It's fun to make GAN images of the characters I've created.
In the upcoming book, Piper plays Zoe Hardwick, new student at Saccharin Valley Middle School. (Side note, how many "new students" have there been in SVT? Actual ones, not ones I made up. At least ten*). She's of mixed race this time. (Because the last thing Saccharin Valley needs is more white characters).
She also plays an elderly shopkeeper (for the new magic/Wicca/metaphysical store in Saccharin Valley). Who is kind of a punk. She has pink hair. And silver eyes, which I just stuck in there for shits and giggles (usually Piper's eyes give away the ruse, they're glowing green most of the time) but then I got the GAN to look like that, by accident. Her name is Cerridwen O'Connell.
She will serve as the Wise Old Person one of the twins seeks out for help. (See: Corrina in Super Chiller #9, although she wasn't old... but that kind of trope). Piper plays more than one character (much like the last book, and the one before it) because she is more powerful than Tobias, so her magic can sustain both disguises. (No one really cares about these things, but I think about them because I like making up shit/character development/world building).
Tobias plays her husband, Harlan O'Connell (he uses that alias a lot in my books, because in my mind he's not as excited about being in disguise as Piper is, and if the twins don't remember him because it's a different book, then it doesn't matter). He kind of aging hippie.
"That's so right on, man." He's kind of a sleaze here, I may have to tweak him more.
Neither of them have been "old" yet. I guess because when I needed an old witch and and an old evil sorcerer for Book 2, I used Piper's "real" (outside of Saccharin Valley stories) grandparents. Oh, Tobias was the Magistrate in old Salem in The Babysitter II. So, this guy is seemingly a little less stern and more friendly and laid back.** And Piper was kind of old, briefly, in Book 6, The Babysitter II. She was "Faith Green", essentially May Brown from SVT #54 but a WITCH (obvs). Faith Green was middle-aged. I made a GAN portrait for her too. I want to be able to include these in my paperback books... they would have to be desaturated (to publish in black and white. Kindle versions can be color?). Maybe as chapter headers instead of a Gallery in the back, which is what I'm trying to do in The Babysitter (like a special edition).
I sometimes wonder if people actually read my books, if they have a preference as to how the twins are "terrorized." Like just Piper & Tobias messing with the twins, or Demon Piper? Or along with the vampires I made up? (I just realized there are 4 vampires, that seems excessive now, LOL. Lydia, Fox, Lucia & Vesper***). At some point I was like, don't create any new characters; just Piper is fine. But then Tobias, her boyfriend gets sucked into it. Mostly because he likes watching Piper work, not because he particularly has a jones for fucking up the twins' (and occasionally their brother's) lives. He treats it like his girlfriend's amusing hobby, and he's just hangin' out.
And also, are you here for the imitation SVT, or the "DIE DIE DIE" situation? Or the humor, which I hope is funny. Sometimes I write things and LQTM.**** (And sometimes I write things that I think are funny, and then go back and read them and they seem forced/ cringeworthy.)
I probably won't use all of these for the cover, I may just have Zoe and the twins (Elizabeth looking scared/ concerned as seen below, Jessica looking witchy if I can swing it.)
**He's still a STRANGE MAN but as we've seen in SVT books, the twins encounter strange men quite often and are somehow never in any danger.
***BTW, Lucia and Vesper are lesbian lovers but that sort of thing isn't mentioned in Saccharin Valley
****"Laugh Quietly to Myself" a la Demetri Martin