Walt Marlow is one of the main characters in my Haunting Danielle series. Some of my readers, along with my friends who are familiar with the series, know I named the character after my father. What they might not know, the character also shares Dad’s middle name, Clint, and both the character and my father’s real name is Walter, but both went by Walt.
When readers first meet Walt Marlow in The Ghost of Marlow House (Book 1 of the Haunting Danielle series), Walt is the ghost mentioned in the title. Our main character, Danielle, discovers Walt Marlow—the house’s previous resident—still residing in the house after she inherits it. Danielle assumed the house had been vacant for decades before she moved in. But surprise, it comes with a ghost.
Did Dad inspire the character? Yes…and no. In the beginning, when naming the character I wanted an old fashioned name. My character, Walt Marlow, was born in 1899 and died three years before Dad was born. While they weren’t of the same generation, I felt the name Walt would also work for someone born in my grandparents’ generation.
I didn’t start out to pattern the character after Dad. But when looking back, I realize that in many ways I unconsciously did just that.
First, let’s start with how Dad isn’t like Walt Marlow. Marlow loves to read and owns an impressive library. Dad wasn’t one to sit around and read a book. Although, he did enjoy listening to Mom read aloud when they would take their long car trips across the state from Havasu to visit family.
Dad excelled in math, not reading. He preferred to be doing something outdoors, as opposed to indoor activities. He was a general contractor working primarily in commercial construction before we moved to Havasu Palms. He was fully capable of performing the jobs of his subs—such as framing, plumbing, and electrical. He learned cabinet making as a young man from skilled craftsmen and designed our homes—along with the restaurant, new marina, and mobile home expansion at Havasu Palms. He fixed the antiquated heavy equipment at Havasu Palms, graded the dirt road into the park, and learned to fly a plane. If he couldn’t figure out how to fix something on his own, he often relied on instruction manuals, long before the days of how-to YouTube videos.
The similarities between Dad and Walt Marlow are more of a personal nature. Like Dad, Marlow deeply loves his family and close friends. He’s fiercely loyal, protective, and is prepared to help those he cares about at a moment’s notice. While Marlow, like Dad, are products of their generations and tend to hold old fashioned views about women—neither is a misogynist nor intimidated by a strong woman.
In many ways, each of them is a feminist, but I doubt either would describe themselves that way. Both have a reverence and respect for motherhood and childbirth which they display by showing respect toward women and by being fiercely protective.
Both are animal lovers. I remember how Dad cried for months after Fritzy, our family’s schnauzer, died. About a year later we finally convinced them it was time to get another dog. With Marlow, he’ll be able to communicate with the dogs and cats he loves—in this world or the next.
Walt Marlow often charms people, and when I think of Dad, he also had a way of charming people who met him. Dad, like my character, had a way of garnering respect.
Yet, sometimes Walt Marlow acts a bit impulsively—which can get Danielle in trouble. Like the time he took it upon himself to pack for Danielle’s cousin, Cheryl. If you read the book, you will know what I am talking about.
Looking back, I witnessed my father behaving in a similar impulsive way. One incident stands out to me. Some teenager was racing around the mobile home park at Havasu Palms on his motorcycle. Dad, tired of telling the guy to stop racing around the park impulsively snatched the teenager’s bike keys and tossed them in the lake.
Yeah, I could see Walt Marlow doing that.
Photo: Walt Johnson
My bio dad’s name was Walter too! Probably told you that before.