The Inspiration Behind Ava Miller

Photo of Mia Wasikowska in the film "Jane Eyre" (2011)

Ava Miller is all of us. She represents every young woman at some point in their life. Easily captivated by a man's good looks, charmed by their charisma, unwillingly falling into the trap of their devious, and yet, alluring sexual aura.

It was sometime in the fall of last year that I was reflecting on my past relationships, noticing a few where I saw the red flags but wanted to hold onto them because of the amazing chemistry. At the same time, those "good men" like Mr. Summers or David Hoff made me feel disinterested because the lack of chemistry made it feel more like a friendship. Perhaps, it was the lock down that made me rethink my personal life choices or the fact that quarantine made me feel the true effects of the absence of speaking to the opposite sex in person, but it made me realize that chemistry can in fact develop overtime. Yes, it is an amazing thing and cannot be replicated. I have spoken to countless friends that agree with me that the power of sexual chemistry can easily make a person throw common sense to the wind, much like our dear Ava. In the end, it is just one part of the flickering flame in a relationship, you need a good man with high morals to make a relationship last. 

I believe that writing under a pen name helps me dive into my subconscious mind. Dig out the dirt, the shame, the heartache, and really get to the heart of the matter. In a way, Ava Miller is me- but she can also be you. Haven't we all fallen for the wrong guy at one point or another? Devastated to find out the man that caught our eye is already in a relationship? Holding on to the "what if" and "maybe it will change" sort of situations? Have we not brushed aside the good guy in favour of the luring bad boy with a seductive smirk?

Ava Miller is inspired by the untold story of all single woman. The ones that enter the courting world with starry eyes and hopeful for a romance that will replicate the books she consumed in her early adolescents. After all, don't we want to have our own  "Mr. Darcy" and to be swept off our feet by a handsome man. There is a reason Mr. Summers was slightly annoyed by Ava's nativity when it came to romantic relationships; she wanted nothing more then to fall madly in love like in her precious novels. Is it any wonder that Mr. Riley was such an appealing figure for her? He is tall, extraordinary handsome and he represents the forbidden. Similar to the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden it grows into the female's character mind, growing larger and more dangerous until it consumes her wholly. The sexual chemistry only adds fuel to the fire; Ava's heartbeat accelerates at the sight of him, he licks his lips at her, and all she can ever want is to fall into his arms and be embraced by his kisses. So, can we really blame her? Well, I suppose we can, but we can also relate to the feelings that our poor Ava Miller experiences when she is first introduced to this handsome gentleman.

If we cannot fault her for the fire that is ignited between Mr. Riley and herself, we can however shake our head adamantly for Ava ignoring the red flags. How many can she ignore before common sense wallops her at the back of the head? God only knows. Still, it makes for a good read, doesn't it? Indeed, the suspense of it all- the endless tug of war for the fair maiden by Mr. Summers and Mr. Riley does make an entertaining story. Two men fighting for her affection, both determined to win her heart while going about it in entirely different ways. One is through the masterful art of seduction, the other simply an act of honour and goodwill to win her hand. Which one will Ava Miller choose, well, you have to read the book to figure that one out.

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*Please note that the author "Peter Gray" writes under the pen name and that the writer is in fact a woman. Hopefully that will ease any level of confusion after reading the blog post. If you want to learn more about the reason for the pen name "Peter Gray" you can read this  post here.