Outatime with Candace Stupek

One of the most fun aspects to the stories that I write is that half of the characters I write in them are based on and/or inspired by actual friends that I know. I find it to be more motivating to create characters that reflect those friends because their lives often encourage greater levels of storytelling. This goes especially with crossovers. Yesterday, I concluded my five-year "Disney Ghostbusters" series with its final installment, "The Dead End." DGB was my most focused fan fiction crossover from 2008 to 2013 with some of the most fun characters I've ever written - most of which were based on actual friends. Today, as I look ahead on the stories that I'm writing for 2014, I'm hoping to write a character half as epic as "Kimberly Venkman" (based on my good friend Kimberly Nicole). And I believe that I have found one in "Doctor Candace Brown" - my main character for my Back to the Future-centered story, "Outatime!"

Although loosely based on Christopher Lloyd's "Emmett Brown" character from the movies, the biggest inspiration behind the "Candace Brown" character is Candace Stupek (pictured above). Candace has been my friend of six years and also one of my greatest mentors in life. Ever since I'd known her, I have tried many times to create a character based solely on her. She is a character in herself with traits worthy of being incorporated into fiction. For one thing, Candace is TALL (standing at 5'10" - which is quite tall for a woman). When you see her stand next to other women (and even a few men), the first thing you'll notice is how she towers over them. It's one of the magnificent traits she was born with that I love about her and wish to feature in her own character.

 (Candace w/ IFBB Pro Monica Brant)

 

 

Another of Candace's traits worthy of being incorporated into her very own character is her hair. When I first met Candace through BodySpace, her hair was very short and reminded me a little of Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music in its style (in fact, I remember complimenting on one iconic photo of hers where I said how she was "like a tall, pumped Julie Andrews" or something along those lines). Of course, now that I look back on it, her hair had more of a Tasha Yar style to it. But these days Candace has grown her hair out pretty long and even more gorgeous than before, and that's the way that I intend to feature it for her "Outatime!" character later this year.

 

(A whole new "Doc Brown" for a new generation!)

 

 

In addition to height, hair, and beauty, one of the most profound traits Candace's real-life self has encouraged me to feature into her "Outatime!" character is her age. She is currently 47 years old but will be 48 this year - to put it into perspective, she is 20 years older than me and darn proud of it (she'll also be the oldest friend I've committed to writing in my work)! What is so cool about this is the fact that Christopher Lloyd was also in his late-40s when he took on the role of "Doc Brown" in Back to the Future (so Candace definitely fits the bill)! The only minor difference is that her character will be depicted with her real-life age, whereas Chris Lloyd had to play older than he was (Trivial Fact: Doc Brown was in his 70s in the first film before he rejuvenated his age in the second film to suit Chris Lloyd's actual age). Of course, since this will be a time-travel story, Candace's character age may vary - in some cases to follow with her real-life age (if "Outatime!" is to have its own trilogy, Candace will have entered her 50s when the sequels get made). Then there's the opportunity is going back to the years of a younger Candace and seeing what adventures are in store there.

 

(Time travelers in the making - Chris and Candace's high school pictures!)

 

For "Outatime!", I've written a part for myself as my own version of Marty McFly, Doc's closest friend and pupil. That's pretty much what I see myself to Candace, who has taught me so much about life and health. What Doc was to Marty in the Back to the Future trilogy, Candace is to me in reality. However, for "Outatime!", our characters won't yet have that relationship, since they are somewhat strangers in the beginning and will have to build upon their friendship in subsequent stories as they travel more through time together. But it will certainly be fun for me personality to see how much of the already-developed friendship between Candace and myself can be incorporated through our characters.

 

I'm truly blessed to have known a wonderful woman like Candace Stupek for as long as I have. To finally be able to write her in one of my online stories is a treat, and I strongly look forward to showing her and everyone else what crazy adventures our characters get into when "Outatime!" debuts online November 22, 2014 - the 25th Anniversary of Back to the Future Part II!