Inspirations

Kevin/Trev McNamara

    I often get asked if I base characters off people I know. The answer, of course, is yes and no. What I really do is pay homage to people I love, and that likely comes out as me focusing on certain habits or vibes I feel remind me of friends and family. So I’ll tell you the story of how Trev McNamara’s coffee habit came to be. 

    I dated a guy in college named Kevin. I’ll withhold his last name since he’s still out there putting great things in the world from what I can tell. I was a drama major at the time, working on stage and we did several productions together and took a lot of classes. He was five years older than the rest of us and it showed. His level of maturity showed in both his work and calm demeanor. I mean nothing shook this man. He would come to parties and while the rest of us were getting trashed on Boone’s Farm and Mad Dog, he would sit at the table or on the steps and drink coffee. I can’t tell you how many of us were driven home or gently talked out of making bad decisions with not an ounce of judgment from him. 

    After a while we started dating and when he was ready he told me why he didn’t touch a drop of liquor. Because he was an alcoholic and an addict. He fell into his disease very young, and it led him to write some hot checks, and some checks that weren’t actually his own, and he did a little time. When I met him, he was determined to build something, a life he could be proud of. I hope I helped him down that road. 

    We were together for a roughly a year and when we broke up, he ended up with a lovely woman in our class. We were friendly until we graduated, and later I learned they married, had kids, and moved to NYC to pursue their acting dreams. 

    The day I broke up with him, my longtime rival/friend/everything came back into my life. He was sarcastic and loved lemon everything, and I was finally ready to love him. 

    They say people come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. My season with Kevin led to Trev McNamara, and I hope to both Kevin and my happily ever afters. 

Book mentioned:

Siren in Waiting