Well the characters are characters….

I think I’ve been always been curious about and fascinated by people. Being very shy, especially as a child, and still as an adult, I’m an observer. Since becoming a writer, I’m always looking for  ideas to create characters.

 Take the character of Jack Todmyer in Book One for instance. As I started to develop the idea for the old antique dealer, a picture popped into my mind of a character I saw on a TV show as a kid. I can’t remember the name of the show, or the actor. I just have this picture in my mind of this homespun wheeler dealer with a whiny voice. Enter Jack Todmyer!

Similarly, I once met an elderly fellow who immigrated to Canada from eastern Europe sometime after World War II. He was a brilliant fellow, an incredible artist, struggling with speaking English. We chatted about his story in coming to Canada and everything he left behind. It made an impression. The character of Abe Dalca, though very different from the man I met, came from thinking about these circumstances and what it would be like to be alone in a new place, without friends and family. Abe’s character, itself, is purely fictional. 

The Roughnecks are a motley crew. They are bound together by family ties, yet each one is unique. They’re heading off in a dozen different directions at once. Trying to hang on to the reins, while they drag me across the prairie of these books has been a real test of this author’s skill and endurance! Just when I think I’ve got them figured out, they change or do something unexpected.