you the very best of luck with your own writing!