Jaden Terrell | Genesis of a Character

The seeds of my series protagonist, Jared McKean, were sown when I first saw Saving Private Ryan. The ocean was red with blood and the boys were getting shredded by machine gun fire as they piled out of the boats. They kept coming, even knowing most wouldn't make it off the beach.  I thought, "My God, this is what we ask our men to do. Then we expect them to come home and be loving husbands, fathers, and friends."  And they do. I wanted to write about a man like that, a man with the strength to confront evil and the gentleness to press a washcloth to the forehead of a feverish child.

Several years later, as I was unsuccessfully floundering my way into a book
about a feisty female PI, an image popped into my head. I saw a tall, rangy,
seriously handsome man in jeans and a leather bomber jacket I knew had belonged
to his father during the Vietnam War. He was leaning against a white wooden
fence with a horse pasture behind him. His arms were crossed, and he wore a
bemused smile.  He said, "I'm your guy."

I said, "No you're not. I'm writing about this feisty female PI."

He shrugged. "When you're ready."

It didn't take long. No matter what I tried, my feisty PI was either too sweet
or a bad Kinsey Milhone knockoff.  Finally, I threw my hands up and said to him,
"Okay. Show me what you've got."

He had a son with Down syndrome and a best friend with AIDS, a twelve-year-old Akita and a 36-year-old Quarter Horse. He had a Galahad complex and a weakness for women in jeopardy. He was still in love with his ex-wife. He'd never been in the military, but as I learned more about him, I realized he was that guy I'd thought about during the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. The one who could walk through fire and darkness and come out intact—still kind still decent, still strong.

Comments

7 comments posted.

Re: Jaden Terrell | Genesis of a Character

Sad thing. I have never watched Saving Private Ryan. I am an obsessive
reader and never seem to watch Tv or go to movies. Pathetic, isn't it?
(Vicki Hancock 5:19pm March 2, 2012)

I haven't seen it yet either, I knew how WWII ended. But your character sounds great!
(Lisa Elwood 7:03pm March 2, 2012)

I loved the movie Saving Private Ryan, even though I don't watch many movies!! It is one of my favorites. I am particularly drawn to movies about WWII. I think it's because I used to watch them a lot with my Dad when I was a little girl, and I asked a lot of questions. That doesn't mean I always got an answer, because my Dad was in the service under General Patton, but I asked anyway. Because your character was screaming to be let out, I am screaming to turn the pages of your book and be lost in its' pages. I'm sure I'll enjoy the ride.
(Peggy Roberson 9:16pm March 2, 2012)

Vicki, I think you'll be glad you watched it. It's a powerful movie. I think if you paired it with Schindler's List, you might have the two most important movies of all time. Or at least of our time. Watching it gave me a new perspective on it--especially the landing at Normandy. I'd seen actual footage, but somehow that didn't capture the horror in the same way. Probably because of the editing at the time.

Thank you, Lisa and Peggy. I hope you love Jared as much as I do. If you read the book, I'd love to hear from you.

Peggy, I can't commend your father's courage and service enough. Without it, we would be living in a very different world--and many of us would not be living at all.
(Jaden Terrell 11:50am March 3, 2012)

You do have a strong protagonist as a main character and he seems halfway human with multiple dimensions.
(Alyson Widen 1:20pm March 3, 2012)

Your book sounds really good. I also like to watch John Wayne war
movies. the Private Ryan movie was good too.
(Joy Isley 5:30pm March 3, 2012)

Oh, I LOVE this hero already just from the description.

I am fascinated by the World War II movies, also - my father was in the Navy during WWII and my mom's brother was a Marine wounded on Iwo Jima - they are definitely part of The Greatest Generation.
(Felicia Ciaudelli 12:33pm March 5, 2012)

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