I'm going to let you in on a secret...I am not an experienced or well known author. My educational background is in finance and accounting, and my current day job is in local government. I've always loved story telling, and I've dabbled in writing short stories since I was kid, but The Thin House is my first book. Any idea I have of what i'm doing, largely comes from the advice of more experienced friends and internet research. My inexperience felt the most daunting when I first opened a blank Word document and asked myself, "Where do I start?"
I'm sure there are more academic ways to do it, but getting started for me meant figuring out my characters. I had a vague idea for the plot, but before I even really started to polish that into an honest-to-God story I knew I needed to figure out who it was going to be about. I've always liked character driven media so that's what i tried to get a handle on first. I thought for today's post it'd be fun to introduce three of them. The main protagonist of The Thin House is an eleven-year-old boy named Finn Anglin. Finn was raised by his mother, who has kept a lot of her family's history from him until the sudden announcement that he will be spending the summer at his grandparent's boarding house. Finn is quiet, thoughtful, and curious, and is a good stand in for the reader as he is continually introduced to bizarre characters and situations. Finn's defining characteristic is a desire to understand those around him, and I based him on myself as a little kid interacting with my extended family, particularly grandparents, great aunts, and uncles. Two other major characters in the book, are Finn's grandparents themselves. Their names are Eleanor and Ezekiel Blacklock. Little is known about them at the start of the book, but it quickly becomes apparent that both are larger than life. Eleanor is a yoga master, who shows her love for her guests by cooking elaborate and personal meals that seem to have an almost supernatural healing quality. Ezekiel is a quiet but imposing marksman, who seems to have the rare ability to see things exactly as they are, which can be difficult considering their usual clientele. Both are fiercely loyal and devoted to the grandson they have been waiting years to meet. The Blacklock's are based on some of the best qualities of the men and women who I wanted to be like as a kid. Some of their interactions with Finn are pulled closely from stories from my childhood. Their relationship with each other; however, is pulled from my own marriage. Of all the characters in The Thin House and those planned for future books, I am the most excited to share the Blacklocks. They have stuck with me in a really fun way long since the book has been completed. I hope this peaks your interest. I'm excited to introduce the characters that have been bumping around my head for the past few years. I hope to have some more announcements soon, including some new artwork from the book. Until then...
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AuthorMy name is Jake Nickens. I'm a husband, dog owner, and Author of The Thin House. Archives
November 2021
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