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Category: Characters

I love making characters and, if the planets align and I’ve done it right, then they come alive and leap from the page. They become real to you.

What’s All this About Characters?

And, just in case I mess up and my characters do not feel real to you? Then please feel free to contact me and hold my feet to the fire. Er, figuratively.

Seriously.

If have messed up, then tell me.

And if my characters feel good and real and true to you, then I hope you will let me know that as well!

So, here are some observations about them.

Faves

Who are my favorite creations?

Craig Firenze — the Force of Nature

Craig is a trip to write because every other word is a swear word. While all of the characters in Mettle have potty mouths, he takes it to an extreme.

I mean, why do you think the first word anyone says in that book is his—and it’s an f-bomb?

Peri Martin — the Snarky Author Stand-in

While all of my characters are me to some extent, Peri is my snarky best. But I was never as reckless as she is.

Er, was I? Hmm.

MJ Tanner — the Animal Whisperer in a Miniskirt

Mary Jacqueline Tanner is thirteen years older than me and is as much a product of the ’60s as anyone could be in tiny Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

And while {spoiler alert!} she does fall in love, the biggest relationship she has in The Duck in the Seat Cushion is with her beloved Snowy, the stray mostly Airedale terrier who she and her brother Sid find one day and take home.

Ceilidh O’Malley — the Fan Favorite

People love Ceilidh and I think they’ve got the right idea. I don’t think I have another character who went on such a journey. When you first see her, she is at her absolute lowest in life.

It was great fun to write her prequel. I hope readers come away with a greater appreciation of what she went through, but also of her mother’s motivations.

Tommy 2000 — the Plastic and Polymer Hero

How do you make a robot humanish but not turn him into a latter-day Pinocchio? I hope I’ve done Tommy some justice.

Ixalla — the Alien Revolutionary

One of the conceits of Untrustworthy is that no one in it is human. Ixalla wasn’t even originally going to be as big a character as she turned out to be. Ixalla became a voice for freedom. And I like that about her.

Trixie LaRue the Favorite Secondary/Sidekick

From her gol-darn Kentucky accent (based on my BFF’s mom, with love to Mrs. P) to her cougarish ways, to her loving friendships, to her radical competency, Patricia Louise LaRue is a kick to write and should be anyone’s ride or die.

Takeaways

Making characters is one of the most fun parts of writing fiction. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.

Character Review — AdgerCharacter Review, Jazminder Parikh, MD, Dr. Devon Grace, Velexio, Character Reviews are Coming, Ixalla, Elise Jeffries, MD, Frances Miller Ashford, Dr. Mei-Lin Quan, Trixie LaRue, Tathrelle, Nell Murphy, Craig Firenze, Adger, Astrid Hennigsen, Benjamin Chase, Dez Hunter, Eileen Bragin, Eleanor Braverman, Judge John Lowell, Keisha Darnell, Minka Lopez, Nell Murphy, Olga Nicolaev, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Shannon Duffy, Student #17, Ginny Carey, complex evil characters, Character Creation

Character Review — Adger

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on October 31, 2023

Meet Adger, One of My Original Characters

Who is Adger?

The final of the four chief characters in Untrustworthy undergoes almost as many changes as Tathrelle does.

Where Did Adger Come From?

By the time I got to this character, I was getting tired of making up alien names. Hence, his name is just the word badger with the first letter off. Er, sorry, character!

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Adger

Hired by Velexio and various generals to get their military dictatorship in power and then increase their power, no one counted on Adger catching feelings.

Description

Like all other Cabossian men, he’s bald and has three fingers on each hand. A fourth appendage on each hand is his two-part genitals. Otherwise, I have no real description of him, and no thoughts of anyone who I picture as ‘playing’ him.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

As the world shifts around the characters, Adger’s own purposes begin to change. He goes from being a jerk (in the best description of him) to being more like a lovesick fool than anything else. But he is never a hero and he is never the kind of person who readers would or should root for.

However, at least, unlike Velexio, he has occasional positive-ish moments. But they are few and far between, and they are blink-and-you’ll-miss-them fast.

Quotes {Tathrelle and Adger meet for the first time and things do not go well…}

Adger … turned and smiled at her and bowed slightly. “I’ll leave you two to get acquainted,” Velexio said and departed.

Once Velexio was gone, Adger shut the door to the small room. He looked Tathrelle up and down. “You are very interesting,” he stated.

“How so?” Tathrelle’s tone was skeptical.

“And you even told the people to call you by your first name! Do you have any idea what sort of annoying attention that’s going to get you? Ah,” he shook his head, “you are clearly a rank amateur. Still, you are a bit promising, I think.” He came closer to her. “You are an attractive woman. A little rough around the edges, but that may be how and why you were elected in the first place. It seems the people have a certain type of taste in such matters, eh?”

“Taste?”

“Oh, do you honestly believe that you were elected due to your acumen or the like? You had numerous rivals, as I recall. Or have you yourself forgotten that small detail? You may have thought it was an insignificant detail, but, you see, it’s really not. So you were selected by the people, but they hardly knew anything about you – or about any of your rivals, I imagine. But they picked you because,” he came closer, “you have … something.”

“I wish I knew what you were talking about, Adger.”

“Do you not, though? It’s a somewhat earthy appeal, you see. I had not really considered it. I had discounted it, you see, but now that I’ve met you, I think they might’ve been onto something. Of course, you could stand to be better in many ways, but in the basic respects, you’ve got it down pat.”

Relationships

Tathrelle

While he doesn’t get off on the right foot with her initially, he starts trying to make up for it as the story goes on. In fact, considering the changes that he goes through, it is highly likely that the carefully calibrated changes have some collateral damage and are affecting him as well.

As a result, he goes from a sexually harassing lout to, eventually, a person who genuinely cares about Tathrelle. But he’s got a lot of very funny ways of showing it.

Velexio

As Adger’s boss, Velexio should be in charge of him and telling him what to do. And Adger should be listening! But instead, he marches to the beat of his own drum. His reckless actions compound the conflicts and issues in the story.

While Velexio and the generals are the main architects of the misery in the story, Adger is far from blameless. Very far from blameless.

Conflict and Turning Point

When the rioting starts, he is in the thick of it. And while I pattern the rioting after Kristallnacht, his involvement is a lot more like a different incident, the January 6th attack on the US Capitol. Considering that I wrote Untrustworthy long before 45 even ran for president, I’m a little nervous about being a bit of a prophetess.

But the changes which he goes through are, essentially, his own damned fault. The guy never knows when to quit, and he pays for it.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

Because there is virtually no continuity between Untrustworthy and anything else I have written, there are no real Easter eggs or the like which you can associate with this character.

Future Plans

I have no real future plans for him, although he does show up in the prequel.Click to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

Adger: Takeaways

Unlike Velexio, who is essentially purely evil for evil’s sake, Adger has some layers to him. But he never uses his talents or intelligence for anything beyond the most selfish of motives. And in the prequel, he’s even more of a willing participant.

Adger — the lackey who does the most damage so the powers that be don’t have to get their hands dirty.

Want More of Adger and the Rest of Untrustworthy?

If Untrustworthy resonates with you, then check out my other articles about how an alien society devolves into fascism.

Character Reviews: Untrustworthy

• Character Review—Adger
† Character Review—Ixalla
• Character Review—Tathrelle
† a href=”https://janetgershen-siegel.com/character-review-velexio/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Character Review—Velexio
• Character Review—Student #17

Untrustworthy Universe
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Character Review — They Say This is the One – TSTITOPeri Martin, Tommy 2000, Greg Shapiro, Selkhet 3000, TSTITO, Rachel Gifford, Ted Moore, Charlie Hollis, Sally Bowles, They Say This One Tiles Bathrooms Adequately, TSTO Tiles,

Character Review — They Say This is the One – TSTITO

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on October 26, 2023

Consider TSTITO, One of My Original Characters

Who is They Say This is the One AKA TSTITO?

When I was first writing the Obolonks, I had no direction for them and virtually zero plot. But I came up with a wacky naming convention. Obolonks would receive names from the community. These names would have a basis in their characteristics, their behaviors, or their skills. In short, their reputations.

But what do you call the big cheese, the head honcho?

Then I realized their name would have to come from their reputation, too.

So I hit upon a simple statement of—this is the one, this is our guy, our representative.

Fortunately, Obolonks have to be mature before they get a name, so a child isn’t saddled with so much pressure and responsibility.

Where Did TSTITO Come From?

We all know the old cliché—take me to your leader. In fact, I have Greg Shapiro say that. But Greg is just kidding around.

However, as I think about them, I don’t honestly want them to be the big cheese for all the Obolonks. Hence, since the governor of Massachusetts is only the leader of the Bay State, TSTITO would just be the governor of the Earthbound Obolonks, as it were.

But as I write this blog post, for the life of me, I cannot come up with a name for the overall leader.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for TSTITO

Obolonks start to hear human transmissions when we start to make them. Therefore, back in maybe the Victorian era (to include telegraphy), the people of Bolonk came to the conclusion that they were not alone in the universe (sound familiar?).

As a patient people who live a very long time, this person would have to basically be groomed and study every nuance to try to understand humans. As a result, I have TSTITO undergoing training for more than a good 100 Earth years before they come here.

Description

Because They Say This is the One is fairly old, even for an Obolonk, they are a darker orange shade than many of their fellow aliens. Since Obolonks aren’t human, I don’t have a human actor or actress to ‘play’ them.

Rather, they resemble Amedeo Modigliani paintings. That is, they are extremely angular in comparison to us.

In addition, their limbs are longer than ours, while their torso is shorter. A human could never ‘play’ an Obolonk without some pretty fancy CGI, although a voiceover is a different story, of course.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

Because they are the overall leader, every Obolonk technically comes under TSTITO’s purview. Keeping the species safe and happy is paramount.

Quotes {Peri and Tommy meet They Say This is the One for the first time}

A pair of Obolonks ushered them in. They were younger, possibly not named yet. The main distinguishing feature marking them as Obolonk youth was their light, orange-colored skin, almost an iced peach shade. If not named yet, they’d be called something like Third from the One Who Trains Pigeons and the One Who Sells Substandard Footwear, depending upon birth order, shortened to Third or Three by impatient humans, or even Trey or Trois if the human was feeling creative or worldly.

TSTITO came out after a short conference with the two youths. “Ah, Detective Sergeant Martin, do come in. And I see you brought an android.”

“This is Detective McFarland,” she said to the medium-orange alien. TSTITO was taller than Tommy’s normal height. Like all Obolonks, he was smooth-skinned, with a somewhat elongated cranium, no hair, and not much of a nose to speak of. His face resembled one she had seen in a painting at the Guggenheim Museum in the New York Meg—a Modigliani.

“This is an android,” TSTITO insisted.

“I would appreciate you not referring to my partner in the third person, as if he wasn’t here at all.”

“Detective,” said TSTITO, “I agreed to this meeting because the authorities are not doing anywhere near enough to investigate the deaths of my people. Your use of the most modern tools is encouraging. Your denying and attempting to lie to me about it is not.”

Before Peri could respond further, Tommy said, “I am a robot. This is not information being made known to the general public. Your discretion would be greatly appreciated.”

“Understood,” said the alien.

Relationships

With more than two spouses possible, TSTITO has relationships in spades. But the reader doesn’t see their spouses until near the end of the third book. But their offspring? That’s another story.

TSTITO and Their Offspring

With ten children from the communal marriage, they have complex relationships with the next generation, which includes younger Obolonks who are not biologically related to them at all.

TSTITO has the most difficult relationship with They Say This One Tiles Bathrooms Adequately, their eighth born. With a name that denotes a less than stellar reputation, this person has to already be something of a disappointment.

When this offspring reveals that they are very human-centered and not as much Obolonk-centered, it’s a lot like coming out to a parent who doesn’t approve.

It’s also a lot like an experience which a lot of human immigrants have, where the second generation and beyond lose/reject the old ways and assimilate into the mainstream, majority culture.

In this way, the relationship between the two is reflective of the immigrant experience as a whole—which is also the overarching theme of these related series.

Conflict and Turning Point

For TSTITO, the turning points occur when they learn that there is trouble in Obolonk paradise (the Jovian moon, Callisto).

Greg Shapiro, being the data guy that he is, susses out that the number of Obolonk deaths and injuries over the years just doesn’t add up. There are nowhere near enough of them.

Someone’s thumb is on the scale. And that thumb is orange.

But TSTITO also has a turning point when they learn who was really behind a series of September 13th bombings. But this is the overall turning point of the series.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

There is not a lot with this particular character. However, Josie James encounters mentions of them in various alternate timelines. These include scenarios where they were killed when they first set foot on Earth, thereby radically altering the timeline.

After all, as the leader of all the Obolonks who have come to Earth, this is a linchpin character.

Future Plans

They did not show up in the prequel, which I wrote for the 2023 NaNo. But since this is a designation as opposed to a true name, a character with this name could show up in the third trilogy. However, this would be a different individual.

TSTITO: Takeaways

Officious and perhaps overly embracing of traditions, TSTITO is every parent who thought they would never embrace their LGBTQ+ offspring, but then eventually does.

And at the same time, they are every first generation immigrant who thought things would stay the same but then learned this would be … not so much.

TSTITO — because someone has to lead the Obolonk people.

Click to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

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

If the story of the Obolonks resonates with you, then please be sure to check out my other blog posts about how our society turns tripartite, with humans, robots, and Obolonks. In particular, my Obolonk character reviews:

† They Say This One Tiles Bathrooms Adequately (AKA Sally Bowles)

Self-Reviews: Obolonk Trilogy

• The Obolonk Murders
† Self-Review: The Polymer Beat
• The Badge of Humanity

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Character Review — Selkhet 3000Character Review, Josie James, Greg Shapiro, Bobby/Jerry Brodie, Cyndi Mendez, Rachel Gifford, Sally Bowles/TSTO Tiles, TSTITO, Selkhet 3000, Emma 1000, They Say This is the One, Trinity Hawthorne, Charlie Hollis, Obolonks,

Character Review — Selkhet 3000

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on October 24, 2023

Consider Selkhet 3000, One of My Original Characters

Who is Selkhet 3000?

I needed someone who could be a helper with the robots and Dr. Tinerrian, and quickly hit upon the idea of a robot filling that niche. Enter Selkhet.

Where Did Selkhet 3000 Come From?

When I first started writing about the Obolonks, I was completely winging it. As a result, I had no idea what I was going to do with Selkhet (or any of the other characters, for that matter).

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Selkhet

Much like Tommy 2000, Selket is created in Dr. James Tinerrian’s lab. She precedes him yet is a 3000 model. But she’s not the first fully sapient robot that Tinerrian makes. That is the seldom seen Emma 1000.

Why is she a 3000, and Tommy a 2000? Even Peri asks this! But the truth is, at the start, I was just going with what I felt sounded the best. With Tommy, there was some alliteration. Then I came up with an explanation. She would be overly emotional and sometimes less than controlled. Hence Tinerrian takes Tommy back to an earlier restore point.

But I have never honestly explored her less than fully controlled side. Maybe I will in the prequel, although it’s more likely it would be in the third trilogy series.

Description

I like the look of Selena Gomez for Selkhet. Very lovely, and very no-nonsense.

Actress Selena Gomez, who I see as Selkhet 3000. Image is for reference purposes only.
Image of actress Selena Gomez By The White House – [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=118366234

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

In some ways parallel to Tommy, she’s almost a proof of concept as to just what Tinerrian can do. But like Tommy starts off, her emotions are initially more a series of weights and measures than anything else.

That is, she performs trillions of calculations per second to determine if the proper emotional model to follow is the one of disgust, sorrow, joy, or any other feeling.

Her essential motivation is to take care of things for Jim Tinerrian. This includes long after his death, in the Time Addicts trilogy and beyond.

In that trilogy, she immediately recognizes that temporal sensitive Josie James needs help, and helps her.

But (if I recall correctly), she and Josie have never actually met before. But Selkhet trusts Tommy, and Tommy knows Josie is important.

Quotes {Peri has just met Selkhet and Tommy; Tommy has just morphed in front of Peri}

“Or an executive or any professional person here on Earth,” Tommy said. “Or I can look like a hayseed from Europa.” To prove his point, he became younger and taller and leaner, and wore a pair of coveralls but no shoes.

Peri’s jaw dropped, “Did you see that?” she asked Selkhet and Dr. Tinerrian. “Did you? That was, that was incredible.”

“Oh, that’s nothing,” said Selkhet, yawning slightly and morphing herself into a short, elderly, overweight Indian woman who looked a lot like Peri’s ex-mother-in-law.

“Oh my God!” Peri reeled, her heart in her throat, “You, you’re a, a, a, a, what?”“

Dr. Tinerrian, I believe you owe me a dollar.” Selkhet smiled. “We had a little wager going. The doctor said you wouldn’t guess I, too, am a robot. I am Selkhet Three Thousand.”

Peri sunk into the desk chair Tommy had vacated. After a moment, her detective instincts kicked in. “If you’re a Three Thousand, then why am I getting a Two Thousand? Er, no offense meant there, Tommy, but why?”

“Selkhet is a prototype. She’s the first of her kind and is here to help me with all of the other robots. Hence her name, Selkhet.” Peri squinted, tilting her head slightly. Dr. Tinerrian added, “Selkhet was the Egyptian guardian of the dead. Our Selkhet here is guardian of the robots. Anyway, Tommy is the first for the police department. We’re rolling out the entire Tommy Two Thousand series within a year, but he’s the first. There’ll be one in every police department from the Boston Meg to the Perth Meg and elsewhere in between—in all twenty-eight megalopolises if I have anything to say about it. And maybe they’ll even be off-Earth, and on a moon or a planet, too.”

Relationships

Although she’s just a machine, Selkhet has relationships.

Selkhet and Jim

Did Jim Tinerrian consciously create Selkhet to be a kind of dream girl for him? I confess even I’m not sure. But her devotion to him extends long past his death. Although she’s not as much of a tragic figure as Tommy is after Peri’s death.

One thing I wanted for her was for to not be Jim’s mindless servant, and she isn’t. She’s more of an employee half the time.

Selkhet and Tommy

Almost like a big sister in the first trilogy, Selkhet becomes Tommy’s plus-one for various social engagements in the second trilogy. I don’t really ‘ship them although I recognize that readers might…

I’m not going to stop you. Hell, it’s not exactly as if I could, anyway.

Selkhet 3000 and Emma 1000

Because Emma doesn’t show up until the last of the Time Addicts books, I don’t have too much on this relationship. However, even though Emma is the elder of the two, Selkhet is more sophisticated and take charge.

Emma often doesn’t know how to act around people, and suffers from what we would call a form of social anxiety. Selkhet takes Emma under her wing and champions her, almost like a mentor and a protégée.

And although I never put it on the screen, Emma had to have reactivated at some point.

Perhaps Selkhet was responsible for that? I might explore that in the third trilogy.

Conflict and Turning Point

Just like Tommy 2000, Selkhet 3000 is in both of the currently existing trilogies and her fate is fairly similar to his. When he is damaged in a way that is essentially a happy accident, he shares his transformation with her, so that she may experience it as well.

That’s one turning point in her existence.

Another is when she helps out Josie. Selkhet could have more or less looked the other way. But she doesn’t. I don’t honestly explore it, but to my mind, it’s not specifically due to continuing devotion to Jim. I feel it’s more that she just plain feels it’s the right thing to do.

Her acting on a hunch makes her more sapient than, in some ways, even Tommy. Certainly with fuzzier logic than I often show him as possessing.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

Much like Tommy, Selkhet can technically live forever, as long as she can find replacement parts. Hence, she played a relatively big role in the final book in the Time Addicts trilogy.

Future Plans for Selkhet 3000

The prequel for Time Addicts did not include her. And as for the prequel to The Obolonk Murders, I barely mentioned her there, either.

Selkhet 3000: Takeaways

Charming, smart, and sophisticated, Selkhet 3000 has a lot going for her. She’s fun to write.

Selkhet 3000 — the mother hen of the sapient robots.

Click to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

Want More of Selkhet 3000 and the Rest of the Obolonk Universe?

If the story of the Obolonks resonates with you, then please be sure to check out my other blog posts about how our society turns tripartite, with humans, robots, and Obolonks.

Character Reviews: The Obolonk Murders

Humans
† Peri Martin
• Greg Shapiro
† Rachel Gifford

Robots
† Tommy 2000
• Selkhet 3000
† Emma 1000

Obolonks
† TSTITO, the Obolonk leader
• Sally Bowles

Character Reviews: Time Addicts

The Good Guys
• Josie James
† Carmen D’Angelo, MD
• Dalton Farouk
† Tad Lewis
• Cyndi Mendez
† Bobby Brodie
• Keisha Darnell
† Vera Travers

The Bad Guys
• Peter Ray
† Dae Ou Xiang
• Elston Young
† Corwin Zachary

The Obolonk Universe

Self-Reviews: Obolonk Trilogy

• The Obolonk Murders (link is below)
† Self-Review: The Polymer Beat
• The Badge of Humanity

Self-Reviews: Time Addicts Trilogy

† No One is Safe
• Nothing is Permanent
† Everything is up for Grabs

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Character Review — Benjamin ChaseMarnie Shapiro, Lex Feldman, Jazminder Parikh, Benjamin Chase, Astrid Hennigsen, Trixie LaRue, Ginny Carey,

Character Review — Benjamin Chase

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on October 19, 2023

Let’s Consider Benjamin Chase, One of My Original Characters

So, who is Benjamin Chase?

For The Enigman Cave to work, I needed for Marnie to be not only okay with space but downright happy to be there. But one of the flies in the ointment would be her ex.

And while Ben may be almost a negative version of a Mary Sue, he does have his moments, one of which is in the Quotes section. Besides, it’s more than a little bit fun to write a character who is perpetually pissed off. Or, at least, he seems to be.

Where Did Ben Chase Come From?

To round out the cast and give Marnie a smaller antagonist before getting to the bigger one, I came up with the idea of an ex. And, originally, because I named her Marnie Chase, I first thought that I would have her catch him cheating and divorce him in the book.

Then I thought better of it, and made them already split as early as page one.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Benjamin Chase

David Strathairn, who I see as Benjamin Chase.
By Keith McDuffee from Northborough, MA, USA – FlickrUploaded by stemoc, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30832011

The chief botanist on board the Valentina Tereshkova is a necessary part of the crew. Brilliant and handsome, you can almost forgive Ben’s flaws. Almost.

But he’s hard to deal with under the best of circumstances. His original tolerance for Marnie was due to her intellect. But their marriage was stormy at best.

Description

In the book, I describe him as, … “tall and slender, with dark hair gone gray at the temples. A few lines on his face added character and interest, and dark eyes could hold nearly anyone’s attention. They had certainly held Marne’s attention, back in the day.”

My husband suggested David Strathairn for the look, and I have to agree.

However, this actor doesn’t seem to have played too many villains. But Ben isn’t exactly a villain. He’s more like a thorn in Marnie’s side than anything else.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

The smartest guy in the room should have been happy with the smartest woman in the room. But Ben’s not so secret dirty little secret is that he’s a philanderer.

And in a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ moment, Marnie’s thoughts tell the reader that he’s a serial philanderer. I get into this a lot more in the prequel.

When things really hit the fan, he doesn’t get a comeuppance although Marnie does eventually dress him down. For Ben won’t act like a hero. But he can act a little less like a whiny brat. Marnie takes what she can get.

Quotes

A few minutes later, Chase stomped in. “You know I’m not on the bridge crew.” He glared at his ex-wife. “And who the hell sent me a picture of a bunch of chlorophyll?”

“Chlorophyll?” asked Ray. The others just stared.

“Yes! Goddamned chlorophyll. I don’t have time for these shenanigans,” Chase huffed.

“Ben,” Marnie looked him in the eye, “are you absolutely certain that’s chlorophyll?”

“I know chlorophyll when I see it. Every botanist does.”

“And the chemical formula, Tom, what do you have on your screen?”

“C fifty-five, H seventy-two, Oh five, N four, M-G.”

“That, C-whatever stuff,” Marnie said. “Is that chlorophyll?”

“Yes.” Chase was even more peeved. “Everybody past basic Biochemistry knows that.”

“They never found it off Earth though, eh?” Marnie played her trump card.

“What?”

“Here,” Astrid punched up another picture. “This is the atmosphere of the world we’re orbiting.”

Ben leaned over and looked through the scope at the Scientific station. “Well, I’ll be damned.” He, too, was slack-jawed. “We, we found it.”

“You sure?” asked Marnie.

“Yes,” Chase was threatening to become as shell-shocked as Marnie and Tom were. “Algae can have chlorophyll. They’re technically unicellular. But they, they live communally. I, I would say they, they count as, as multicellular.”

“Remember where you were, remember what you were thinking and, and how you felt,” Marnie said. “Because this is goddamned history.”

Relationships

Aloof and often intolerant, Ben still has two significant relationships.

Marnie Shapiro

In a stormy, meeting of intellects type of marriage, Ben isn’t the kind of affectionate and caring person that Lex Feldman is. Because she’s such a laid back person, she tolerates his shenanigans until they turn into obvious, undeniable philandering.

I think of them almost like Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn in The Lion in Winter, where there’s a lot of verbal sparring. In a way, I can almost see Ben and Marnie with cocktails in hand, at some swanky New York party, continually insulting one another. But in real life, of course, this is exhausting at the best of times.

Kristen Watson

The head nurse on the Val is one of Ben’s conquests and the last woman he was sleeping with before the divorce became finalized. Perky, young, and almost regretting the affair, she is everything he is not.

In particular, he’s not a fan of children—yet she becomes pregnant anyway. Oops.

Conflict and Turning Point

Much like with the rest of the Enigman cast, Ben’s turning point happens a few times. Once, when the planet and its riches are discovered, but also when the government of Earth collapses.

But he doesn’t take a brave stand or anything. He just becomes a little less of a pain in the patoot.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

He doesn’t really have any. The only continuity I had for him was in the prequel story. And in there, you see a lot more about his philandering and aloofness there.
Click to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

Future Plans for Benjamin Chase

For the 2025 #30Day50k, I wrote a prequel in the Enigman universe. Ben was there and the reader sees their marriage a bit. But I didn’t want that story to turn into just a constant bitchfest for the two of them. That was not the plot.

At the same time, though, his story intertwines with hers, and that was the time to tell it.

Benjamin Chase: Takeaways

This character is vital to the storyline and particularly vital for Marnie’s own personal growth as a character. But a real person like Benjamin Chase would be annoying as hell.

Benjamin Chase — proving even whiny people can sometimes be heroes. But only when it suits them.

Want More of Benjamin Chase and the Rest of The Enigman Cave?

If The Enigman Cave resonates with you, then please be sure to 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

† Marnie Shapiro
• Trixie LaRue
† Jazminder Parikh, MD
• Lex Feldman
† Benjamin Chase

The Enigman Cave Universe
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Character Review — Noah BravermanCraig Firenze, Noah Braverman, Minka Lopez, Dez Hunter, Eleanor Braverman, Olga Nicolaev, Kitty Kowalski, Mei-Lin Quan, Nell Murphy, Elise Jeffries,

Character Review — Noah Braverman

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on August 1, 2023

Consider Noah Braverman, One of My Original Characters

Who is Noah Braverman?

Noah Braverman is a linchpin character in Mettle. But he was downgraded from leading man status in favor of Craig Firenze.

Where Did Noah Braverman Come From?

Noah (like Josie James in the Time Addicts trilogy) actually lives in my house. Because Mettle takes place in my neighborhood, what better place but the one I know the best?

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Noah Braverman

Noah has the best defined family in all of Mettle. Apart from Craig and Jeannie, and Nell with Gran, he is the only person who the reader ever sees with a family member.

Description

The only person I have ever seen for Noah is the actor David Schwimmer. In part, it’s the air of intelligence. Noah is no dope, even though he’s not a doctor like Elise Jeffries or Mei-Lin Quan, and he’s not a PhD like his mother, Eleanor.

It is also because I try to pair characters with actors who are similar in terms of background. I wanted only a Jewish actor to play this Jewish character.

And, it’s also because of Schwimmer’s hangdog look, which he should probably just patent already.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

Noah doesn’t have the last name of Braverman by accident, of course. But his bravery is not based on anything like battle skills or the like.

Rather, it is based on trust. Without knowing much about most of the other characters, Noah takes in Craig and gets to know and truly love and appreciate people he would never normally run into, like Nell Murphy, Minka Lopez, and Dez Hunter.

In fact, he is one of the reasons why the story seems to not quite get started until chapter 7 or so. I needed for Noah to know Craig at least a little bit, for why would he take in a stranger to live with him, particularly while people are going nuts?

Quotes {the Power Outage is Happening; He is Taking Craig to Brighton}

Noah did a fast three-point turn, getting the car onto Cambridge Street and abandoning Storrow Drive altogether. He gunned the engine, running red lights and weaving in and out of traffic. “Sorry for the white-knuckle ride.”

“That’s fine. You’re handy with the jalopy.”

“I learned how to drive in this car. Hang on.”

Noah turned in front of St. Botolph’s where some flickering lights were still on. But other lights were going out all over the rest of the area. He gunned it down Adams, passing a drug store and a taco place before the car sputtered to a halt and died across the street from the organic market.

Noah and Craig got out. “This way,” Noah said, “Go here and then straight for a while. It’s a bit downhill, then left on Hancock, number three oh one if you can see anything. If you can’t, the house has smooth pillars in front.”

The two men strode quickly, Craig holding the carryon and Noah holding the briefcase. One by one, lights in the houses started going out. Striding turned into jogging and then full-blown running as they turned onto Hancock and all the lights went out and even ambient car noises went silent.
Click to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

Relationships

Much like any other character, Noah has interactions with the main cast, but he also has pointed and more important ones with a select few.

Noah and Elise

Best pals for years, he has a bit of thing for her but she doesn’t really reciprocate. It’s not that she doesn’t care. It’s more that she just plain does not feel a spark with him.

But they can clown around and kid each other, and they do a lot of that. Elise is also pretty much the only person who Noah knows by name in his neighborhood, apart from the people he lives with.

And speaking of them…

Noah and Olga

Olga Nicolaev is the caregiver for Noah’s mother, and she has a semi-thankless job as Eleanor slips deeper and deeper into Alzheimer’s.

Noah involves Olga in care decisions about Eleanor and trusts (there’s that word again) her wise counsel. And this is despite the fact that Olga has major issues with English.

Yet when the story starts, and throughout it, she refers to him as Mr. Braverman whereas he calls her by her first name. Now, that is pretty much something you would expect in a relationship between and employer and employee, but still!

Considering the intimacy of their lives together (nothing romantic), you would think he would insist on her calling him Noah.

But he never gets a chance to.

Noah and Eleanor

An exceptionally devoted son, Noah has never actually left home. Rather, when his father died and his mother became ill, the best response was to simply stay.

However, when the story starts, he is getting a little tired of Eleanor continually asking about his late father. She doesn’t know any better, of course. And he does have a great deal of patience. But his reservoirs of it are not without limit.

Conflict and Turning Point

Noah’s turning points are virtually the same as those for the other characters in the story. When it seems as if the entire world has gone mad, he has but one purpose—to get home. There is nothing else he can think about.

And this should follow for a character who is, in part, defined by family and home.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

Noah isn’t really the one with the Easter egg. It’s his mother, whose maiden name is Shapiro.

Future Plans for Noah Braverman

I do not have any future plans for him, but he will show up in the prequel, as will the rest of the cast.

Noah Braverman: Takeaways

Noah Braverman is a somewhat different kind of hero, sort of a hero as homebody, if you will. While Craig turned out to be the lead, it’s Noah who holds the story together.

Mettle would fall apart without him.

Noah Braverman — the character who brings everyone together.

Want More of Noah Braverman and the Rest of Mettle?

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

Character Reviews: Mettle

† Eleanor Braverman
• Noah Braverman
† Craig Firenze
• Dez Hunter
† Dr. Elise Jeffries
• Minka Lopez
† Nell Murphy
• Olga Nicolaev
† Dr. Mei-Lin Quan

The Mettle Universe
Self Review: Mettle

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Character Review — Johnny BarnesJohnny Barnes, Shannon Duffy, Ceilidh O'Malley, Devon Grace, Frances Miller Ashford,

Character Review — Johnny Barnes

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on March 7, 2023

Consider Johnny Barnes, One of My Original Characters

Who is Johnny Barnes? What connection does he have to the Real Hub Universe?

Every story needs some sort of a villain. Johnny fills the bill a little too well.

Where Did Johnny Barnes Come From?

I wanted to create a character who would be hard to redeem. He would be uncultured, uncouth, and selfish. Complicating matters, he would be one of the sons of the richest man in Ballyvaughan.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Johnny Barnes

So, the first thing you need to know is that the Barnes family has five sons: Christopher, Paul, Alfred, Johnny, and Arthur.

Christopher, the heir, marries the respectable Harriet, who he meets in Scotland. They have a daughter, Darragh. Paul goes into the church, and is ordained earlier than he is supposed to be. But money talks, so no one questions that.

Alfred is one of Ryan O’Malley’s star pupils, the other being Ceilidh herself. Alfred is probably gay, and goes to the university at Galway. Arthur, something of a wastrel, ends up in the army. He even fights a native uprising in Malaya.

And then there’s Johnny.

He does not have the inheritance or the calling. And he’s not bright enough to rival Alfred. Not even close. And while he’s just as much of a ne’er do well as Arthur, he isn’t even perceptive enough to go into the military.

So, he drifts. Starting off in rough carpentry, Johnny has no talent for it. Jack (the patriarch) and Christopher eventually give Johnny his own patch of land to work. The bottom line is, he’s not much better in status than the cottiers in Ballyvaughan.

Description

Rough, dark, and unkempt, I think of Oliver Reed in the movie, Oliver! Reed was a difficult person all around, and died relatively young. He wasted his life and his talent.

So, in a lot of ways, he and Johnny are like two peas in a pod.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

Because they have no other use for Johnny, and Mary O’Malley needs to stay in the village, Jack and Mary come up with a plan. They’ll marry Maeve to Johnny. So, this should have worked out. In particular, he and Maeve actually like each other.

But the reason it doesn’t at first is because of one person — Nora Barnes.

Dying of cancer, Nora wants another grandchild. Harriet is forbidden from having another child, due to her health. Although Ceilidh doesn’t necessarily believe this. But either way, Harriet and Christopher are out of the picture. The other sons are unavailable for some reason or another.

Maeve is still very young and scrawny and has not yet gone through menarche.

As a result, Jack, Mary, and Nora turn to Ceilidh. Why? Because they’re under a time crunch. Nora is not expected to live for very long.

Quotes (in the Prequel, Johnny and Ceilidh are Left Alone for the First Time)

Johnny got up and came closer. “Now, Ceilidh, ya can do this in a way that’s at least kinda pleasant—although I don’t think girls like this stuff much, not even Maeve—or it can be rough an’ unpleasant. So, ya should tell me, Ceilidh, what’s it gonna be?”

She bit her lower lip and stared at him, looking into his eyes, a dark brown that was almost black. I see naught but coldness and cruelty there. I don’t know what you see in Maeve, or she sees in you, but at least you’re suited for one another.

She shut her eyes for a second. I curse every day of hunger, every moment that made it harder for Maeve to get taller and stronger. She sniffled a little. I should have given her more of my portion. I should have worked harder. Ceilidh trembled. I should have sold the last of the books. I should have—

“Well?” Johnny came closer and breathed on her neck, making the hairs stand up. “Like I said, this could be kinda pleasant, at least for me. An’ if I like it, I’ll be more agreeable ta ya an’ your Mam an’ Maeve, too.” With a rough, paw-like hand, he clumsily caressed her cheek. “Harriet’s a good girl, come from a fine family. An’ ya’re not neither o’ those things. But dress ya up in good things, like silk an’ lace an’ all that, an ya could pretend ta be. No one would ever need ta know ya came from dirt.”
Click to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

Relationships

Johnny is a brute at the best of times. His relationships often reflect this.

Maeve O’Malley

He has fun with Maeve, who is smitten with him. I have toyed with the idea of him being developmentally disabled. But I think Maeve (who is smarter than she behaves) would not be so taken with him if he was.

In the main books, he is abusive to her. But he is also a decent father, particularly for the time.

Ceilidh O’Malley

Scared of him and disgusted by him, Ceilidh is appalled when the topic of switching the bride is brought up. But in a small way, she can thank him, for he got her to leave Ballyvaughan.

Nora Barnes

Since Nora rules with an iron fist, Johnny is no exception. She disdains him and often treats him the same way she treats many of the cottiers — like something to wipe off her shoes.

Her only interest in him, at the end of her life, is as a means to an end. But that’s her interest in virtually everyone else as well.

Johnny and the Rest of the Barnes Family

Apart from his BFF Arthur, no one in the Barnes family is terribly impressed with Johnny. Harriet is clearly uncomfortable with him. Jack is disappointed. Christopher and Paul essentially order him around. But to be fair, they order just about everyone out.

Conflict and Turning Point

Johnny’s real turning point is twofold. One piece is the initial turning point where Ceilidh leaves Ballyvaughan—and him. He tells everyone in the village that she’s died, lost at sea. But she sends money, and he has no problem intercepting it or spending it.

His second turning point is when she returns to Ballyvaughan a few years later, with Jake Radford and Devon Grace. Her return makes his story of her death fall like a house of cards.

Much like money changes Ceilidh’s circumstances, it also changes his. But at least he can be honest about things.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

Johnny Barnes doesn’t really have any continuity, and there are no connections or Easter Eggs when it comes to him.

Future Plans

I have no real future plans for him. He’s an unpleasant character, meant for really just one purpose.

Johnny Barnes: Takeaways

Like Ceilidh’s hard early life, Johnny is a symbol of how harsh the world really was, particularly for poor women. As such, he has nearly nothing to recommend him. If he makes your skin crawl, then I’ve done my job right. So, yay?

Johnny Barnes is more than the reason why she leaves Ireland.

Want More of Johnny Barnes?

If Johnny resonates with you (or if he makes your skin crawl), then please be sure to check out my other blog posts about him, Ceilidh, Devon, Frances, Shannon, the very real historical Boston Brahmins, and everyone else as they work to prevent a temporally jacked-up genocide.

Character Reviews:

• Ceilidh O’Malley
† Dr. Devon Grace
• Frances Miller Ashford
† Shannon Duffy

Self-Review: The Real Hub of the Universe
Self-Review: The Real Heart of the Universe
and Self-Review: The Real Hope of the Universe

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Character Review — Greg ShapiroCharacter Review, Josie James, Greg Shapiro, Bobby/Jerry Brodie, Cyndi Mendez, Rachel Gifford, Sally Bowles/TSTO Tiles, TSTITO, Selkhet 3000, Emma 1000, They Say This is the One, Trinity Hawthorne, Charlie Hollis, Obolonks,

Character Review — Greg Shapiro

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on February 28, 2023

Consider Greg Shapiro, One of My Original Characters

So, who is Greg Shapiro?

I needed to have someone perform research for The Obolonk Murders. Once I started to create him, Greg turned into, essentially, Peri’s work BFF.

Where Did Greg Shapiro Come From?

The concept of a “work husband” is nothing new, although the terminology may be. Greg is quite easily, Peri Martin’s work pal, her lunch buddy, and all that. And until Tommy comes around, he is one of the only people who she will ever confide in.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Greg Shapiro

Kinda short and losing his hair, Greg is just a regular guy from what used to be called Hamden, Connecticut. He’s unassuming and self-deprecating to a fault.

Description

I am a bit conflicted about his look. He could be a bit taller and darker, like the late Bruno Kirby. Or a bit fairer, like Jason Isaacs.

I prefer to “cast” Jewish characters with Jewish actors whenever I can. But I do have to admit that it was Kirby I was originally thinking of when I started writing the character.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

Unlike cops you would normally see in a film or on TV, Greg isn’t much for guns and chases. Rather, he’s a researcher. For all the clichés about someone not wanting to be a pencil pusher, that would likely be his dream job.

Quotes (Greg and Peri are discussing Selkhet 3000 and Dr. Tinerrian)

“Martin, haven’t you ever liked anyone who didn’t like you back?” She nodded, so he added, “Or get this: haven’t you ever loved someone who did not love you back?”

Peri was silent as she tried to figure out how to answer him. Her eyes were filling up, fast, and then they were brimming and threatening to spill over, a situation as precarious as the stacks of books on the library’s sole table. Her lower jaw trembled a bit, too. She swallowed a few times, in an effort to keep her response an even one. But her voice cracked. “I, well, yeah.”

“Oh, damn, I’m sorry. I put my big foot in it this time, eh? It was Hollis, right?”

“Yeah,” she managed to squeak out.

“Well, he was a total mook and a jerk and all of that, anything you want to call him, for being that way. You are rough around the edges and no one’s ever going to invite you to a ball at the Junior League on Dione. But my considered opinion, Detective Sergeant Peri Martin, is that you did not deserve to be treated that way. You did not deserve to be made to feel like this. I am not saying that you shouldn’t feel bad about Hollis being hit by a hot gun. The illegal ones are particularly nasty—you know this. And I understand that losing a partner is just a terrible thing for any cop to have to go through. And please don’t think I’m hitting on you when I say this.”

She smiled wryly, a lone, low chuckle escaping from her mouth. “I’m not a redhead.”

Relationships

Greg’s already been married a few times. He even admits to having hit on Peri when he was newly single.  But they are more pals than anything else. If anyone, he’s got an interest in Akanksha Kondapalli. But Akanksha is probably a bit young for him.

I don’t have an actual birth date for him, but Peri is 50 when the series starts. Greg is probably a year or two older or younger than she is.

Their friendship is truly Greg’s biggest relationship in the series. They joke and laugh and make fun of each other pretty much constantly.

Conflict and Turning Point

Greg has a few turning points within the overall story arc. He experiences a part of the first crisis in the first book, but it’s from a distance. And aside from presumably hearing about it, he doesn’t experience the second crisis at all.

Probably the time when he really gets to shine is at the end when he and Peri bring in a confederate—someone who they did not initially suspect was a perpetrator.

Greg Shapiro and His Continuity/Easter Eggs

Like every other Shapiro character I have ever written (Marnie Shapiro Chase, Eleanor, etc.), Greg joins a proud Easter Egg/Afikomen tradition in my writing.

Future Plans

He’s definitely going to show up in the Obolonk prequel! But after that, I confess I am not so sure.

Greg Shapiro: Takeaways

Once I got him going in The Polymer Beat, he was a joy to write. He and Peri come across, at times, like Tracy and Hepburn or, more likely, like Nichols and May. I really should find something else for that mook to do!

Greg Shapiro — because there will still be work spouses in the future!

Click to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

Want More of Gregory Shapiro and the Rest of the Obolonk Universe?

If the story of the Obolonks resonates with you, then please be sure to check out my other blog posts about how our society turns tripartite, with humans, robots, and Obolonks.

Character Reviews: The Obolonk Murders

Humans
† Rachel Gifford
• Peri Martin

Robots
† Tommy 2000
• Selkhet 3000

Obolonks
† The Obolonk leader, TSTITO
• Sally Bowles

The Obolonk Universe

Self-Reviews: Obolonk Trilogy

• The Obolonk Murders (link is below)
† Self-Review: The Polymer Beat
• The Badge of Humanity

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Character Review — Jazminder Parikh, MDMarnie Shapiro, Lex Feldman, Jazminder Parikh, Benjamin Chase, Astrid Hennigsen, Trixie LaRue, Ginny Carey,

Character Review — Jazminder Parikh, MD

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on February 16, 2023

Consider Jazminder Parikh, One of My Original Characters

Who is Jazminder Parikh?

Like in the original Star Trek series, the top three characters are the captain, the first officer, and the chief medical officer.

In short, Marnie, Trixie, and Jazzie.

I see actress Aarti Mann as Jazminder Parikh.

Where Did Jazminder Parikh Come From?

It was not until Star Trek Discovery that I actually saw anyone from the Indian subcontinent anywhere in the franchise. And that is just ridiculous!

I mean, India is the second-most populous country in the world. And it has been for years. There are a good four times as many people there as there are in the United States.

So, why weren’t any of them seeing the stars?

Therefore, I took the old idea to heart. If you don’t see someone in fictional media, then write them yourself.

Of course, this is not my personal experience. But I still wanted this character to get on screen.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Jazminder Parikh

Jazzie is from a wealthy family in Hyderabad. But she attended school in Leeds, England. Hence, her accent is a lot more posh British with a mix of Indian.

Also, she does not join the crew of the Valentina Tereshkova until later. At the time of The Enigman Cave, she’s already been ensconced for years. But she doesn’t come out of the same school as Marnie and Trixie.

As for family, the only person she ever mentions is her father. This leads to the conclusion that her mother is likely to be dead.

Description

A bit short, and with very long, dark, straight brown hair, Jaz is younger than Trixie and Marnie. Since Marnie is 53 when the book starts, Jazzie is what, … forty? Maybe. I confess I never gave her an actual birth year. Oops.

She is also a bit of an alcoholic. While she, Marnie, and Trixie get drunk in the first chapter, that’s not the only time for Jazzie. In fact, she even drinks to the point of passing out. As a doctor, of course she should know better.

But it’s also the future, so she has plenty of ways to cure a hangover.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

Much like for the rest of the Val‘s crew, Jazzie’s main motivation is to explore space and find multicellular life. And, at the same time, assure that everyone stays healthy. Once the crew discover the Enigmans, her purpose shifts, as does everyone else’s.

Now, her motivation is to protect the Enigmans at all costs. Jazzie even goes so far as to perform an emergency c-section and even an autopsy. She ends up invested in their fate.

Quotes

Jaz drained the dregs in the bottle. “Superb. Can I tell you something? I would tell Ginny but she’s not here. Pity, that.” She was starting to slur.

“Just how much wine have you had, Jaz?”

“There may have been an earlier bottle. But I am not going to tell you that.”

Marnie had to smile at that. “Your statement, Doctor?”

“My, oh my but we are formal! As I was saying, you are the best damned boss I have ever had.”

“I am?”

“Absolutely. The other captains? They are all a bunch of sticks-in-the-mud, so far as I am concerned. And they may very well be playing along with that awful Carter. But you! Look at you! You’re strong and capable and I won’t say anything about your dodgy knee, and your preference for much younger veterinarians and your poor dye job.”

Marnie held a lock of her hair for a second. “Gwen did this, not me. How much of that other bottle did you have?”

“Oh hush, you.”

“C’mon, Jaz, you shouldn’t be drinking this much.”

“I am off shift, and am perfectly capable, young lady. Now, as I was saying,” Jaz slurred more, “You are an incomparable supervisor.” She clumsily hugged Marnie and patted her hair a few times.

“Jazzie, are you hitting on me?”

“No, you stupid cow!”

“What?” Marnie started laughing. “If you call me any more nasty names, I’ll stop believing you think I’m the greatest boss of all time.”

“No, no, you are the best damned boss I ever had. Now pay attention!” Jaz swayed and dropped to the floor.

Relationships

The only romantic relationship I have for her is with Ginny Carey. But when the book starts, she reveals they have broken up.

With over a thousand people on the Val, Jaz could conceivably find someone else if she wanted to. But I don’t have her do that. By the end of the book, Marnie is trying to get the two women to reconcile.

I like to think that they do.

Conflict and Turning Point

Much like with just about everyone else on the Val, her turning point comes when Carter emerges as a serious threat. This directly affects Jaz, as she loses contact with her father and fears the worst.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

There really are no continuities or Easter eggs with her. What you see, is what you get. She isn’t intended to be related to another Indian character of mine, Akanksha Kondapalli, from the first Obolonk trilogy.
Click to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

Future Plans

She was not really a part of the planned prequel until pretty close to its end. Otherwise, I do not have plans for her.

Jazminder Parikh: Takeaways

There may have been some missed opportunities with this character. And I may end up rectifying them in editing and rewrites. She’s smart and capable, a lot more than a stethoscope, a bottle, or a failed relationship.

Jazminder Parikh — this posh doctor brooks no nonsense.

Want More of Jazminder Parikh and the Rest of The Enigman Cave?

If The Enigman Cave resonates with you, then please be sure to 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

† Marnie Shapiro
• Trixie LaRue
† Jazminder Parikh, MD
• Lex Feldman
† Benjamin Chase

The Enigman Cave Universe
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Character Review — Josie JamesDalton Farouk, Carmen D'Angelo, Josie James, Peter Ray, Tad Lewis, Elston Young, Corwin Zachary,

Character Review — Josie James

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on February 9, 2023

Consider Josie James, One of My Original Characters

Who is Josie James? And how did she get to be the main character in the Time Addicts sub-series (part of the Obolonk universe)?

Originally, I had wanted to name her Jodie James. But the character had other plans. When I could not “hear” her voice, I realized a change was necessary.

And then I quite literally made a mistake when I was writing down notes about her. Suddenly, she sprang into sharp focus. And so, Jolene Jordan James was finally born out of my imagination.

Another aspect of her which really defined the character was when I decided she would be a numbers person. I had never really written anyone like that before. She is, essentially, a person who today would be an actuary or a mathematician.

This meant giving her an orderly mind and a fairly linear way of thinking.

Does she code as autistic? I think a bit. She does take a lot of things literally. But at the same time, that can be a function (ha!) of being a math person versus being on the spectrum.

Where Did Josie James Come From?

Much like with the Peri Martin character, I wanted Josie to be a kind of a wisecracking cop. But unlike Peri, Josie would be a somewhat younger woman in her mid-thirties. Furthermore, Josie would not have Peri’s trauma.

But she also would not have an equivalent to Peri’s work husband/work BFF, Greg Shapiro.

I also wanted for Josie to have one thing which I had until that time not given any characters—a large family. Now, the letter ‘J’ is the tenth in the alphabet, so that worked for me.

And then, to make my life easier, I created a naming convention for the family. Everyone, not just Josie, would have the same first and middle initial. And they would all be in alphabetical order.

Hence, Aaron is the first-born, then Brian, and then Connie. Deb and Em are twins and come next. Then there’s Francie (Frances) and Greg. Haley and Ian come next.

Also, because this can happen in real life, I wanted for Josie to have a niece or a nephew older than her.

This also meant giving the James siblings a big age gap. She’s kind of the ‘oops’ baby.

So Aaron is essentially a different generation from Josie. And it shows.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Josie James

A decent cop working in the Boston Meg’s Financial Crimes division, Josie has a secret.

Every morning, for a dozen years, without fail, she has started her day tossing her cookies. It does not matter whether she ate the prior evening, or drank, etc. Sick or well, well-rested or tired, it does not matter. Every morning, it happens.

And so she has fetishized it in a way. This was also, initially, a way to make my life easier. Plus, for NaNoWriMo, it makes for some excellent word padding (oops, did I just say the quiet part out loud???).

But then, because the sub-series is about time travel, the fetishizing started to truly make sense.

See, she follows the rainbow every week. Sunday is red, Monday is orange, etc. And along with the color of her clothing and even the corresponding flavoring added to her water, she has a bunch of buckets. But Josie’s are color-coded to the days.

Since indigo is tough to find, I had her use gray or black and white or patterns on Fridays.

But no matter what, if a reader is ever lost as to the day of the week, her outfits are a dead giveaway.

Her buckets and her continuous attempts to get a medical explanation are what make the Orb Intelligence Agency’s Department of Temporal Narcotics want her. Because her barfing is related to changes in time.

Description

I really love the actress Anna Kendrick, and she works well as a stand-in for Josie in my head. It was a truly serendipitous find to learn that Kendrick is left-handed! By also making Josie a lefty, it worked well with some of the dramatic elements in the story.

Although Kendrick can sing, Josie really doesn’t. But her brother Ian does.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

Josie’s purposes drive the sub-series. She first wants to know why she gets sick. Then, she wants to catch the bad guys and save the Obolonk race. But she also wants to take the next step in her life. Her illness has held her back and left her in a kind of young twenties limbo.

But to get serious about herself or about anyone else, she can’t just be puking all the time.

Quotes {Josie and Dalton Meet After He’s Gotten Her Suitcase Off a High Shelf}

The dreamy chivalrous suitcase retriever stuck out his hand. “Hi, I’m Dalton.”

“Er, hi. I’m Josie James.” His hand was smooth, as if the only physical labor he did was in a gym.

“You sound like a dance hall girl or an outlaw. Definitely something from a western movie.”

“You sound upper crust.”

“I was born in the Philly section of the Washington Meg so, yeah, kinda. You?”

“You want to know where I was born?”

“Well, yeah, seeing as we’re not supposed to be hinting at roles and responsibilities yet.”

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot that. Man, oh man, the OIA sure has some strange protocols. Still, I figure there’s a kind of a method to their madness.”

“Oh?” asked Dalton.

“Yeah, they get to continually test us on secrecy and on following instructions. We screw up, and they can boot us. You know, like it says in our contracts. I am assuming you got the same contract that I did, er, Dalton.” Why the hell was the dreamy chivalrous suitcase retriever just going by his last name? How weird, she thought.

“I’m sure I did. And yeah.” He seemed to be staring at something for a second, as if he was mentally flipping the pages of the contract, in electronic or paper form. “You’re right; it does say that. But you didn’t answer my question, outlaw Josie James.”

Relationships

Josie’s condition makes it difficult to form romantic attachments. But then there’s…

Dalton Farouk

Not just another pretty face, Dalton Farouk is a genuinely caring person. Dalton has a very real gift called hyperthymesia. But it turns out Josie has a gift, too—she can remember timelines, even as they change.

So, they aren’t just paired by me because I wanted her to have a love interest. I also pair them together because they are both quite literally all about memory.

And, Dalton almost blows it the first time they go on a date. Then again, Josie yells at him. So, I suppose they’re even.

Tad Lewis

Tad is not a romantic partner to Josie. Rather, he is her work partner. The sharpshooter of the team is a great choice to look out for her. Because Carmen realizes immediately—Josie is valuable. And vulnerable.

Tad and Josie often have to play at being married. They get along well enough that he would be a reasonable choice for her. In fact, if anyone wants to ‘ship them, well, I won’t stand in your way or anything.

Carmen D’Angelo

Josie’s relationship with her boss is complicated. While Carmen is cordial, Carmen also keeps nearly everyone at arm’s length. But Josie trusts her. And as everything else changes, Carmen points out that if she (Carmen) ever does, then it’s all gone to hell in a hand cart.

Without having had a mother for the second half of her childhood, siblings like Connie and Deb have filled in the gap. But, at times, it’s Carmen who kind of, sorta, fills it in as well.

Wing AKA 42753

The idea of little flying robots came to me although I suspect I’m not the first person to ever dream them up. They are, at bottom, a natural descendant to drones. But they have a fairly good degree of sapience and they have personalities.

But they are also programmed to love cleaning and orderliness. Wing, like all other wingbots, has some limited morphing capabilities. Hence, it, too, is a part of the constant color parade. Wing colors itself like a parrot, a blue jay, a cardinal, and more.

Wing is, easily, one of her closest friends.

They Say This One Can Floss Human Children’s Teeth Carefully

AKA Flossie. A lot like They Say This One Can Tile Bathrooms Adequately, Flossie is an intersex alien but identifies as female. This alien has had surgery to be able to smile like a human, and uses she/her pronouns.

Flossie is also one of Josie’s main reasons for trying to restore the original timeline. It’s not just because it’s the right thing to do. It’s also because someone like Flossie can never, ever be her friend in many of the newer, worse realities.

Josie James and Her Siblings

Josie has complex relationships with her various siblings. Aaron treats her a lot like his own child and can often be overbearing if not condescending to her. But at least a little bit of that is to be expected. After all, she’s younger than his first born child.

With Brian, she has a more cordial relationship although they don’t spend a lot of time together. He is usually not the first person she thinks of when she needs something. But at least Brian doesn’t talk down to her.

Connie is more of a mother/kindred spirit figure to Josie, particularly as they are both single and childless, and are both numbers people. Connie is just plain easier to talk to.

The twins are night and day to each other. Deb is warm and maternal, whereas Emily is all business—literally. It isn’t until the third book that Josie realizes the reason Em never married is because she loves the people who work for her.

Francie is another sibling who Josie doesn’t really get to know until the third book. Greg, on the other hand, is the first person Josie thinks of when she needs a place far from the group.

Hayley is often the punchline to Josie’s jokes, because Hayley is modern Orthodox and Josie is horribly lapsed.

Yet Hayley actually keeps Josie on the straight and narrow a lot of the time—even if it’s just Josie saying she can’t do X because Hayley would have a coronary.

Ian is closest in age to Josie, but is such a flighty free spirit that they have only a little in common.

Avalon

Without giving away too many spoilers, Loni (Avalon) is a character who comes into the books later. She serves as a kind, maternal person to Josie, but not in the first timelines.

Conflict and Turning Point

Josie’s conflict and turning point are the ones for this sub-series. For the most part, rather than there being one big conflict, it’s a relatively slow burn. Writing scads of different temporal universes meant that life changes for her, in ways that are subtle and not so subtle.

Until things get really dicey, she doesn’t notice some of it.

In that way, both her realization of the issues and the reader’s (and the invisible hand driving the plot, too) is a lot like putting a lobster in a pot of cold water and setting it to boil. Once things start to feel hot, it’s already too late, and you’re already cooked.

But it can take a bit to get there.

For Josie, a lot of the bigger time changes go off like loud alarm bells, particularly in the last book of this sub-trilogy. Life before might not have been perfect. But it was hardly the dystopia that many of the later time changes cause to come about.

Continuity/Easter Eggs for Josie James

Josie, just like Noah Braverman from the Mettle Universe, lives in my house! In a bit of crossover continuity, the house has been in her family for generations. But there is a tenant the family has to buy out before she can live there. That tenant is Kelly Braverman.

Josie is also a Jewish character; their surname was originally Jacobson. As a result, she relates, however loosely, to characters like Noah Braverman, Marnie Shapiro, Lex Feldman, Greg Shapiro, Eleanor Braverman, and even Herschel Taub.

She’s not too strict, but her sister Hayley lives in what used to be Tel Aviv.

Also, being a person experiencing time changes and understanding them while others around her do not, makes her something of a twin to Tathrelle.

But I never actually explain Tathrelle. With Josie, I give something of an explanation of how she’s known to be temporally sensitive. But I never actually get into why.

The truth is, even I have no idea!
Click to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

Future Plans

Well, one thing that may be a bit of an issue is that Josie was not a part of the Time Addicts prequel, The Dust Between Our Stars.

But I like her quirkiness and her overly orderly mind. I’ll try to find some place for her. Much like Peri, she may even get the occasional shout out in the next sub-series. I don’t know.

Josie James: Takeaways

One of the things I love about her is that a lot about her represents a departure from what I have written before. Her methodical nature, her familial relationships, and her fetishizing of her condition make her unique and a lot of fun to write.

You don’t just want her in your corner. You also want her help if there’s a math test!

Josie James — why should she let her chronic illness interfere with saving the timeline?

Want More of Josie James?

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

Character Reviews: The Obolonk Murders

Humans
† Peri Martin
• Greg Shapiro

Robots
† Tommy 2000
• Selkhet 3000

Obolonks
† TSTITO

Character Reviews: Time Addicts

The Good Guys
• Josie James
† Carmen D’Angelo, MD
• Dalton Farouk
† Tad Lewis
• Cyndi Mendez
† Bobby Brodie
• Keisha Darnell
† Vera Travers

The Bad Guys
• Peter Ray
† Dae Ou Xiang
• Elston Young
† Corwin Zachary

The Obolonk Universe

Self-Reviews: Obolonk Trilogy

• The Obolonk Murders
† Self-Review: The Polymer Beat
• The Badge of Humanity

Self-Reviews: Time Addicts Trilogy

† No One is Safe
• Nothing is Permanent
† Everything is up for Grabs

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Character Review — VelexioCharacter Review, Jazminder Parikh, MD, Dr. Devon Grace, Velexio, Character Reviews are Coming, Ixalla, Elise Jeffries, MD, Frances Miller Ashford, Dr. Mei-Lin Quan, Trixie LaRue, Tathrelle, Nell Murphy, Craig Firenze, Adger, Astrid Hennigsen, Benjamin Chase, Dez Hunter, Eileen Bragin, Eleanor Braverman, Judge John Lowell, Keisha Darnell, Minka Lopez, Nell Murphy, Olga Nicolaev, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Shannon Duffy, Student #17, Ginny Carey, complex evil characters, Character Creation

Character Review — Velexio

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on January 3, 2023

Consider Velexio, One of My Original Characters

Who is Velexio?

I needed a true villain character for Untrustworthy. This was a character who would have exactly zero redeemable character traits. Enter Velexio.

Where Did Velexio Come From?

I realized I needed a villain for whom the reader could never possibly have any sympathy. Adger, at least, is someone doing things for love. Or at least lust. But not this guy. Nope. Never, ever this guy.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Velexio

While I do not really have a back story for him, my intent for 2022 NaNoWriMo (and possibly also 2023 NaNo, if I end up with too much material and not enough November), is to create a prequel story for this universe.

As a result, a lot of his motivation and history will come out in that prequel novella. But there isn’t a lot in Untrustworthy itself.

Description

Velexio, like all Cabossians, is bipedal, but his genitals are a part of his hands. Both men and women can get pregnant, and the main idea behind this society is what it prizes. Caboss only prizes fertility. Same-sex unions give rise to sterile offspring—and that simply will not do.

But he does not have to worry about any of that. His two fertile children neatly prove his virility.

And so he has no problem looking down his barely existent nose on the sterile members of the population.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

When we first see him, he is already in a position of power. But as the timelines shift, so do his roles. However, he is never truly out of power or out of control.

Quotes

“Now, I do not have to tell you that things are rather dire indeed,” Velexio began. “The war is going rather badly, and we are definitely losing. Gentlemen and, uh, Tathrelle, we have been approached by the Cavirii about our terms for surrender.”

“Sir?” asked Tathrelle, “have they shown their faces yet? I know the people are most anxious to see what a real Cavirii looks like. There have been so many ridiculous rumors; I am sure no one really knows what to believe any more.”

“Uh, no, they haven’t,” Velexio said. He sighed. “I would like to speak without interruption now. It’s, it’s unfortunate, you see, for our Jacarollium mining operations have risen in efficiency to 26 percent.  We’d hoped to utilize it in our weaponry, but I am afraid that might not happen. And the percentage of steriles in the population is at 58 percent. All those potential soldiers! They could use that weaponry, I am sure of it. I, it’s rather troubling, and the people will understandably be alarmed.”

The general who was seated to the left of Tathrelle said, “It might mean rioting. We cannot have that. Order must be maintained, at all costs, for the security of Caboss.”

“All too true,” agreed the general on the other side of Tathrelle, “We cannot tell the people the details.”

“But that’s my job,” Tathrelle protested. “They elected me for the singular purpose of telling them the truth about the government – about how it’s run, about how things are going and all of that. If we outright lose the war, it’s going to affect everyone. You cannot tell me not to tell them.”

The general across from her, looking very smug, said, “You heard it; there’ll be rioting if we tell the people. We’ve got to be subtle about this sort of thing. You cannot just blurt it out, as if you were a child telling a secret in a schoolyard.”

“Do not, no, do not tell them all of it,” Velexio cautioned. “In fact, let’s do this, Tathrelle. I’d like for you to tell them that the war is going well and that the Cavirii are in communications with us and that the government needs to concentrate on those communications, so details will not be forthcoming.”

Outside, the disembodied voice intoned, “All steriles are strongly encouraged to volunteer for military service. Pregnant males are identified with orange clothing as they are carrying steriles. Females who are carrying steriles are strongly encouraged to voluntarily self-identify that they are carrying steriles by also wearing orange. Parents voluntarily sending their sterile infants to military rearing and service will be fairly compensated for their sacrifices. Remember, a self-sacrificing citizenry is a happy one.”

Tathrelle looked aghast at Velexio. “Are you suggesting that I lie to the people?”

Relationships

He definitely had a wife before the start of the book, but I have nothing about her. As the Cabossian society continues to slide inexorably into fascism, it becomes harder to be single, even if you’re a widower. So, he decides to pick up women. But it doesn’t go exactly as he plans.

Tathrelle

Because he has worked with Tathrelle, he knows her fairly well and can at least determine if he thinks they are at all compatible. Due to the application of a certain drug, he has about as much of a memory of older timelines as she does. He knows what she has been, and just what she could be.

The drug and the idea of memories crossing timelines, rather neatly predicts Time Addicts.

Ixalla

He doesn’t even know Ixalla and, when he comes onto her, she has fallen on hard times. But just like Pygmalion with Galatea, all he wants is to remake her. He wants no barriers to his enjoyment. He won’t allow for any.

Conflict and Turning Point

Just like with the other characters, the turning point is the rioting. As an alien Kristallnacht erupts, continues, and eventually dies down, he changes. Beyond being a man who wants political power, he turns into a killer. And into someone who wants to control, well, everyone. If absolute power corrupts absolutely, then it’s even worse when it crosses multiple timelines.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

Like with the other characters in the book, there isn’t a lot of continuity to tie him to any of my other universes.

Future Plans

He will—like the other three main characters—be a part of the prequel story, which I am tentatively calling Unreliable. I am toying with the idea of making that one multiple-POV, much like Mettle. His point of view will likely be as ruthless as I have been writing him all along.

Velexio: Takeaways

Every story needs some sort of a villain or at least some kind of an obstacle. This character absolutely takes to the villain character arc.

As my writing has improved, I can see that he should have more depth to him. Something, anything redeemable at all about him would have made for a better character. But in all, for a story I wrote when I had a lot less experience, I think he turns out well enough.

There is nothing easy about him.

Velexio — what, you didn’t think fascists only came from Earth now, did you?Click to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

Want More of Velexio and the Rest of Untrustworthy?

If Untrustworthy resonates with you, then check out my other articles about how an alien society devolves into fascism.

Character Reviews: Untrustworthy

• Character Review—Adger
† Character Review—Ixalla
• Character Review—Tathrelle
† a href=”https://janetgershen-siegel.com/character-review-velexio/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Character Review—Velexio
• Character Review—Student #17

Untrustworthy Universe
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