My fictional characters resemble real people to various degrees, just as real people resemble other real people. It's a wonderful experience to attend a Clyde Edgerton reading. Your talent in front of an audience equals that of your writing. Gentle satire and humor are a thread through much of your work. I've always loved to laugh at people like the Williams boys, Jonathan and Robin, and consequently I like to make people laugh.
Some people like to eat and therefore like to cook.
I like to laugh and therefore make people laugh. Good southern literature is universal because beneath the surface is hope and fear which hooks into the unconscious lakes and ponds and islands of people everywhere. It seems there is a bond between the book and reader. I don't know. For some it is not magic.