The face of the Firefly Witch

When a writer creates a character, he or she generally has a very clear image in his or her mind’s eye. Sometimes it can be of a well-known, specific actor: it’s no secret that Alien-era Tom Skerritt inspired Eddie LaCrosse, hero of my latest novel Wake of the Bloody Angel. Conversely, there is no actress who completely matches my idea of Bronwyn Hyatt, heroine of The Hum and the Shiver.

That’s what makes Tanna Tully, aka Lady Firefly, heroine of the Firefly Witch series, so interesting. When I first started writing about her, I had a very clear image of her in my head, although no actress entirely matched up. Then, sometime in the late 90s, I discovered So I Married an Axe Murderer, and Nancy Travis.

Nancy Travis, my original idea of Tanna Tully.

She became my image of an ideal Tanna. And if someone had made a film of the stories fifteen years ago, I would have loved to see her in the part.

But now that I’m bringing back the character, updating her and writing new stories, I find Ms. Travis no longer quite fits what I have in mind. So, for those of you who’ve read the Firefly Witch stories, I have a question: what contemporary actress can you see as Tanna Tully? Leave a comment below, and you’ll get a chance at a signed novel of your choice.


2 Comments on “The face of the Firefly Witch”

  1. When I’m reading the stories, I kind of hear/see a young Susan Sarandon…*dark* red hair and a kind of husky voice.

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