Regardless of whether I show him or not on the cover - I always have a picture in my mind of the main characters. How else are you supposed to describe them if not?
So in that way I need a muse!
Rarely it's an actual person - more like a composite: of images from the net and people that I've met, merging together to form a physical being that gets fine tuned over time if it's a series like The Wild Side.
And if I'm going to give an example, then why not go in at the deep end with Big Bad Angus himself - the Master of The Wild Side.
To be honest - I had never heard of the man pictured when I first described Angus MacLeod, so he wasn't the original muse. And he's too young in this picture for the current MacLeod, who I have in his late thirties. But I reckon that ten years earlier, Angus would look just like this man here - the fabulous Ted Colunga, when he still had a full head of hair!
Okay, so Ted's Hungarian, not a Jock - but those dark brooding looks are spot on for Angus, and other Scots of his type, of which there are quite a few. The build and the body hair fits perfectly as well. And then there is another asset that Ted Colunga boasts, which for decency sake I don't show here, but is also reminiscent of what Mr MacLeod packs in his trousers.
So not the original muse - I didn't even know about Ted when I invented Angus. It's a piece of serendipity - one of those happy accidents that I never tire of.
Jack