MEET PILAR ALVAREZ

Psychologist, daughter, sister, friend, single lady looking for love, Pilar Alvarez has a lot of roles to play in my soon-to-be-released Chick Lit novel, IN NEED OF THERAPY.  Her career really defines Pilar as a person.  She is, and always has been, a fixer, someone who sees a problem or conflict and wants to jump in and resolve it.  She genuinely cares about her patients, friends, and family members and wants everyone to be happy.  An optimist and an idealist, Pilar accepts others at face value and strives to see the best in them, so her disappointment is acute when she feels that someone has let her down.  To paraphrase one Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Pilar's "good opinion once lost is lost forever."

Author’s Notes:  I've always been fascinated by psychology and even toyed with the idea of becoming a therapist myself.  I took several Psych classes in school, read Psychology Today religiously, and doled out advice to friends like I knew what I was talking about!  So, it was fun to climb inside the head of a shrink for this book and explore how she felt about her work, her patients, and what her job-related high points and frustrations were.

Pilar may be smart, grounded, and good at what she does, but that doesn't mean she takes herself too seriously.  It was important to me that the character have a good sense of humor about all the craziness (both personally and professionally) in her life and that she have flaws.  She is fallible and she's the first person to admit that, which I think is an admirable trait.  She might be the most even-tempered member of her highly volatile family (more on them in tomorrow's blog post), but the fiery Latina inside her does burst out once in a while, usually cursing in Spanish.

Pilar Quotes (non-spoilery):  "Right, I wouldn't want a potential mate to know that I have a functioning brain."

"You are such a liar!  You weren't paralyzed by my beauty for a minute, much less an hour!"

"I'm always pro-eating."

"It is possible for two mature people of the opposite sex to have a platonic relationship based on common interests."

Casting:  I always pictured Pilar as beautiful, but not intimidatingly so. She's very feminine with a curvaceous figure, long, wavy brown hair, and a friendly smile that invites people to confide in her.  I think Eva Mendes comes pretty close to how I envisioned  Pilar.  She's appealing to both men and woman, has a great sense of style, and sparkles with warmth and positivity.