I don't know how many people have asked you this, and I hope I don't sound like a scratched record but.....
Are you planning on publishing this? If you haven't considered it, I suggest you send it to some publishing companines once it's over. Good job.
DrSevenSeizeMD
You know what scares me.... there is so much about Caroline, that reminds me of me.....
FUNKbrs
That's weird, because Caroline is totally a "jack" character, you know, like "jack jumped over the candlestick" or "jack and the beanstalk". Every other character in the book is based in part on someone I know in real life, although most of them are composites at best. I have to admit, though, that Caroline's neuroses are based on real emotional problems I see in other people. There's a lot of social political commentary in how the media helps to shape the way people act in Caroline, and since all that is pretty universal in American/english speaking culture, I guess that's why Caroline feels so familiar. If you notice, Caroline has almost no past, which is a tell-tale sign she's 100% imaginary.
Raz and Berry, for example, are loosely based on a married couple named Justin and Kat, with elements of other people mixed in there, like Beth and Lary in Berry, and Steve and Kevin mixed in Raz. Todd, also, is based on a real guy named Rod, although the real guy isn't nearly all that fruity. Most of Todd's gayness is actually mine, like his love of wine.
Mrs. Black, believe it or not, IS BASED ON A REAL PERSON. Worse, I even kept the same last name! I couldn't make this shit up if I tried. Mrs. Black (if she's still alive) was an old matron in a Pentecostal Church I grew up playing drums in, and is THE most "holy" person I've ever met. Not holy in terms of society, but holy like, you just meet her and she SEEMS holy. It's like her face glowed. It was crazy.
But yeah, it's a huge compliment that you can relate to Caroline, because making characters that people can believe in and have empathy with is something only the authors I respect most can do.