If you are unfamiliar with the Alice Stewart book series, I'll tell you a little about her. She's an American that has taken a position teaching Literature at a girls' boarding school in Great Britain. She hears about the position from a friend and because she's just broken up with a long-time boyfriend, decides to give it a go.
She's in her late 20's, inquisitive, friendly, a little neurotic. She loves writing lists, running, and reading. She wants to write a novel someday but hasn't found the time.
Writing Alice is not too much of a stretch for me. There was a little floundering in the first book to find her voice, but by the third it's much easier. I suppose it shouldn't be difficult to write your main character unless you really want a challenge. Like most of my characters, she has a little of me in her. I, too, am obsessed with writing lists. I also love reading. (Running is another story.)
I wanted Alice to be fun and a great friend, but she also has her flaws. Sometimes she's too curious for her own good and she can be stubborn. (Both good flaws for an amateur investigator.) It can be difficult to give your characters, especially main characters, flaws. They're like your children. You want only good things for them. You want them to be lovely and perfect, but that would make for a very dull story. So, you give them little flaws and then when you grow braver, the tiny flaws can become giant ones.
I'm planning more books in the Alice Stewart series, but I am taking a creative break for a few months to work on another project. I'll get back to Alice soon, though. In the meantime, you can check out my Pinterest board for Alice here.
Lana