It's not uncommon for authors to put a bit of themselves into their main characters. Good characters are relatable, and there's no one most authors are better equipped to relate to than themselves. We took a look at a few British authors' comments on how they've included a bit of themselves in their most famous characters:

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• "He sort of is me, although not entirely. Wexford holds my views pretty well on most things, so I find putting him on the page fairly easy. Like me, he sees things changing, like people not writing letters any more." -Ruth Rendell on Inspector Wexford (Source)
  • ​From Doon With Death, the first Wexford novel
• In a 1956 interview with John Bull magazine, Dame Agatha Christie mentioned the character Ariadne Oliver (a mystery novelist and friend of Poirot) had "a strong dash" of herself. (Source)
  • ​The Case of the Discontented Soldier (first appearance of Ariadne Oliver)
• "I think in some ways he may be the masculine equivalent of me . . . He’s not a self-portrait, but he does have qualities I admire. He’s intelligent, he’s literary. I admire his sensitivities and certainly his courage and his self-sufficiency, but he may be too self-sufficient." -PD James on Adam Dalgliesh (Source)
  • ​Cover Her Face, the first Dalgliesh novel
• And of course, one of the most blatant literary examples of self-insertion is Anthony Horowitz in his Hawthorne & Horowitz novels. He literally makes himself a character, and he said this of the characterisation: "I’m just the narrator and in fact, you don’t learn a great deal about me outside my life as a writer and as a sidekick to a quite difficult detective. But the short answer is that my depiction is 100% accurate—but you may choose not to believe that." (Source)
  • ​The Word is Murder, the first Hawthorne & Horowitz novel

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New in the Last Week...

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• ​Grand Designs at 25 - Celebrating 25 years of groundbreaking architecture, Kevin McCloud highlights the most iconic builds and offers insightful commentary on design evolution.
• ​Karla's Choice: A John le Carré Novel by Nick Harkaway - In 1963, George Smiley, seeking peace after leaving the Circus, is pulled back into espionage when a Russian defector's mission goes awry.
• ​A Winter Wedding at Primrose Hall by Jill Steeples - As Christmas approaches at Primrose Hall, Pia and her fiancé Jackson prepare for their Carols by Candlelight event and their upcoming wedding. Book 6 in the Primrose Woods series.
• ​The Soho Murders by Mike Hollow - In December 1940, amid the devastation of London's Blitz, DI John Jago investigates the murder of an antiquarian bookseller, whose recent acquisition of a priceless volume may have been the motive for his death.
• ​Death Comes at Christmas - This collection features 18 festive murder mysteries by top crime writers, offering everything from locked room puzzles to dinner table rivalries, perfect for fans of classic Christmas crime fiction.

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• ​Cooking & the Crown by Tom Parker Bowles - This intimate cookbook looks at 200 years of British royal cuisine, featuring 100 recipes and anecdotes that span from Queen Victoria to King Charles III.
• ​A New Hope for the Cornish Girls by Betty Walker - In post-war Cornwall, 1946, three women—Sheila, Joan, and Selina—navigate loss, love, and new beginnings as they rebuild their lives and the village around them.
• ​The English Landscape Garden by Tim Richardson - This beautifully photographed volume celebrates the 18th-century English landscape garden, showcasing 20 of the finest surviving examples of this quintessential British art form.
• ​The Shipping Forecast: Celebrating 100 Years by Meg Clothier - Celebrating 100 years of the Shipping Forecast, this book explores Britain's deep connection to its maritime history through weather, ships, and the arts inspired by the forecast.
• ​Murder at the Foundling Hospital by Irina Shapiro - Nurse Gemma Tate teams up with Inspector Sebastian Bell to investigate the murder of a young girl at a Victorian era foundling hospital.

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More to Read...

​27 Light Romantic Novels About Christmas in Scotland - This will surely make a few people cringe, but we've already had some questions about British Christmas books - so we know some of you are ready to break out the fairy lights and Christmas books.

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​13 Ghostly British Novels About Haunted Houses - Looking for something spooky and British? These should fit the bill.

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"Your tears come easy, when you're young, and beginning the world. Your tears come easy, when you're old, and leaving it."

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Wilkie Collins, The Moonstone​

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