When I create characters for my books, the first thing that happens is they are conjured into my mind, showing me what they look like. Before I know their name, personality, traits, and quirks, I know what they look like.

At least what they look like in my mind.

The image of Lori Bishop that appeared before my eyes was a young Shannon Bream (the Fox News at Night host) with a cropped haircut and long bangs. But as I sketched out Lori’s background and traits (she’s a computer hacker and IT specialist), the Shannon Bream image suddenly became too conservative, or restrained for Lori’s persona.

Lori has a wild side, and when you discover her backstory you’ll realize her appearance is heavily influenced by not only her taste for arts and humanities, but by her rebellious nature. Now, Lori appeared to me as the crazy-hot, magnetic model Sara X.

Interesting side note: look at Shannon and Sara’s faces. They could be sisters! Who knows, they could be the same person. Maybe Sara is Shannon’s Friday night alter ego. Or Shannon is Sara’s daytime “Clark Kent.” Together they are Lori Bishop!

When she has to dress up for court or corporate clients, Lori tends to appear as the conservative Shannon Bream. But when she’s working a case, or out on the town or kicking it at home, she’s the fun-loving rockin’ rebel Sara X.

Throughout books 2 and 3, Lori is described as having a bleached-white Billy Idol-styled haircut, a platinum blonde head, and sun-bleached hair cropped above the shoulders that contrasts fetchingly with the black-and-gray tattoos covering her upper body and arms. The slender, ample-breasted PI also has a large tattoo of a bearded Viking on her right thigh, which I reveal why in book 3, Whispers That Kill. And her bright raspberry lipstick and alluring milky-white complexion is a tantalizing combination.

Another reason why I like this look for Lori is because it is the stark opposite of Kelly Reed’s appearance, who is more the jock, tomboy, country girl type, who wouldn’t even get a Ranger tattoo when she was in the Army. Makeup? Forget it! Kelly’s idea of fashion is a pair of jeans, a tee shirt, and ASICS running shoes. You have to almost force her into a skirt and heels. And her idea of a swimsuit is Navy swim shorts. Because Kelly and Lori are partner-characters, their opposing appearances help maintain the yin and yang that make them so compelling as partners in crime.

IT Specialists on TV and in Movies

It seems like every techie and IT specialist on TV gets stereotyped as the computer nerd: the girl on NCIS Los Angeles; Garcia on Criminal Minds; Abby on NCIS; and the girl on the short-lived show Legend that starred Sean Bean.

In the movies they’re portrayed a bit different. The hacker-PI Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a dark troubled rebel. And then there is the conservative and well-poised CIA agent Heather Lee in Jason Bourne.

So Who is Lori Bishop?

Lori is highly intelligent, sharp, witty, fun loving, and tougher than she believes she is. And like Kelly, she doesn’t think twice about breaking the law to give people justice. This sultry, tattooed, punk-rocking hacker is someone readers can relate to and fall in love with.

Even though Lori was once just a team member under Kelly’s command in the DEA, and is now an employee of Kelly Reed Investigations, she and Kelly are best friends. Hell, they’re family! And as the series progresses, readers get to share in that friendship. Kelly and Lori show us the kind of friendship that should exist between people outside of fiction.

Obviously an integral part of the series is my partner-characters Kelly and Lori. I will arrogantly wager they are more intriguing and entertaining than Robert Crais’ Cole and Pike, and that is saying a lot because Crais is my favorite crime author, who showed me how to create partner-characters.

Does Lori Bishop sound like a character you would enjoy reading about and following from book to book? Do you prefer protagonists to have a sidekick or partner who compliments them, keeps them grounded when times get tough? Leave me a comment below.