Characters From where?

A friend recently asked where my characters came from, and did I write down all the background information or statistics in another place. I replied that they were just voices in my head asking for theirs to be heard. When things don't get written correctly, then I'm missing things and have to keep polishing away at it. CURE CRISIS is the first of five novels I am currently pounding away on. I have several short stories waiting in the wings. All of my characters are based on real people; albeit with combined personality traits, mind you. They are real to me, and when I write them down I try to make them real to the reader as I see them.