What’s in a Name?
By Tim Smith
Once upon a time I had an idea for a
romantic adventure story. I had a ripped from the headlines plot and the ideal
hero, a former CIA spook that walked away from the spy biz to live in Key
Largo, Florida. He would be cool, tough and sexy, (something most of us
aren’t), and would get involved in cool, tough, sexy adventures (something most
of us can’t do). There was only one little problem – what should I call him? I had
his first name picked out but needed a surname that was unique and wouldn’t
conjure up a preconceived image. That eliminated names like Callahan, Savalas,
Columbo, Rambo and Bond. I christened him Nick Seven and his adventures became
best sellers and critical hits.
Then I conceived another series featuring a
leading man who was light years removed from this character. I named him Vic
Fallon and he’s a former police detective in northern Ohio who was discharged for
using unnecessary force. He’s now a private investigator, but with a twist. He
doesn’t really have to work and only takes jobs when he’s bored or something
intrigues him. He’s also the only recurring character, leaving him free to
romance a different woman in each story.
Now comes the hard part. How do I keep
these two characters straight when I’m writing about them? There are some
similarities but I want each to have their own personality. I recalled that
when Mickey Spillane wrote about someone other than Mike Hammer, the names might
have been different but they were basically the same person. I didn’t want to
stumble over that rabbit hole.
Nick Seven is a rather dark character, due
to some past experiences when he worked around the globe as a spy. He’s damaged
goods and that usually comes into play in each adventure. He lives with a
Barbadian beauty named Felicia, who is a former co-worker. All they want to do
is live anonymously in The Keys but their former employer has different ideas
and each story has a topical theme. Here’s an example from one of his thrillers,
Never Look Back:
The last bit of moonlight over Key Largo
slowly faded with the arrival of daybreak. The emerging sun was quickly
overshadowed by dark clouds rolling in, accompanied by thunder that rumbled
over the Gulf of Mexico. Soon the inevitable rain began, pelting the ground
with an instant cloudburst, washing away the grime and guilt of the previous
night.
Nick Seven watched from the kitchen of his
condo that overlooked the Atlantic. He leisurely puffed a cigarette between
sips of coffee while his mind wandered, dredging up things from the long ago
past.
Pre-dawn has to be the loneliest time of
night. It’s worse than midnight, when all the animals come out to play. That’s
when you face the ghosts, the bad memories that won’t leave you alone, the ones
you can’t exorcise from your soul. Those ghosts are always needy and desperate,
like a lot of people. Things happen to average people when they’re desperate.
It drives them to do things they’d never think of doing when they’re rational.
Those are the people you watch out for.
* * * *
Vic Fallon, on the other hand, is a
throwback to the pulp fiction characters of Chandler, Hammett and Westlake, but
in a contemporary setting. Vic is a tough wise-ass who always finds himself in
unwanted situations, and his cases can take him anywhere. The women he meets
are straight out of an old B movie where the hero takes one on the chin in the
name of love. This is the opening from his adventure, Lido Key:
I had the craziest damn dream. I was
standing on a cloud of white satin while angels strummed their golden harps all
around me. I swear one of them looked like Taylor Swift. Then this guy showed
up, dressed in a double-breasted blue pinstripe suit and a gray fedora. Looked
like he stepped out of an old Bogart movie. No, wait, it wasn’t Bogart, it was
Robert Mitchum. Yeah, that’s it. Mitchum handed Taylor a bottle of cheap
whiskey and she poured a healthy slug into a tumbler. She smiled when she
handed it to me, you know, one of those smiles that tells you everything’s okay
even though your gut tells you it isn’t. I drank it down in one swallow then
felt lightheaded so I curled up on that satin cloud and fell asleep. Probably
shouldn’t have eaten sushi for dinner last night.
Vic Fallon slowly awoke from a deep slumber
and looked through one drowsy eye at the clock radio. 8:30. I never sleep this
late. Must’ve been more tired than I realized. He stretched his arms and
yawned. I never sleep this well in a strange bed the first night away from home,
either. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, blinked a few times to wake
up then looked around. His brow furrowed. This isn’t where I fell asleep last
night.
* * * *
When I come up with a story idea I have to
decide which series it would best fit. If it’s drawn from current events, it
would probably work as a Nick Seven spy adventure. If it’s something quirkier
I’ll develop it into a Vic Fallon crime caper. The online consequences of
sexting inspired Lido Key, and the Wikileaks affair served as the jumping off
point for Never Look Back.
Someone proposed a wild idea to me
recently. They suggested that I put both characters in the same story. Hmm,
Nick versus Vic. What a concept! I could also throw in some supporting
characters named Rick, Mick and Dick to really confuse things.
Bio:
Tim Smith is an award-winning, bestselling
author whose books range from romantic mystery/thrillers to contemporary erotic
romance. His website is www.timsmithauthor.com.
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