Picture Post: The Danny Files

When I created Danny Vandervere, I worked from a number of different sources for inspiration. Originally, Danny was blond with brown eyes and golden skin; then when I started writing Worst Luck, I changed him to brown hair and brown eyes and white skin; then when I started writing The Math Teacher is Dead last year, I turned his hair blue-black and his eyes blue; since then I have decided he should have brown-black hair and his eyes should be gray.

Anyway, the following are the inspirations that went into making Danny: none of them are just like him (though the very last picture comes closest), but they all have shapes and features and color combinations that I have given to my young hero... some of them it's just a hair-style or a facial expression or a posture. I won't tell you what exact thing I took from each person, but I think if you look through these images, you'll get an idea what I have in my mind when I write about Danny Vandervere.