From the Top: Margot Ranier

Okay. First things first—let’s get her name out of the way: Mar-go Ran-yay.

Margot started with a stranger.

I was seventeen on my first trip to New Orleans, wandering around the French Quarter with my family, when I saw a woman playing guitar near Jackson Square. I have absolutely no memory of what she was playing. Zero. What I remember is her. Warm, freckled skin. Short, coily dark red hair. Gorgeous hazel eyes.

Looking back, my young and unaware queer self was definitely staring too long. In my defense—I didn’t know yet, but my brain was clearly onto something.

That random woman stuck with me. And somehow, without meaning to, she became Margot’s face.

Margot’s personality, though, is a completely different story.

She’s built out of a lot of strong, stubborn women I’ve known—and still know—in real life. The kind who keep things running because no one else will. Capable. Controlled. Not especially interested in being liked. They expect competence. They don’t waste energy on drama.

Margot got that from them. She believes that if she stays disciplined and does her job well enough, everything else will stay contained.

It’s a comforting belief. But it’s also one I’ve seen crack.

Well, that should be a sufficient enough inspo background (without giving too much away, at least), so now is probably a good time to confess that I’m an aggressively visual writer. If I can’t see a character, my brain refuses to cooperate. So, I put a couple of non-spoiler mock-ups below in case anyone’s curious. They’re not exactly how she looks in my head—nothing ever is—but they’re close enough to count.

Catch ya’ll on the flip,

AMV