Doll Characters For Your Novels?

I read an interesting post on MJ Rose’s blog, Buzz, Balls & Hype where Doug Clegg, her co-author of BUZZ YOUR BOOK has come up with a fantastic marketing plan for his next novel, PRIEST OF BLOOD. One of his plans for promoting his book was to create clay and cloth dolls for the characters in his book. What an ingenious idea!

He has them up on eBay if you’d like to see them. I took a peek and, to be truthful, I really expected something more handmade – but these things are beautiful!

Which led me to think about my book – whose partial is with the agent so hopefully there will be GOOD NEWS soon.

My main characters are three women, Celia Gladstone, Babs Culpepper and Bunny Whimpelton who are about to approach the big 5-0. I did some brainstorming in what I’d like them to look like and they are surprisingly similar to The Golden Girls, only younger, and more hip – not to say The Golden Girls aren’t hip for their age…cause they are!

It’s not so much the facial characteristics or their physical features, but it’s more in the line of their ATTITUDE. Rose is very similar to Bunny with a more easy-going attitude; Dorothy is without a doubt, Babs with her domineering façade, but Celia is nowhere near Blanche in her physical prowness, but she keeps herself looking good anyway. You just never know when the right man will come along, do you?

So, anyway, my question is…

How would I do this? I can’t make clay dolls and I hate to sew so obviously I’m going to have to find someone who can do this for me. I don’t want to sell them – just display them for promotional items, say at booksignings, what not.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

(BTW, I'm having blogger problems tonight so the links won't be available until tomorrow.)