On Saturday I attended a book talk by an author who has written a mystery about the town where I now live. She spoke of her favourite character, one she had not originally intended to put in her book. An author naturally has favourites in each book. I thought I would list mine.

When writing A Murder in Malta, I became very fond of Adam Russell. He is an unwitting participant in the events, a somewhat hapless young man who is easily swayed by his family’s wealth and position. He is a recent convert to Islam, but, when in a pinch, he praises Allah but also thanks Jesus. When I wrote that line I was chuckling. I laugh a great deal when I am writing. If I don’t laugh, who will?

Who could not like Mandy Bell in A Scandal in Stresa? I admired her fortitude in the face of adversity, but also her self-confident quirkiness and love of fast and erratic driving. I hope Will Tuttle wins her in the end. He needs her in his life.

“Pockets . . . it’s all about pockets,” Lady Sarah Brixton declares in A Secret in Singapore. Actually I stole the line from my husband, who claimed women would not be liberated until they had more pockets. Sarah has a mind of her own and is not afraid to tell it like it is. Who cannot be amused by her dreadful relationship with her stepson?

In the book A Crisis in Cyprus, which is currently being edited and is due out early next year, one of the main characters is Cinnamon Allard-Thorpe, a beautiful but blind young woman who writes double haiku. My heart opened to her as the book unfolded.

I have purposely left out my recurring characters, who now are real people to me and very much a part of my everyday life. I don’t play favourites with them.

Which characters did you like?