Skip to content

Month: November 2022

Character Review — Lex Feldman

Consider Lex Feldman, One of My Original Characters

Who is Lex Feldman?

Lex Feldman is a kind of nervous but ultimately good person who gets Marnie to loosen up in some ways—and straighten up and fly right in others. He is an important character in the Enigman Cave Universe.

Where Did Lex Feldman Come From?

I went with Lex because I was watching reruns of The Tribe! The characters, of course, are rather different. For one thing, my Lex isn’t a jerk.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Lex Feldman

Competition for spots on wedge ships like the Valentina Tereshkova was fierce. Lex tried for the Chief Veterinarian job, but lost out to Tom Ciorciari. He was also breaking up with his last truly serious relationship before Marnie. For Lex, getting away to space is a way to heal.

But he can also spread his wings and become his own person.

Description

I see Oscar winner Adrien Brody here. It’s important for me to, in general, have Jewish actors playing Jewish characters. So, here we are.

Adrien Brody, who I see as Lex Feldman, DVM
Adrien Brody, who I see as Lex Feldman, DVM. Image is for reference purposes only.

He’s attractive but not 100% conventionally. I also love the idea of him being this twig of a person—in love with Marnie, who is anything but a twig.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

For Lex, most of his motivation is to be there for Marnie and support her in everything she does. But he testifies for the side seeking to prove Enigmans are not intelligent.

When she chooses him to come along for First Contact, part of it is for moral support. But he’s also there to essentially represent the animal side of things. Even with Enigman sapience essentially proven, there’s always a smidgen of doubt.

Quotes

The scene: the hearing to try to prove Enigman intelligence. Here, Lex is cross-examined by Counselor Terry Lynn Shull. Hunter Garcia is serving as a magistrate.


Terry Lynn said, “Tell me, Doctor, do gorillas make gestures?”
“They do, and they can make gesture sequences, too.”

“Do they have a language?”

“We’re not sure.”

“Doctor, what’s a gorilla’s IQ?”

Lex motioned to his tablet and Hunter nodded. Lex clicked around a little. “Maybe seventy to ninety, but that’s just Koko, a gorilla who was taught to use American Sign Language. Gorillas without known sign language don’t necessarily have a measurable IQ, and Koko could have been mainly making herself look good.”

“How so?” Terry Lynn asked.

“She may have figured out that making gestures would get her what she wanted, but she didn’t necessarily truly comprehend much of what she was signing. If she signed for juice, let’s say, and she kept getting juice, she probably learned making a particular sequence of hand gestures meant she would get a cup of juice. But it might just be like a dog barking to ‘speak’ and then getting a treat. Both animals realize that if they do X, then Y happens. But it does not necessarily mean Koko understood that her sign for juice really designated juice. It’s not possible to tell if Koko understood it was a representation for the concept of juice.”

“What’s a dog’s IQ, Doctor?”

“Dog intelligence isn’t really measured like ours. It’s measured more in terms of problem solving, learning, and thinking. Cognitive processes, as it were.”

“Are Enigmans smarter or dumber than dogs, Doctor?”

“I have no idea.”

Relationships

Amy Allenby

Lex and Amy knew each other as children, and were on and off again for years. Marnie is particularly surprised when Amy writes to Lex and refers to him as Alec.

But Amy wants to stay in the Solar System, and she wants children. So, she and Lex part ways.

With very little on her, even I can only conjecture. But he does at one point say she really did a number on him.

In all honesty, though, I have no idea of the specifics—and I created these characters!

Marnie Shapiro

When Marnie first walks into the Veterinary while he’s on duty, he’s nervous and clumsy, dropping a paper towel roll multiple times. For a junior guy used to working the night shift, a visit from the captain is a novelty. And, he already thinks she’s attractive.

When they go to Enigma (Tom is too shocked by finding chlorophyll and feels it’s all too much), they get overly excited when they first life. And that leads to kisses.

Conflict and Turning Point

As with the other characters in The Enigman Cave, Lex feels the change come when Carter takes over in the Solar System in a bloody coup d’etat. But unlike many of the other characters seen in the book, he doesn’t get a chance to declare his stance.

In that way, I treat him like Sharon Townshend and Charlie Hill. But his stand should be obvious—he’s as appalled and angered as Marnie is.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

I don’t really have much continuity for him. He’s basically just a solid, dependable love interest.

Future Plans

Since he won’t be in the prequel, I don’t rightly know if/when I will bring him back. But he is quite literally a supporting character. I don’t see him as being the stuff of his own stories. But I can be persuaded by the right idea…

Lex Feldman: Takeaways

Caring, smart, nervous, and in over his head, Lex gives Marnie someone in her life who will give back all the caring she exudes to the crew. Because Ben Chase sure as hell never did.

Want more character reviews? Stay tuned!

Lex Feldman — the character who lets the main character shine.


Want More of Lex Feldman and the Rest of The Enigman Cave?

If The Enigman Cave resonates with you, then check out my other articles about how our society handles first contact with a species that may be as primitive as Australopithecus.

Character Reviews: The Enigman Cave

The Enigman Cave Universe

Leave a Comment

Character Review — Tommy 2000

Consider Tommy 2000, One of My Original Characters

Who is Tommy 2000?

Tommy 2000, AKA Tommy McFarland, is the kind of police officer you want on your side. A powerful genius who cares about people.

Except he’s not a person. He’s a robot.

Where Did Tommy 2000 Come From?

At first, the original Obolonk Murders was written about 20 years ago and I was utterly winging it.

He started off as just a cool robot, able to morph. But then I learned, as I was writing him, that he would be a lot more than that.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Tommy 2000

When we first meet him, he’s being fully activated for the first time. But he does tell Peri that he recalls a few brief earlier moments during programming. Peri quite literally is his entire world.

This makes her loss, between the original Obolonk trilogy, and Time Addicts, all the more devastating.

Description

I have always seen Steven Culp when I think of Tommy 2000.

And that is exactly what I was thinking of when I originally wrote his description. Tommy is meant to look like a character actor. Someone who is known but not known.

You know.

That guy.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

Tommy’s sole purpose is to help and protect Peri. He will do anything for her, including potentially give up his own existence.

For her part, Peri initially finds this annoying. She rather pointedly and specifically tells him to stop conceding every single point to her.

… And she’s right!

For them to work together well and efficiently, they need to have differences of opinion. She does not need a reflection of herself.

Evolution

When the original trilogy ends, Tommy is more of a partner to Peri. When we get to Time Addicts, he is her widower.

And, he has a position in government. Much like the Obolonks’ own They Say This is the One (TSTITO), Tommy is the only ‘ruler’ of sapient and semi-sapient robots.

Because, so long as he has access to replacement materials, he can theoretically never die. So, he just stays on in a leadership capacity.

For the third of the trilogies, I will probably change him up again. But I am not so sure how I will do that just yet.

Quotes (original Obolonk trilogy; Peri and Tommy are discussing a terrorist organization, HEART, run by an anonymous person they call the Farm Boy)

“Yeah, there’s also the plastics from Carolbots. And you probably don’t want to transport a completed bomb so maybe you ship the parts or maybe they’re even developed on site. That means infrastructure, and it also means training. This all spells a rather expensive long-term operation.”

“If that is occurring,” Tommy said, “then there may be issues with all robots that were repaired or manufactured within the preceding ten-to-thirty-month time frame.”

Peri was silent for a moment. “Then that includes you, and possibly also Selkhet, right?”

“It is not outside the realm of possibility.”

Peri swallowed hard. Have I just fed a bunch of our plans to the Farm Boy? “Would you even know if you’d been at all compromised, Tom?”

“I am unsure. The thought is rather … unsettling.”

Quotes (Time Addicts trilogy; Tommy and Josie meet for the first time)

“Why don’t you tell me about yourself.”

“I don’t think there’s much to tell, Mr. McFarland.”

“Oh, God, don’t call me that. Please do not call me that.”

“What should I call you, then?”

“Tommy is fine. In return, can I call you Jolene?”

“Josie, actually.”

“Oh, this wasn’t in my briefing materials.” He looked up again. “Ah, there it is. You’ve had this nickname since second grade.”

So you’ve got access to my elementary school records. I bet you can see everything else.

Who am I kidding? Of course you can. You’ve got Alpha-1 clearance. I bet you know when I got my wisdom teeth taken out.

“Since you probably know all about me, isn’t this kind of a pointless exercise?”

“Not really. I can get information from the cloud, as you can see. Or I can get it straight from you. And what you say, and how you say it, and the order in which you say it—all of this confers a lot more information than just your words. And what you leave in, and what you leave out; those are also vital clues about you as a person.”

“I don’t think a Juliebot would quite get into this level of detail.”

“I know they wouldn’t. Selkhet and I put together their programming protocols ourselves. And then those were agreed to by the Chief Governor, the head of the OIA, and an older Obolonk called We Say This is the One. It had to be unanimous.”

“Just when did this happen?”

“May 14th, 2182.”

“Wait, that was 345 years ago.”

Tommy 2000: Relationships

For a being made up on plastics and polymers, he has any number of relationships over time.

Peri Martin

With Peri, he grows from a hovering, deferential, almost-nosy servant to her loyal and equal partner. Tommy gives her stability, love, and the kind of intellectual banter she craves. He experiences true grief when she passes on.

In return, she loosens him up. She gives him tools to get along in society. Like in any good partnership, they make each other better.

David Shepherd

For Tommy to really be a mature creation, he needs complex emotions. With Dave, he feels jealousy. As Peri puts it, he’s supposed to be like a loyal dog. But he doesn’t like it when she plays with other dogs. He never gets violent or anything. But Tommy is clearly wounded and he is short with Peri when she tries to talk to him about it.

In Time Addicts, there are a few timelines where the relationship between Peri and Tommy does not advance, or Tommy does not get to the next level. In those, Peri marries Dave.

Dr. James Tinerrian

What is anyone’s relationship with their creator? Jim is father, instructor, programmer, and creator to Tommy, Selkhet, and the rarely seen Emma 1000. And with Tommy, Jim has succeeded well beyond his wildest imaginings.

Selkhet 3000

Made a bit before Tommy, Selkhet also has emotions but hers are more advanced than his. However, she is also more prone to breaking down.

By the Time Addicts period, Selkhet and Tommy aren’t dating. But she is generally his plus-one for any functions.

Josie James

During Time Addicts, they work together, although he’s no longer a cop. But he has a unique perspective. And, with her display tied to data chips he can interface with, she can effectively share at least some of her memories of other timelines with him.

This gives them a strong, non-romantic bond. Even beyond Carmen, he is the person who, without doubt, question, or reservation, believes her.

Tommy 2000: Conflict and Turning Point

Like with Peri (and Dave, really), the turning point is when they get to Sedna. He sacrifices nearly everything for her. And in return, she does the same for him.

In addition, his basic internal structure changes. Perhaps it’s a bit of deus ex machina, but I wanted for him to evolve almost randomly.

You know, like us humans do.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

Since I also see Jake Radford as Steven Culp, there is a bit of continuity with (of all things) The Real Hub of the Universe.

Future Plans

I don’t have him in either the prequel for Time Addicts or for the original Obolonk trilogy. His earlier life isn’t much. But his life in between the trilogies, and then between Time Addicts and the third trilogy, should prove interesting. Will I ever write that? I have no idea.

Tommy 2000: Takeaways

I strongly resisted turning this character into a latter-day Pinocchio. Far too many writers do that with android/robot characters, and that was not my plan for him. But he does change and grow. And, while he doesn’t necessarily become a “real boy”, he becomes, in a way, a better person than most human beings.

Tommy 2000 — because a sapient robot should be more than a wannabe Pinocchio.


Want More of Tommy 2000 and the Rest of the Obolonk Universe?

If the story of the Obolonks resonates with you, then check out my other articles about how our society turns tripartite, with humans, robots, and Obolonks.

Character Reviews: The Obolonk Murders

Humans

Robots

Obolonks

Character Reviews: Time Addicts

The Good Guys

The Bad Guys

The Obolonk Universe

Self-Reviews: Obolonk Trilogy

Self-Reviews: Time Addicts Trilogy

Leave a Comment

Community Management Tidbits – Analytics

Community Management in the Context of Analytics

So, the truth is, analytics are a term that scares a lot of people. But don’t panic.

Let’s back up for just a second, all right?

You’ve got a community. And you’re working hard on it. It’s growing. But you have no idea whether what you’re doing is having any sort of an impact whatsoever. This is where analytics comes in.

Now, don’t panic if you don’t have a data analysis background. It’s not strictly necessary. What you do need, though, are (a) a means of measurement (preferably you should have a few of these) and (b) the willingness to measure. Really, it’s that easy. You do not need a degree in Advanced Statistics.

Google Analytics 4 (replacing Universal Analytics)

First of all, the primary measurement stick you want is Google Analytics. And it is free and very easy to use. It’s also a rather robust measurement system, capable of showing trends in Visitors, Absolute Unique Visitors, and more.

In addition, it shows, among other things, where your traffic is coming from, where your users land, and where they departed your site from. It also shows Bounce Rate, which is defined by Measurement Guru Avinash Kaushik as, “I came, I saw, I puked.” In other words, the visitor only visited one page of the site.

Keep in mind, though, that it’s entirely possible your visitor loved your site but got everything they needed in just one page. So, while they may have bounced right out of there, it might not have been due to any fault or failing on your part.

So, try not to take it personally, okay?

AHRefs

Thank God for AHRefs. While free website measurement tools have come and gone (apart from Google Analytics), AHRefs will review whatever is out there.

So, one thing to keep in mind is that as this post is updated, I keep finding new yardsticks. And then they go away after a while. At least AHRefs is still hanging in there. Whew.

Also, consider SEMRush and Ubersuggest.

Analytics From More Yardsticks

Furthermore, there are also measuring websites specifically designed to help you comprehend how you’re doing on Twitter and elsewhere, namely:

  • HootSuite – count the number of clicks you receive on shortened URLs, to supplement your Google Analytics click counts
  • HubSpot – measure how influential you are (with a hugely helpful diagnostic) and
  • Tweepsmap – analytics and info on who unfollowed or followed you on Twitter.

Facebook also has its own metrics, which you can see if you have a page.

Using Your Findings

So what do you do with all of this information once you’ve amassed it? Why, you act upon it! Does one page on your site have a far higher Bounce Rate than the others? Check it and see if the links on it are all leading users away from your site. If that’s not the culprit, perhaps its content just plain isn’t compelling enough.

Got a series of links you’ve tweeted that have consistently gotten you the most clicks? Then check to see what they all have in common, and offer similar links in the future. And maybe even build some onsite content around those subjects.

Has your HubSpot grade tanked in the past week? That might be due to external factors beyond your control, but check to see if any of it is within your purview. Perhaps your server was down.

Finally, small fluctuations over short time periods are perfectly normal and are no cause for concern. However, much larger hikes and drops, or trends over longer time periods, are more of an issue. But you’ll never know about any of these things unless you start to take measurements, and read and use them.

4 Comments

… And Facebook for All Your Account Settings

… And Facebook for All – Your Account Settings Explained

… And Facebook for All – Your Account Settings – in Facebook, how to do you change your account settings? When you pull down on the Account section of Facebook, you see a few choices but they change.

Keep in mind that Facebook is continuously testing its format. What worked a year ago might not work now, but these are pretty close to being right although some of the parts have moved around on the page or might now have new names.

  • Privacy
  • Notifications
  • Account Settings
  • Security and Login
  • Ads
  • Support Inbox, and,
  • Videos

Privacy Settings

Control some aspects of the sharing experience here. So this includes who can see your photographs, religious and political views, etc.

Notifications

You can decide on which notifications you get, with separate settings for desktop and mobile. Which is rather helpful.

Account Settings

This is a part of Facebook that always seems to be changing. It is entirely possible that, by the time you read this blog post, these instructions will be obsolete. I’ll keep everything at a high level and won’t get into too many specifics. So it is divided as follows:

  • Name
  • Contact
  • Ad Account Contact
  • Identity Confirmation

Security and Login

This section indicates if you are using Facebook Protect. It shows if you have two-factor authentication set up. You can also change your password here, and see if there have been any unauthorized login attempts.

Account Settings: Ads

This isn’t to run Facebook ads. Rather, it’s to make it clear what your preferences are. If you keep getting ads for stuff that you don’t care about—or find offensive—you can take action here. Is it a perfect system? Of course not. But the more signals you can give Facebook about what you want, the more likely you will get an experience you love.

Support Inbox

This area is undoubtedly going to continue to evolve as questions come up and the increasingly complicated Facebook system breaks in all sorts of interesting and as-yet unexpected ways. Here, you can see the status of anyone or anything (such as a group) you’ve reported.

You can also get to their Community Standards.

This kind of section used to have a space for questions. And it may have such a space in the future.

But keep in mind: Facebook won’t answer 99%+ of any questions you have for them. Why? Because they are running an enormous site with a surprisingly tiny number of employees. Hence many of the judgement calls come from bots.

Account Settings: Videos

In this section, you have some control over the quality and volume of videos you see on the site.

Accounts Center

All the way at the bottom (currently), click on it and you’ll be able to manage connected accounts, such as on Instagram.

And … that’s it.

For now.


Want More About Facebook?

If this article resonates with you, then check out my other articles about the largest social media platform on the planet.

Facebook Features:

Next article


Leave a Comment

Almost Everything But the Tweet – Conquering Twitter (offsite connections)

Almost Everything But the Tweet – Conquering Twitter (offsite connections)

Are offsite connections possibly via Twitter? The semi-surprising answer is: yes. Because Twitter is so bare bones, any number of applications have sprung up around it in order to help you manage it and become as great as you can be.

Understanding the people you tweet with is, of course, a great way to determine if offsite connections are going to be worth it. After all, offsite connections that are hundreds of miles away are not likely to be easy, cheap, or even possible.

Other Software

Here are some more sites to check out:

  • HootSuite – a tweet scheduling service (and more) whereby you can track stats and import your lists.
  • Social Oomph (formerly TweetLater) – time tweets and gather simple metrics on shortened urls. You can set up more than one account this way.
  • Tweet Stats – a graph of, among other things, daily aggregate tweets, your most popular hours to tweet and who you retweet.
  • Tweepsmap – analytics and info on who unfollowed or followed you.
  • Twopcharts – look up clout, followers, etc.
  • Twiends – ways to grow followers responsibly
  • Legal Birds – find lawyers on Twitter.
  • Twitter Packs – find like-minded Twitter users (since this is a wiki, it depends on users to keep it up to date).

Offsite Connections: The Upshot

As Twitter continues to mature as a business tool, I predict that more and more of these off-site services will spring up. But understand that a number of older ones from just a few years ago are gone.

The most successful one will, in my opinion, combine the best features of all, coupled with ease of use and an ability to show trends over time.

And finally, Twitter changes things almost as much and as fast as Facebook does. So keep in mind, these instructions may need some tweaking.

Oh, and if you do actually see or even meet your Twitter connections, you’ll get to see if their imagery accurately reflects who they are!

Leave a Comment

Character Review — Craig Firenze

Consider Craig Firenze, One of My Original Characters

Who is Craig Firenze?

For Mettle, the first character I came up with was the anchor. Craig is the linchpin of the piece and of the group.

He came tearing into my mind, swearing all the way, Southern accent in full swing.

Where Did Craig Firenze Come From?

I had way too many proper-ish characters. But Craig, and really everyone in Mettle, has a potty mouth. And, in fact, the first word he says (the first word anyone in the book says) is an f-bomb.

He’s sarcastic and smart. Much like Trixie LaRue, his Southern accent may fool some into thinking he’s just a good ol’ boy. But Craig is far more than that.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Craig Firenze

The head of communications at NASA is a veteran, who attained the rank of Colonel. But he’s also got two degrees in civil engineering, and a Professional Engineering license. A PE license is hard to get, so it should be obvious: Craig is no dope.

This combination of qualifications makes him uniquely suited to talk to the press about the astronauts on the International Space Station. But he’s also the one who has to report the negatives with the positives. And the negatives are really bad.

At the same time, the negatives in his life are getting worse. He just wanted to marry a beauty queen. But instead, he got a bipolar wife who doesn’t always take her medication.

Description

Craig’s look is essentially Chris Cooper in American Beauty. I have always intended for him to be and look a lot like a middle manager or midlevel military guy. Someone who you would not really notice.

He’s the short, almost Napoleon-like guy who people underestimate, but who quietly and purposefully gets things done.

But I do have an alternative, as Cooper is currently a bit too old for what I am looking for.

I also like Gary Sinise, but only a bit. Essentially, I only see Sinise when he is in a skeptical or frowning kind of pose.

But either way you slice it, Craig is not meant to have movie star good looks. And I never mean for him to have the classic look of a hero. Yet he is one anyway.

With an accent that’s Texas by way of Georgia, he sounds like he’d be sitting on a porch and dispensing homespun wisdom. But he’s a city guy with two difficult-to-get degrees and a major role in front of cameras in perhaps the most well-known government agency: NASA.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

The chief motivator for everyone in the Mettle Universe is survival. But before we get there, we have about nine or ten chapters of preliminaries. Yes, I should edit those. I get it!

For the preliminary chapters, Craig has the most screen time and you get the most detail about him.

He is essentially trying to keep above water in his personal life, and cover everyone’s tail (Craig would say something far earthier) at work.

Quotes (Craig Reads the Riot Act to Dez and Nell)

Dez and Nell got their coats and followed Craig out. “What the fuck do you want?” she asked as they walked.

“Just hold your horses.” Craig got them inside the front room. The room was cold, and the shadows had lengthened. He fumbled around for candles and matches while the kids waited. Finding them, he lit one and used it to scour the room. He pointed. “There’s a sofa. Now sit.”

Grumbling and still in their jackets, they sat down. “This blows,” Nell complained.

“Shut up,” Craig barked. “And listen, both of you. Now I know this isn’t a great situation.”

“Right, yeah,” she said. “Get to the fucking point.”

“You interrupt your pappy when he does this?”

“I don’t even know who my father is, so fuck you on that account.”

“Right, sorry. I didn’t know that. But honestly, kids. This is not a fucking country club we got goin’ on here. You gotta pull your weight.”

“What are you gonna do about it?” Dez cracked.

Craig ran a hand through his hair. “I won’t starve y’all, and I can’t ground you in any way. But you gotta understand. This power outage has gone on for, I don’t even know what fucking day it is anymore.”

“It’s June first,” Dez said. “Mink had a calendar and I’m still crossing off the days.”

“So, it’s been a good ten days. We’ve gotten nothing from nobody. No communications, no planes flying and dropping supplies, no tests of power, nothing. That tells me this power outage won’t go away any time soon. And those people who left—including your parents, Dez—are probably not coming back for a while, if ever. That means you’ve both gotta step up.”

“I’m only fucking fourteen,” Nell complained.

“Well, I’m sorry that’s so, Missy, but we can’t just wait around for you to grow up.” Craig paused. “There are only eight of us. Mrs. Braverman can’t help, and Olga is pretty much giving all of her time to her care. So, it’s more like there’s only six of us. You back out and you’re not only hurting yourself.”

“Don’t fucking call me Missy. I hate it.”

“I don’t give a flying shit what you like.”

Relationships

Craig has a relationship of some sort with all the major characters. But these four are the most significant.

Jeannie Scutter Firenze

At the start of Mettle, Craig and his wife, Jeannie, are moving from a relatively even keel to rocky, roiling waters. Craig and Jeannie have known each other since high school. She’s a former beauty queen—and he was just some guy.

But her parents in particular pushed for the union, because Jeannie isn’t what she seems on the surface. The gorgeous Alabama cheerleader has bipolar disorder. As a result, the Scutters did everything in their power to keep the marriage together. They hid the worst of Jeannie’s episodes.

But when they’ve both passed on, the truth comes out. And it is not pretty.

At the Start of Mettle

When Mettle starts, Jeannie is heading right into a manic phase, like a speeding train in the process of derailing. And Craig is finding out that he doesn’t want to tolerate it any longer.

Noah Braverman

I don’t write Craig with any siblings. But Noah is as close to a brother as I’ve got for him. Even though Noah barely knows him, he takes Craig in, all the same. While they aren’t exactly partners in crime (Noah and Elise are), they both get ‘er done. Craig helps everyone to survive. But Craig would not be able to do that without Noah taking him in.

Nell Murphy

When Craig and Nell start off, they get off on the wrong foot. Nell and Dez abandon the others to follow childish pursuits. This leaves Craig and Mei-Lin lost in Brighton. Dez leaves Elise and Noah when they’re foraging for food. Nell takes a nap and Dez does ollies on his skateboard.

Craig reads them both the Riot Act (see above).

But Nell warms up to him, and comes to realize that he is pretty much the only person standing between the group and utter starvation and despair. The no-nonsense middle manager gets things done.

Mei-Lin Quan, MD

With Jeannie, everything is a difficult slog. But with Mei-Lin, everything is easy. Although some of that may come from sharing experiences in a disaster.

She chooses him, and decides he will be the reason she goes on. But when she first comes onto him, he’s like a deer caught in the headlights. It takes him a bit to come around.

Conflict and Turning Point

Like with the other major characters, and really the book itself, the turning point is when they set off the fireworks. Until then, it feels as if Craig will be the strongest one. But he’s not. That honor, rather, falls to Dez.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

Craig is one of the most easily funny characters I have ever written. He makes pop culture references effortlessly and relentlessly. But I don’t have a real continuity for him across the other universes.

Future Plans for Craig Firenze

There is no question that Craig will appear in the Mettle prequel story. That story will be a bunch of loosely-gathered vignettes, but they will all show foreshadowing of the main book. These vignettes will also introduce all of the characters, but as separate entities for the most part.

Craig Firenze: Takeaways

Before the disaster, he’s a mid-level government functionary. But afterwards? He’s the key to the group’s survival. The unlikeliest hero (and in that way, he’s a bit like Marnie Shapiro) is indispensible.

Craig Firenze — because sometimes your hero comes from middle management.


Want More of Craig Firenze and the Rest of Mettle?

If Mettle resonates with you, then check out my other articles about how changes in the periodic table nearly kill us all.

Character Reviews: Mettle

The Mettle Universe
Self Review: Mettle

Leave a Comment

Character Review — Carmen D’Angelo, MD

Consider Carmen D’Angelo, One of My Original Characters

Who is Carmen D’Angelo?

Carmen is a fun, take-no-prisoners kind of character. She is one of the most important characters in the Time Addicts universe.

Where Did Carmen D’Angelo Come From?

I wanted a smart, take-charge boss. At the same time, I also wanted to have someone who could intelligently relate to the characters. As a result, I made her a psychiatrist.

This did not just make it easier for the character to related to time travelers. It also created a separate application for time travel. Because apart from its obvious historian application, what can you do with time travel?

So, what if you could use it to help patients recall and work through trauma? Or, perhaps, help them be able to testify against abusers?

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Carmen D’Angelo

Before the story starts, Carmen works as a psychiatrist. One of her patients, Robin McKenna, seems to experience life differently from other people. Other sane people, that is. Robin seems to be able to recall alternative realities.

When Carmen meets Peter Ray at a party, they get to talking and she explains she has a patient who can see alternate realities. Ray realizes that Carmen’s patient likely can tell the differences between timelines. That is, like Josie James, Robin is temporally sensitive.

Fascinated by Carmen and her unnamed patient, he hires Carmen. Carmen, in turn, hires Robin to be her assistant.

Description

Annabella Sciorra, who I see as Carmen D'AngeloMiddle-aged by our standards, smart, and driven, Carmen is a caring, creative boss. She listens to her employees, treats them well, and gets right into the trenches with them.

She’s also from a British enclave on Rhea. Saying it’s a Rhean thing, she calls everyone Mister or Miss or the equivalent. It keeps her apart from others.

And, she’s an alcoholic. But I confess I haven’t shown a lot of that.

She will also, at times, lapse into Italian. I see Annabella Sciorra in her.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

Her primary motivation is to protect what she sees as the primary timeline. But since she isn’t temporally sensitive, her idea of that changes with every time change.

However, in many of the particularly nasty timelines, she believes Josie when Josie tells her things were better. And more importantly, how they were better.

Quotes (Carmen speaks first, and is talking to Josie)

“I can still deposit into your mental accounts book. Or, rather, I can at least not be the one who’s withdrawing from it all the time.”

“What do you mean?”

“I am making the conscious decision to believe you. I can’t speak for the others; so they may still be skeptical about your reports of changes. But I shan’t be. You have my word on it.”

Relationships

Without getting into her employer/employee relationships, here’s how Carmen gets along with others.

David Wesley-Smith

In the original timeline, they’re divorced. It’s not due to any sort of argument or wrongdoing. Rather, he wants to see the stars, so he leaves on an Obolonk-centric mission. They divorce before he departs.

In other timelines, she is widowed. And in at least a few timelines, they are still married.

In the timeline where Josie meets him, David turns out to be an anti-Obolonk jackass.

Robin Campbell McKenna

Apart from David, the only other person Carmen regularly calls by their first name is Robin. And so that has led me to wonder—did they have any sort of a romantic relationship? Did it go past psychiatrist/patient? I honestly have no idea, but the concept intrigues me. Perhaps I’ll visit it eventually.

Conflict and Turning Point

Carmen’s conflict and turning point match those of the overall story line. Her mission is to preserve and protect the original timeline as she understands it. And the biggest part of that is keeping Josie alive and well.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

The main continuity is a similarity to another time travel agency boss character I wrote. That was Carmen Calavicci, and she was a product of fan fiction. Are the two Carmens the same? Well, the Carmen of Time Addicts has more depth, and no time-centric surname to clue in a reader.

Future Plans

Because there will be a third trilogy in the Obolonk universe, there’s a possibility that her name will come up again. But it will take place a good century after the middle trilogy. So, even in a futuristic society where people live a lot longer than we do, she’s unlikely to still be kicking then.

Carmen D’Angelo: Takeaways

Carmen manages quite a bit like I do, in the sense that I try to be collaborative versus commanding. But she’s a lot more likely to head to a bar than I am—and I don’t call everyone Miss or Mister.

Carmen D’Angelo — because why the hell wouldn’t time travelers need psychiatric care?


Want More of Carmen and the Rest of the Obolonk Universe?

If the story of the Obolonks resonates with you, then check out my other articles about how our society turns tripartite, with humans, robots, and Obolonks.

Character Reviews: The Obolonk Murders

Humans

Robots

Obolonks

Character Reviews: Time Addicts

The Good Guys

The Bad Guys

The Obolonk Universe

Self-Reviews: Obolonk Trilogy

Self-Reviews: Time Addicts Trilogy

Next article

Leave a Comment