Some of the Key Players

When I first conceived the idea for VIRTUOUS SINNERS almost 20 years ago, it was a vastly different story to what it is today. 

The story being written now is set in the jazz soaked, Roaring 1920s in Canada. 

When the idea of this story first came to me, I had been watching the Anne of Green Gables trilogy and was obsessed with the Victorian/Edwardian era. The romanticism of the rural life. 

The first incantation of this story was to be in the very early Edwardian era around 1905 or so. There were many starts but no finishes for this story, because at the time I really honestly lacked any true knowledge of the era. What was popular, what people did for a pastime, things like that. And eventually the story never came to be as I moved on to pursuing short erotic stories as a hobby. 

I do have a very strong love for silent films and early talking pictures and I did write a story set in the 1930s with a "Thriller era" Michael (he was 25, his love interest was 18 in that story) but I still wanted to write something different, something more erotic something more scandalous. Rage in Hell, the 30s story, was good, probably some of my best work yet, but it was not as risque as what I wanted to write. 

I kept trying the early idea of this story. It was always supposed to feature an older Michael (40-45 in my head) but lets say he was a bit more nefarious. He was supposed to take a girl and bring her into his home and would take her pictures to make naughty postcards. I was going to gear up to this again and had to throw the idea away because the whole mess with that trial in 2005 kicked off and I felt it would be in poor taste to write subject matter like that at the time. (this version might become a short erotica in the future) 

I really wanted to get to writing again because my health in 2023 and 2024 had been terrible and I had several times where my life almost ended as a result.

I got the boost I needed to actually put words to paper a few weeks ago during a Zoom meeting, coincidentally with TJ Jackson, Michael Jackson's nephew. I mentioned my writing and he very graciously encouraged me to write if that was my creative outlet. 

So I sat and began to write. 

The hardest part for me of any story is finding the "face" of my lead girl, in this story, Victoire Odette Dufrense. 

In the Edwardian story, Odette was supposed to be a busty redhead looking like actress Christina Hendricks from "Mad Men"

I decided against this and in my head Odette was a fair-skinned Creole/Colored woman with grey eyes and long black hair. I wanted her to somewhat mirror the appearance of an older Michael (pale skin, straight black hair, etc) like a feminine version of him. 

I must have looked at a hundred different silent film actresses. Any and every brunette I could think of, I studied her face. I even looked at other famous redheads like Joan Crawford and Clara Bow who appeared as brunette in  black and white film of the 1920s. 

None worked for me. I must have watched miles of films. English, French and German languages, hunting the face of my Odette. For a while I turned to AI and kept giving it prompts, all of which were bullshit in the end. I never thought I'd have a face to go by. 

Then I saw actress Jobyna Ralston. 

The funny thing was, when I found her, I wasn't even looking for her! As a past time I read old Photoplay magazines from the 20s and 30s cause like I said, I'm a massive classic film buff. In the middle of an article about comedian Harold Lloyd, there was her picture. Jobyna took over for Lloyd's wife Mildred, as the female lead once Harold and Mildred married. I quite literally stood up and SCREAMED. Jobyna had the exact look I wanted--pretty, but innocent and naive looking. She had the perfect face, the perfect look. For Odette I needed her to have the pale skin, the dark hair, etc to give creedance to her "White looking but Colored" character. 

Michael Jackson was easy. He was the first character and I knew out the box what I wanted him to look like. While it hasn't been mentioned yet, Michael's character will be 45 years old. 

In my head Michael Jackson would be something like a Black Jay Gatsby. Always well put together, always dapper, fabulously wealthy and a bit of uncertainty as to how said wealth was obtained. The only good thing to come out of Michael being hauled in and out of court in 2005 was I have a vast variety of real life suits to dress Michael Jackson in, as the clothing did kind of hearken back to the yesteryear when the gentlemanly look was in. 

And I will be borrowing HEAVILY from his suit looks. 

Another key player introduced in Chapter One was Taj Jackson, Michael's nephew I had a bit more trouble with Taj. With his styling per se. Taj is famous for wearing his hair in braids and literally has done so for over 30 years. And when Taj does not have his braids in, he's usually wearing a black ballcap. I have met Taj in person a few times (TJ once in person) and it's a running joke for him to remove "Dat Hat" Literally the last time I saw Taj last October I actually gifted him another black cap. 

Myself with Taj Jackson, October 2024

Taj with his trademark braids. 

In 1920s America and Canada, these braids were not common and I couldn't write his character as having them because I wanted to try to stay as true to the fashions and ideals of the era as I could--as a challenge to myself. I always like to challenge myself with my writing. 

 It's kind of rare to catch Taj showing his natural hair, which is really pretty. And this pic is literally what I based his character's look upon, right down to that one curl on his forehead. As Taj is 15 years younger than Michael in real life, for the story of VIRTUOUS SINNERS, he's about 30 years old. 

 Taj's character, a Doctor, does wear round tortoise shell glasses, like actor Harold Lloyd. 

Another major, albeit brief character mentioned in Chapter One was Madame Lenior. Like Odette she was a White looking Colored and absolutely hated Odette for her beauty and was especially cold and cruel to her. Madame will be referenced in upcoming chapters but whether or not she shall be seen again, I haven't decided. I based Madame's appearance on another old Hollywood actress, Bette Davis. 

I couldn't imagine anyone else in my head BUT Older Bette Davis when I thought of Madame Lenoir. And yes, some people might have considered Bette a miserable old bitch in her heyday, much like Madame. And if Bette were still around--she passed on in 1989-- I'd love her to play Madame in a film lmaoooo! 

One of Michael's employees, a chauffer, Chester is introduced and even asked Michael for money while boarding the train to Toronto. I didn't have an exact "look" for Chester, just a squat, somewhat heavy set black man in a uniform. What I did know was how I wanted him to SOUND. Chester will have a very distinctive hoarse, scratchy voice, the exact opposite of Michael's soft-spoken, eloquent one. An old actor, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson has the exact voice I mentioned and feel free to look him up to hear it. 

I may just model his appearance off Rochester cause he does have a "face" and I like it. 

I have not actually introduced all of my characters as of yet.. There's still other members of Michael's household staff at his estate Rosewyck, Taj's two brothers, Taryll and TJ, and all of their daughters along with some of the residents of Juniper Peak, the island on which Michael Jackson lives. 

(Note: I know in the first chapter, you saw Mr. Boudreaux and his children that ran the hotel in Fayette Parish, but as those were once off characters, there is no direct photo I used for the creation of any of them)

Please stay tuned, as CHAPTER THREE is being written at this very moment and thank you so, so much for reading!