I’m a big fan of believable characters and am especially critical of the ones to whom I can personally relate. Being married to a cop and having worked as a civilian member (dispatch) of the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) for two and a half years, that puts cop characters square in my sights. Especially female ones. Nothing riles me faster than a poorly portrayed female cop.

When I set about creating Alexandra Jarvis, a homicide detective for the Toronto Police Service, I wanted her to be as real as possible…from how she dressed to how she interacted with her coworkers (except, perhaps, for toning down the language somewhat!) to how she’d behave in a dangerous situation. Fortunately, in addition to having had extensive interaction with cops for the last 26 years or so, I had the advantage of expert input.

My husband quickly set me straight on the little details such as Alex’s attire: contrary to most police dramas/films, homicide detectives don’t wear jeans (Law & Order gets this right) or heels of any sort (can’t chase down a suspect in those). He also corrected me on the kind of weapon she would carry, encouraged her use of stronger language (yes, she drops the f-bomb…though not nearly as often as she would in real life, trust me!), and investigative protocol.

Building the cop side of Alex’s personality was a little more complex. Alex isn’t modeled on any one female cop (despite what my husband’s former partner likes to tell people!), but rather on the knowledge I’ve gained from many conversations and friendships over the years. She’s not only tough (both emotionally and physically), she’s also smart enough to know both her strengths and her limitations. She takes great pride in her job and is respected by her peers for her high level of professionalism. Of course, that’s the positive side of things.

On the more complicated side, Alex has become a little jaded over the years, both on and off the job. One of the unfortunate side effects of being a female cop is the limitations it places on personal relationships. All cops tend to seek the company of their own even outside of work because of the nature of the job—you can’t talk about much of what you do or see with anyone else. For a woman, however, there is an added twist: many civilian men have a hard time in a relationship with a female cop. As one of my friends put it, “they’re either intimidated by you or out to prove that they’re tougher than you.” Hardly the makings of a match made in heaven.

For Alex, this side of the job has resulted in a certain hardness. She has little tolerance for stupidity; she considers herself a realist; and she is fiercely independent. But despite all that—and her very traumatic personal background, which is a whole other topic—she remains vulnerable, consummately human, and unimpeachably loyal. I feel privileged to know her, just as I’ve been privileged to know all those who inspired her.