Cue the music!!! Together in Thyme, the final Urban Farm Fresh Romance, is back from my editor! Some of you have read every book. Some of you have read one or two. Some of you may be new to Inspy Romance or may have looked aghast at a longer-than-normal series or may have thought the covers looked hokey and have read none of them! And if you’ve been waiting for the entire series to be finished, well, it’s time to get started.
As a newbie author, I used to worry about characters all sounding the same after a while. After all, how many ways could I introduce a second-chances romance, or an opposites-attract romance or a friends-to-more romance? Turns out there are as many ways as any author could wish!
I’ve got four general aspects I play with to create unique characters.
Birth order plays into the creation. Dr. Kevin Leman’s The Birth Order Book breaks down family dynamics and how our family hierarchy plays into our personalities. Firstborns, middles, babies, onlies… all have a different outlook on life.
Then there’s The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman, in which we learn about the ways different people offer and receive love. What’s it for you? Do you need words of affirmation, physical touch, gifts, quality time, or acts of service to feel loved? I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for ways to better connect with your Real-Life Loved One!
Another tool that helps me create unique characters is family background, which includes education and status. Two firstborns with a similar personality are still going to approach life very differently if one was raised in foster care and one is raised in wealth by two professionals who are still together.
But probably the most useful instrument in my toolbox is Myers Briggs Type Indicators (MBTI). This system breaks down personalities into sixteen types: eight extroverted types and eight introverted types. Assigning one of these to each hero and heroine has really helped me to keep the stories fresh, especially when I also apply the methods I mentioned earlier.
In fact, let me give myself a gold star! There are thirteen heroines in the Urban Farm Fresh Romance series (a prequel novella plus twelve novels) and each one of them has a different MBTI! I knew I’d covered a wide range of them but hadn’t actually sat down and analyzed them all until I started writing this blog post. I was stunned to discover there wasn’t a single overlap.
So… let’s play a game. Do you know your own MBTI? If yes, skip to the next section. If you don’t know, then pop over to this link and take the MBTI quiz. It will take you about ten minutes. Then come back here and see which heroine has the same personality as you!
(Spoiler alert! 16 MBTI vs 13 heroines, so if you are one of the rare breeds, I’m sorry. Maybe in another series!)
Which personality are YOU?
ENFJ: Hailey North (Together in Thyme)
ENFP: Ava Santoro (Joys of Juniper)
ENTJ: Kenna Johnson (Lavished with Lavender)
ENTP: N/A
ESFJ: Adriana Diaz (Memories of Mist)
ESFP: Marley Montgomery (Glimpses of Gossamer)
ESTJ: N/A
ESTP: N/A
INFJ: Rebekah Jackson (Promise of Peppermint)
INFP: Eden Andrusek (Secrets of Sunbeams)
INTJ: Winnie Santoro (Cadence of Cranberries)
INTP: Jasmine Santoro (Wishes on Wildflowers)
ISFJ: Linnea Ranta (Butterflies on Breezes)
ISFP: Dixie Wayling (Dancing at Daybreak)
ISTJ: Sadie Guthrie (Raindrops on Radishes)
ISTP: Kassidy North (Flavors of Forever)
Have you read the story with the heroine who is your personality type? If so, do you think I wrote the personality accurately?
Either way, I’d like to offer two winners, anywhere in the world, the Urban Farm Fresh Romance novel of your choice. This will be an ebook via Bookfunnel. I’ll pick two names on Monday (November 8).
“Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.”
Valerie Comer is a USA Today bestselling author and a two-time Word Award winner who writes where food meets faith and fiction. She injects experience laced with humor into her green clean romances. Her life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local foods movement as well as their church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily-ever-afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughters.
Hi, Valerie! Hmm, missed it by one. I am an INFJ (the rarest of the MBTI types) so I match Rebekah Jackson in Promise of Peppermint. The Urban Farm Fresh story that I have (and have read) is Secrets of Sunbeams (Eden Andrusek, INFP).
I can only imagine the difficulty of consistently applying Birth Order, Love Language and MBTI in character development and plotting. How did that work? Whew!
Congratulations on such a monumental milestone!
Phew! Hard questions!! Apparently I am like Winnie Santoro. My age wouldn’t have anything to do with that, would it? Lol.
Anyway it was fun to do. I own, have read, and absolutely love all the UFF books so far. Waiting eagerly for the finale!! Woot woot!!
I match Kenna Johnson and I have not read that book yet.
Rebekah Jackson and no I haven’t read the book with character yet.
first time I got enfp I had no idea about my personality type. I am not sure its fully right. I haven’t read the book so not sure about the personality of the character.
Hi Valerie! As a retired teacher and pastor’s wife, I have read both the birth order and love language books. David writes in Psalm 139: 14 “I will praise YOU because I have been fearfully and wonderfully made.” So many different combinations of personalities. As a teacher, not surprised that I am ENFJ as Hailey North in Together in Thyme. As stated before not sure as a reader I pay that close attention to personality types. I enjoyed Urban Farm Fresh series because I can relate to the setting of a farm community. Not very many romances have farm setting. Best wishes. Looking forward to reading Together in Thyme to see if Hailey and I have similar characteristics. Best wishes. Enjoy your weekend.
I’m Linnea Ranta from Butterflies on Breezes. I haven’t read it yet but I certainly want to.
What a fun article! I am INTJ, so, Winnie Santoro. Now, I’ve got to read the Cadence of Cranberries to see if you nailed us, ha ha. :-D
Congratulations on finishing your series! I’ve done the personality test many times, but I can’t remember what I am. I probably have it written down someplace. I’m sure I’ll happen upon it someday.
Promise of Peppermint is free for signing up to my newsletter, so there’s a cure for not having read it! Just sayin’… LOL
Naw, it’s not just age! Our personalities are all so different. I (obviously) find it fascinating!
I had a lot of fun with Kenna because she’s so strong… and her hero has the exact same personality type. Instant fireworks, and not the love-at-first-sight kind.
Ah, Promise of Peppermint is available as a bonus for signing up for my newsletter!
There are a lot of questions in that quiz, aren’t there! I wasn’t sure the first time either, but I’ve come to see where I land on the spectrum. :)
You’ll have to let me know! Doing final edits this weekend…
Oh, I love Linnea and I’m happy you = her! (sort of)
LOL I realize I put myself out on a limb and handed a chainsaw to the readers. I might come crashing down…
Maybe you’re my personality type, because I did that for the longest time, too, until I began to purposefully use MBTI in my stories!
Ah, well. Good to know. Check it out. Sign up. Done and done! Thanks!
Nothing like putting you on the spot LOL! Thank you. Enjoy. I looked at my list to see which of my heroes might be INFJ, and that would be Peter Santoro from Raindrops on Radishes.
I match Hailey north and I haven’t read that book
Nobody has except my editor!!! Coming soon…
I am an ESTJ and it looks like I don’t match with any of them. But it is always interesting to read books about different personalities types.
Maybe in another series! Thanks for reading.
According the quiz I’m an entrepreneur
I find all the different personality types fascinating. Thanks for sharing, and for the chance to win!
I am ENTJ: Kenna Johnson (Lavished with Lavender)
A rare personality type and make up only 2.2% of the population.
INFJ: Rebekah Jackson (Promise of Peppermint)
Ok, it says I’m ISFJ, and I match Linnea in Butterflies on Breezes. I have to admit, I haven’t read the book. I do think I’m way more introverted than the test thinks I am, though.
Thanks for coming by :)
Nice!
Cool! And here I gave that personality type to both the heroine and hero in that story!
Nice!
Yeah there are definite levels of introvertedness. :)
Loved this quote by another ISTJ
Introverted Sensing Thinking Judging
“It is in keeping with tradition throughout our history that I should express simply and directly the opinions which I hold concerning some of the matters of present importance.” –Herbert Hoover, Inaugural Address, Monday, March 4, 1929.
Copied from.
http://www.humanmetrics.com/personality/istj
Looks like that’s Sadie and I.
I have and have read all 11 books, eagerly waiting for my preorder to touch (my Love language) down in my Kindle, so to speak.
I’m the firstborn but not familiar with birth order studies.
Thank you for writing book that inspire, e.g. to pray for people who are in similar situations like you characters.
I know I am supersensitive to negative comments and often feel I need to defend myself especially if I have done the best I can. (good example is making a mistake in the newsletter and seeing people make fun of the error) so quite a bit is true.
Thank you, Anke!
I find this quizzes interesting, but I try not to let them guide me :)
I am impressed by anyone finishing the test, after five minutes my tired brain called enough. I found the DISC Index very useful though. Even more impressive is you having a heroine in each category :) It’s been a long week, finding it hard to type whilst the eyes start closing, so rest time for me. Have a great weekend :)
I’m more of a mix of different ones. I haven’t started on my books of heroines yet but have a few.
I’m in more then one for sure. I want to read one of those books just haven’t got to yet.
I am a INTJ, It describes me quite well … I don’t think I’ve ever read a heroine that feels really similar to me … a bit similar for sure but I’ve never really felt identified.
On the other hand I have not read this series yet.
I think only certain personality types find this kind of quiz fun ;) Hoping you have a restful weekend.
None of us is q “pure” personality! We are all individually nuanced.
Definitely we are all still individuals!
Hi Lilly – even if you read Cadence of Cranberries (Winnie is INTJ) you will likely still not identify completely since she most likely had a different upbringing and situation than you! And also because your Author is perfect, while Winnie’s is much less perfect.
According to the test, I am an INTJ: The Visionaries. I’m not sure I agree with everything they say comes with the personality, some things aren’t me at all while others are. Some of the questions I wasn’t sure how to answer or how much I “agreed” or “disagreed” with it. I’d love to take it over and really think about the question and answer it to see if it comes up with anything else.
Anyway, fun quiz! Evidently I’m like Winnie Santoro (Cadence of Cranberries). It would be interesting to read that to see if it’s true! :-)
No need to enter my name, your books are available through KU so I can borrow them!
“My author” what a nice answer hehehe God sometimes makes the best romance stories and unites people you wouldn’t think:
– My grandmother was a boarding school lady and my grandfather was a bad boy on a motorcycle with a leather jacket.
– My mom met my dad when he liked her cousin.
– A friend of my grandmother married her neighbor who always argued all the time until she had problems and he helped her.
The best author.
I did the test at 16 personalities earlier this year, and I felt like someone was describing me really well, lol. My match would be Linnea Ranta, and now I’m eager to read her story. :)
I hope I did Linnea (and you!) justice. :)