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"Ooh, baby, baby it's a wild world/ It's hard to get by just upon a smile/ Ooh, baby, baby it's a wild world/ I'll always remember you like a child, girl." - "Wild World" by Cat Stevens

I completed another 10 pages in my work in progress yesterday and am well on my way to finishing this latest volume in Willow Ryan's life. I chose "Wild World" as my song of the day because yesterday I had Willow fall asleep while listening to a Cat Stevens record with her baby, and it's been in my head for the last 16 hours or so.

Here's a question for all of you writers out there. Can a character in a novel ever be too real? Willow is like so many women, trying her best to balance family, work, and doing what she can to achieve a lifelong dream for herself. Her toddler has temper tantrums, her husband doesn't always worry about the little details in life that plague her thoughts every day, and she's surrounded by a great group of friends and family that enrich her life so much but can also drive her a little bit crazy. I always try to make my characters relatable so a reader can nod her head in agreement and say, "I feel the exact same way" or "That's totally happened to me before!", which I think I have achieved in each book so far. Willow's character and story are in no way boring, but can her fictional life be too real? Any thoughts on this topic would be greatly appreciated!