Posts Tagged ‘crime thriller’

Characters – Nicole-Angeline Felcraft

Posted: March 30, 2016 in Characters
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Nicole-Angeline Felcraft – 42yrs old, born in the USA.  Nicole-Angeline is Skot’s younger sister.  She is married with children of her own, all of them being reared in the traditional Felcraft fashion.  She is one of the most adept in the occult and magick arts the family has seen in recorded history, her understanding seeming to be more one of nature and communion than anything learned.  She wears her dark brown hair long, straight, her dress generally in a manner of something elegant and ethereal, belying her own unique aspect.  She is tall and slender, and it is often remarked that she seems to almost float rather than walk.

Nicole is a doer, and though she usually comports herself in a calm, controlled manner, this is not to say she is passive.  She is often on the go, tending to any number of duties in her unending list of business.  She yet maintains some time for hobbies, enjoying music and painting, and she also manages to find a good deal of time to spend with her family, often including her mother.  She maintains residence near the Felcraft manor, not travelling as much as Skot.

Characters – Billy

Posted: March 21, 2016 in Characters
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Wilhelm “Billy” Novacek – 29yrs old, born in the City.  Wilhelm, or as he prefers, “Billy”, comes from a family that hails from points east of the land in which he was born.  He considers himself more a person of his environ rather than clinging to any deep culture from elsewhere.  He seems to have been instilled with a sense of concern and care.  Finding himself at a young age to be interested in a career in law enforcement, Billy became a trainee with a prestigious security firm in hopes of gaining relevant experience.  He did a good job, finding himself offered a nice position at the university, which he accepted instead of pursuing admission to the police academy.

Billy takes his job very seriously, though he is open and friendly, retaining a certain childlike quality.  He also seems to possess a kind of sense of luck which may have unwittingly helped him in the course of his duties.  He also seems a bit naïve, but he is good-natured and quite capable of undertaking the demands of his position.

He enjoys sports and physical activities, having an interest in martial arts, though he retains a practical level of inexperience, knowing only basic force use and methods of security training.  He also likes to play games and read books about the police, though his choices may trend to the adventurous and melodramatic over anything more scholarly.  He doesn’t seem to have too many close friends, but he carries himself with a sense of contentment, rolling with whatever life throws his way.

Seeds

Posted: March 15, 2016 in Blog
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The idea for this story began, as many of my tales do, from my dreams, two in particular, though a third joined at a later date.  I wrote them down, then left them alone for some time.  I was later having a conversation with my son about comic and anime conventions.  We expressed an interest in going, but neither of us are close to expert in either category.  We enjoy things in those vast genres, of course, but our knowledge was far from complete.  We also wanted to see what offerings may be had at a convention as well as viewing all the wonderfully crafted outfits made by cosplayers.  I have a particular appreciation for the amazingly well done costumes.  I can only imagine the amount of effort that goes into them.

This got us talking of garb for ourselves.  We both mentioned we’d prefer to go dressed up, but we really had no idea what characters to choose or how to go about it.  I even mentioned buying costumes or even having them commissioned.  I then made mention of how funny it would be if there were a comic or graphic novel that had characters based on us, then dressing up for a convention would be all the easier.  We had a nice laugh at this, but it got the wheels to turning.

I re-visited the idea from my dreams, seeing how easily I could craft it into something that drew similarities from my son and myself.  I did some research on comic script writing, as I had never tried this before, and I got to work.  It did not go well.  I found the conceptualization and formatting got in the way of my flow, and I was only able to write one chapter before the effort was put aside.  On another visit, I realized that writing novels was obviously more my thing, so I decided to attempt to first write it as such, then see about a comic script at a later date.  I got a bit further, but the effort still faltered.

Then I met someone to whom I owe much of the success of writing the novel.  She helped me in an unwitting fashion, re-igniting the flame of interest and inspiration for the idea.  I modified the concept and story a bit, moved the already written scene to open the second book (which has now been completed), and began in earnest.  She offered me consultation from her own experience as well as encouragement, ideas, beta-reading, editing, you name it.  She helped me to lend a great deal of realism to certain parts as well as offering a female perspective to the crafting of the central character.  Invaluable.  I don’t think it would have happened without her, and if it had, it would not have been as well done.

So, there it is.  That is how the story came about and then how it was further developed and written.  It was an incredibly fun journey, and though the start took a long time, once into it, I wrote the novel in record time.  Book Two was the same.  Though polishing is still in the works, both were written in a year.  I have never been so productive.

I offer endless thanks to my friend, though being humble, she often discounts the real impact of her contribution.  I hope you all enjoy the story.

Characters – Therese Stendahl

Posted: February 29, 2016 in Characters
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Yan Therese Stendahl – 21 yrs old, born in Austria. A pale, skinny girl with dyed black, short, spiky hair and snake bite piercings, Therese eschewed her first name so long ago, she almost does not recall when. She goes by Therese in her offline life and the handle ‘Sparrow’ in her other life as a hacker and cyber detective. She is somewhat socially awkward, having grown up as an orphan and ward of the state, and she feels much more comfortable in virtual reality than she does when leaving her tiny apartment. She supplements her meager income by working as a courier, zipping about the city on a café racer.

Generally aloof and taciturn, she occupies herself with gathering information for the vigilante’s network, unaware of the crusader’s identity. She spends some of her free time gaming, though she quickly grows bored, seeming more interested in observation and analysis of people through her information-gathering. Though exhibiting some aspects of paranoia, she may also show a certain recklessness, such as in the imbibing of intoxicants. Her isolation is an expression of her fear, one deep within herself that she seems unwilling to face.

Characters – Inspector Duilio

Posted: February 22, 2016 in Characters
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Gaspare Duilio – 57 yrs old, born in Italy. Seemingly rarely bereft of either his sunglasses or a cigarette, Inspector Duilio of Interpol considers himself a very practical man. He grew up in the bosom of what some may call corruption, but he merely used this as a way to learn how both people and the world work. He has few, if any, crises of conscience regarding his own flexibility when either working for the legitimate law enforcement establishment or those who are opposed to it. Reaching the level of experience he has speaks to his own ability to navigate such currents.

A man of some refinement, Duilio keeps his salt and pepper hair cut short along with a trim goatee that seems somewhat less prone to graying than the hair on his head. He enjoys food and drink, especially that from his home country, and he has been known to sneak in an opera or two when he finds the time. He also enjoys travel.

If pressed, he may not be able to say why he does what he does. He has no wife or children, and he keeps rare contact with his family. It seems he is in the game merely for the playing.

Characters – Alec & Quain

Posted: February 15, 2016 in Characters
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Alec Sladky – 38yrs old, born in the Czech Republic. Alec is a corrupt, veteran police Detective in the City, working not only for his municipal masters but whatever crime boss may be willing to pay the most money. He is not averse to using force, though he is not bloodthirsty. He is tall and overweight, though not grossly so. His dark brown hair is receding, a bald spot on his pate, and though he makes no effort to hide it, he keeps some noticeable length to the hair he has left.

Alec is an alcoholic, and he seems to now drink to numb his pain without any real thought of the cause of such negativity. He is very self-conscious and quick to anger. He is also cynical, not thinking much on life and what he may have left of it, trying not to look too much forward as well as working to keep himself from dwelling on the past.

His preferred drink is vodka, and he is an exuberant eater, seeming to hold drinking and eating as not just life-sustaining but also hobbies. He is currently partnered with Quain Contee.

 

Quain Contee – 34 yrs old. Quain was amongst the first of his family born in Europe after they emigrated from Senegal. He found life difficult, but he persevered, pushing himself in mind and body, achieving a decent education. He had aspired to make a living as a professional athlete, but when this did not pan out, he went into law enforcement. He met his partner, Alec, when he was promoted to Detective, and much like the slightly older man, he also engages in corruption. He is not as cynical as his partner, looking at his “side” work as merely another expression of how things work in the world.

Health and fitness hold importance to Quain, and he keeps himself in shape, also engaging in some kickboxing training. He rarely drinks alcohol, and he generally ends up being the calmer of the two, though he is not above expressions of physical violence, should the situation warrant.

He has never settled down, dallying in some dating and at least one serious relationship. Despite his looks, health, and career, he seems to be running from failed dreams, whether or not he realizes it.

Characters – Denman Malkuth

Posted: February 12, 2016 in Characters
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Denman Malkuth – 36yrs old, born in Germany, holding dual citizenship in his country of birth and the United States. He is of slightly taller than average height and trim, athletic build, possessed of raven black hair, which he keeps generally short and styled as though he might be some model or actor. Given the best education and learning money could buy, Denman holds a very high place in the social Darwinist and very powerful Malkuth family. There are some who consider him a possible heir apparent to Head of the House, if not an outright potential usurper. He is a very handsome man, taking care with his appearance and image. He is manipulative and charming. He speaks English with a cultured, Transatlantic accent, giving little hint as to his origins. He is also fluent in other languages, taking the same care to either sound as much like a native as possible or to hide any potential hints as to his background.

Though Denman entered the faculty of that particular private university under false pretext, much of his curriculum vitae holds truth. He is possessed of advanced degrees as well as having experience as a professor. Along with this, he is adept at many forms of martial arts, and he will kill with little compulsion, though he is no chaotic savage, executing each such slaying with a cold, pragmatic calculation.

He seems a Prince amongst the Malkuth, managing the delicate tightrope act of caring for his own personal advancement as well as that of the family. He holds respect for some of his rivals in the Felcraft fold, though he relishes the idea of overcoming them.

He enjoys the finer things of life – clothing, art, wine, food, surrounding himself with such as much as he is able. He is also a master of chess, enjoying as much what he may learn of his opponent during a bout as the usual win he achieves.

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