Supporting characters often hold the entire construction together (that's why they're called supporting, after all). I was telling writing partner Russell Thayer yesterday that our new retro-noir had great secondary players. They have substance and interesting arcs. And yes, they weren't there at the beginning. Some characters pop up and demand to be heard. They push on the plot wanting more lines. Of course they'll get them. They're the heart and the color. And we love them!
My favorite supporting characters are the ones who began as nothing but part of the setting, but then somehow worked their way up to recurring characters. In my Shade series, Alice started as just one of three women that Dwayne was chatting up at the bar while Shade was off dancing with my femme fatale. Somehow, she acquired depth and a backstory, and she became such an integral part of the story that she's now getting as much page time as Dwayne himself in my current book.
Your organic approach to character creation mirrors how real relationships form—unexpectedly and out of necessity. The Lubank/Gracie dynamic is particularly clever, inverting the Perry Mason formula while maintaining its essential appeal. What strikes me most is how The Deal creates perpetual dramatic tension through Southerland's mounting debt, giving every interaction between them financial stakes beyond the immediate case. That's character work doing double duty as plot engine.
Love this background stuff, Douglas. I fell in love with Madame Cuapa - and still pine for her. Great characters in your work... Lubank, too. And of course, Alex.
Supporting characters often hold the entire construction together (that's why they're called supporting, after all). I was telling writing partner Russell Thayer yesterday that our new retro-noir had great secondary players. They have substance and interesting arcs. And yes, they weren't there at the beginning. Some characters pop up and demand to be heard. They push on the plot wanting more lines. Of course they'll get them. They're the heart and the color. And we love them!
My favorite supporting characters are the ones who began as nothing but part of the setting, but then somehow worked their way up to recurring characters. In my Shade series, Alice started as just one of three women that Dwayne was chatting up at the bar while Shade was off dancing with my femme fatale. Somehow, she acquired depth and a backstory, and she became such an integral part of the story that she's now getting as much page time as Dwayne himself in my current book.
I love that most of the characters are grown-ups. Not nescessarily mature of course, but then, there are so few mature adults in this world too.
At my age, all my characters seem like kids to me.
Your organic approach to character creation mirrors how real relationships form—unexpectedly and out of necessity. The Lubank/Gracie dynamic is particularly clever, inverting the Perry Mason formula while maintaining its essential appeal. What strikes me most is how The Deal creates perpetual dramatic tension through Southerland's mounting debt, giving every interaction between them financial stakes beyond the immediate case. That's character work doing double duty as plot engine.
Thank you!
Love this background stuff, Douglas. I fell in love with Madame Cuapa - and still pine for her. Great characters in your work... Lubank, too. And of course, Alex.
Thanks for showing us how the sausage gets made.
I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Madame Cuapa. After her appearance in Claws of the Collector, it’s clear that she has more to do.
Well... I agree, but then, my 69th birthday is coming up...
It would be nice with a few people in their 60s and 70s who are not autocratic a-holes...
Or just in their 50s, but not creaking in every joint. Humans, that is, not the millennias old paranormals who somehow stopped maturing at 30 or so...
Love this explanation of how supporting characters appear. Looking forward to your next book!
Me too--I'm working on it!