By the title, you might think this post is about Valentine’s Day, but it isn’t. It’s about my mother and all of us really.

To write characters, an author needs to know what makes them tick, what they like, their hopes and fears. An author uses these elements to write believable characters. But as human beings, hopefully we learn these things about the people around us because we care about them.

My mother has always loved roses, yellow roses to be exact, and she has a thing for chocolate bars. Growing up I could always count on her having a candy bar or two stashed away – perfect for sharing. One day, years later, I was helping her clean out a cupboard and came across a snickers bar that was 20 years old! We both had a good laugh about it.

It is these little things about us that make us real, that make us interesting. What do you know about those you love? What do they know about you?