"Dream" People - Inspirations for the characters in The Hambledown Dream (Part 7 - Simon).

There is one character that has been a mainstay in any of the fiction I have written. It is a quirk of mine that I picked up years ago when I used to flip through the newspaper as a kid looking for the political cartoon by Jeff Hook. In everyone of his cartoons, he used to place strategically, a fish hook somewhere in there and it was one of those cool little challenges for my brother and I to find it. We always did, for memory. Anyway, the hook in the Jeff Hook cartoon was an essential. For me, it defined who he was in a small way.

I am drawing a very long bow here aren't I.

 Simon in 2005.

My dog, Simon, is a 14 year old cross bred cattle dog that I picked up from a pet shop when he was just six weeks old. I remember, at the time, going past the pet shop with my then partner and hearing this yapping coming from within. We had talked about getting a dog as young couples do in that stage of the relationship when things become serious...(my observation anyhow) and when we heard his yapping we were instantly intrigued. He was there in a big glass cage in the shop, spinning around in the ridiculously small space, chasing his tail and I knew - even though I was the more reluctant of the two of us - that this pup was coming home with us. I very nearly didn't go ahead with his purchase when he rather unceremoniously squirted a thick stream of poop all over the inside of the glass enclosure but somehow, my partner convinced me that we should dive in. So this little scrap of a pup came home with us.

That was 14 years ago.

The Author & Simon (2005).

I don't hesitate in declaring here and now, that Simon is perhaps one of my best friends, if not my best friend. Cliched, I know but the shit we've shared over the past decade and a half could well be a book of it's very own. Simon has been by my side through some wonderful times and through some very dark times as well. He knows, implicitly my mood and will come up beside me and give me a nudge with his nose to let me know that he knows what I am thinking. He is a beautiful companion. Though he is much older now and he is starting to slow down a little, Simon remains such an integral part of my family. He adores our children and we had no trouble at all in introducing both Xavier and Lucy to him at the appropriate time. Simon seemed to get it.

A Saturday morning walk, Simon with Xavier (2007).

His inclusion in The Hambledown Dream as a character - a fairly significant one - seemed natural to me. I knew that given some of the paranormal subject matter that I was dealing with in the story, there would be a way to incorporate Simon into it and I had no trouble finding that "fit". I remember doing some reading about dogs and their intuition when it comes to detecting serious illness in humans. There was one particular article I read that credits certain canines with being able to detect cancer in humans and that certain medical professionals saw merit in adopting this trait as a diagnostic tool. I have also read that dogs have been written about in terms of their ability to detect paranormal energies - i.e. ghosts.

Without giving too much away, Simon as he appears in The Hambledown Dream, became a fairly significant plot tool in order to reveal certain, major events in the story. This was a pretty big deal for me because I knew early on that what I could achieve by having Simon in the story would help me not only in constructing critical scenes - but he would also contribute to major illustrations of the central characters in the story - most notably Sonya and Denny. Their portraiture, through the eyes of Simon, became an indelible mark that adds gravitas to the underlying themes in The Hambledown Dream.

I love my dog.

DFA.

"Dream" People - Inspirations For The Characters In The Hambledown Dream (Part 6 - Sonya Llewellyn).

As a writer who has attempted writing a novel more than once, I have amassed a healthy amount of notes encompassing ideas, situations and characters over the past few years. And it turned out to be a good thing because, when I began writing The Hambledown Dream, I found myself returning to these boxes and folders of notes to review the things I had worked on before to see if they could be incorporated into the novel.

This was certainly the case with characters.

Several of the characters in The Hambledown Dream were drawn from a previous work that remains incomplete at this time. I deliberated for a while, whether to bring them across to this novel because I haven't yet ruled out the possibility of resurrecting that other project in the future. But I developed such an affection for them then that, eventually, I couldn't resist the pull to populate The Hambledown Dream with them.

Sonya Llewellyn is one of those characters.

Sonya is a young lawyer who is in love with Denny Banister, the tragic hero we first meet at the beginning of The Hambledown Dream. They are childhood sweethearts, having known one another since they were children. Together, Sonya and Denny have dreams of a life together which include marriage, children and renovating their old beach house, just outside the sleepy seaside village of Hambledown in southern Australia. In a single moment, those dreams are shattered when Denny is diagnosed with inoperable cancer.

The illness overwhelms him so quickly that neither of them can comprehend the terrible ramifications.

In the aftermath of Denny's death Sonya is left stunned - so much so that she is unable, or perhaps unwilling, to grieve. So sudden is his death. It hardens Sonya so much that she withdraws somewhat from the world and begins to put together their shattered dreams alone. She starts by pouring herself into resurrecting her grand father's failed law practice in Hambledown while spending every spare moment working on the old beach house. Her only companion is Simon, Denny's cross breed cattle dog pup who he rescued from a farmer's unwanted litter.

Sonya refuses to allow herself to grieve, to let herself shed her tears because she can't quite believe that Denny has gone. By shielding herself from everyone - except in a professional capacity, Sonya is able to protect herself from a looming emotional chasm which she is constantly drawn towards. Privately, she fears that if she allows herself to fall apart she may never recover.

Both Lionel and Ruth Broadbent are perhaps her closest friends. She values their friendship keenly, even though she baulks at their gentle "encouragement" to get out there once again and live life.

As events progress in The Hambledown Dream, Sonya will arrive at her own critical juncture where she will have to face her grief - however Sonya's world will also be rocked to it's foundations when she discovers that all is not as it seems.

In refining the character of Sonya I visualized a young woman of a particular beauty and intelligence who possesses strength and resolve as well as a femininity and grace that - basically - I could easily fall in love with.

And she had to have auburn hair.

Australian actress Rose Byrne is, in my mind, one of the most beautiful women on the planet and she represents the perfect physical personification of Sonya Llewellyn. Rose Byrne, through her performances in the TV series "Damages" to movies such as the romantic comedy "Adam" and the apocalyptic "Knowing" in which she co-starred with Nicholas Cage, has imbued her performances with an old school beauty, femininity and a gritty intelligence which I imbued Sonya with. Byrne plays her characters so well and, to me, she is "the" perfect fit for Sonya.

Australian actress Rose Byrne, the inspiration for Sonya Llewellyn in The Hambledown Dream.

I spent a lot of time getting my head around Sonya Llewellyn's journey in The Hambledown Dream. At first it wasn't as clear to me as it eventually became but I really enjoyed the discoveries that I made about her in the course of writing the novel. Her story is a very personal one - it's a familiar struggle, dealing with the grief of losing the love of your life.

Sonya's journey is based loosely on the experience of my paternal grandmother who lost her husband to cancer after 48 years of marriage. They were very much love and - similarly to Sonya - my Nana did not grieve outwardly for a long time afterwards. Privately, however, she battled with her grief until she could contain it no longer.

I'll confess...

I hold a very big candle for Sonya Llewellyn.

DFA.

"Dream People" - Inspirations For The Characters In The Hambledown Dream (Part 5 - Lionel & Ruth Broadbent).

Every once in a while, a television program comes along that absolutely and positively hooks me. A program that I will move heaven and Earth not to miss because it is that good. It's well written. The characters are endearing, real - they could be characters you could know in real life.

The long running British television series As Time Goes By is one of those programs - and it is the source of the inspiration for two of the characters who play a small but important role in the life of one of the central protagonists in The Hambledown Dream.

Lionel and Ruth Broadbent are an older couple who own and run the general store in the seaside village of Hambledown. They have lived their for many (indeterminate) years and are fixtures in the local community. They have their ear to the ground on most of the goings on in the town and act as a sort "buffer" against some of the more crazy gossip that circulates. It is said that much of the gossip begins and ends with them. While the bohemian and free-spirited Ruth spends a good deal of her time pursuing a semi professional photography business, her loving and dedicated husband Lionel runs the popular general store. Together, they also keep a watch over a recently bereaved Sonya Llewellyn, who is trying to carry on with her life after losing the love of her life.

Whether it is to lend an ear and pour her a coffee when she drops by on her early morning walks with her dog Simon or to offer help with resurrecting her grand father's failed law practice, Lionel and Ruth delicately balance their relationship with a quietly grieving Sonya - trying to nudge her back to life again whilst allowing her the latitude to "feel" things out.

British Actor Dame Judi Dench - The
Inspiration For Ruth Broadbent.

British Actor Geoffrey Palmer - The
Inspiration For Lionel Broadbent.

As the story develops, Lionel and Ruth's support becomes paramount when events in the story lead Sonya towards having to make a decision about moving beyond her comfort zone. Her turmoil - in the hands of anyone else - may well be handled very badly. But in the hands of this very sage couple, Sonya comes to realize that their friendship could well be the most important thing in helping her negotiate her way forward.

So in developing these characters, I indulged in a little favoritism in looking to that wonderful series As Time Goes By and it's central characters of Jean Pargeter (as portrayed by the irrepressible Dame Judi Dench) and Lionel Hardcastle (as portrayed by Geoffrey Palmer). I even borrowed his name - probably a little too indulgent I know - but for me, it just fitted. These two characters have featured in another, unpublished work, that sits in a dark and dusty folder in my office at home and in a similar sort of role. However I wanted to feature a duo that would be a sort of support to Sonya - who is trying to go on with her life in the aftermath of Denny's death. They are protective of her in the sense that the Hambledown locals recognize her as her grand father's descendant - a man with a damaged reputation in the village - and they more than anyone else can see Sonya's drive to succeed. There is a lovely banter that goes on between the two of them - in much the same way as Lionel and Jean from ATGB. It is witty and warm, a little churlish at times but when events surrounding Sonya converge to a critical junction - Ruth and Lionel pull together as a united team.

I have a very great affection for them both and they rank among my favorite people in The Hambledown Dream.

DFA.

"Dream" People - Inspirations for the Characters in The Hambledown Dream (Part Four - Samantha Barrett).

When putting together a list of core characters or refining a set of characters, it becomes important to remind yourself that each character must serve the story in some way. There has to be a reason for them being there otherwise they are not making any useful contribution to the story nor are they influencing the other characters in any meaningful way. Redundant characters can really bog the story down.

The character of Samantha Barrett, Andy's colleague from the Pub, was one I had a little difficulty defining initially and for a while she served really only as a peripheral character who was without purpose. It really maddened me though because I knew I wanted Sam in the story and I knew that I wanted her to serve the story in a meaningful way - I just couldn't get a handle on her. Hell, I couldn't even visualize her in the beginning.

It's funny then, when chance friendships with people turn into something wonderful. A good friend of mine and I were chatting online one rainy afternoon when I was stuck indoors and I think she must have been showing me some happy snaps from a recent trip. As I was browsing the pictures it suddenly hit me - this vivacious young woman, who is quite bohemian and soulful - is the perfect Sam. From the hint of a Southern twang (something I had decided on before I cracked the nut) to the whimsical outlook on life - everything that I needed to imbue a sense of being into Samantha was right there in my friend Jessica Pohlner. And so the basis for Sam became a reality and everyhing flowed from there.

Samantha is the bright spot in the dark and smoky bar where she and Andy both work. She is outgoing, is good at her job and, despite Andy's destructive nature when first we meet him, Samantha genuinely likes Andy. She senses the conflict within him at the beginning of the story - his revulsion towards the nefarious part of his life - even if Andy himself doesn't.

Samantha is also a devotee of alternative medicine and is studying a course in this field. In itself, the course isn't necessarily significant, however it becomes a key point of distinction - a device if you will - when Andy's change begins and people react to it. Where other reactions are negative, laced with suspicion and doubt, it is Samantha who senses another reason for it and tries to understand it.

Samantha's role as a supportive influence in Andy's life, also as a motivator for him to take his first steps towards fully embracing his gift, is an important one. She has her own motivations for doing so which are revealed subtly throughout the story and it softens some of the darker elements of the Chicago scenes.

I call Jessica Pohlner a friend though I have never actually met her beyond the online sphere. She is a remarkable young woman who has worked diligently over the past few years and who is now working towards a Nursing degree (*thumbs up here*). She is witty*, kinda world weary - even though she's still in her early 20's and she has a sassiness about her that makes for a great character influence. Jessica is also a thinker, a ponderer and it is this quality that I found most appealing because it is what drives Samantha in the story - a need to understand the world around her.

Friend & Witty Woman, Jessica Pohlner - inspiration for the character of Sam in The Hambledown Dream.

Jessica really helped me flesh out the character of Samantha and made her a small but very important part of the story telling in The Hambledown Dream. For that alone, I feel fortunate to know her but Jessica is a wonderful person who I am sure will go far in life.

DFA.

"Dream" People - Inspirations For The Characters in The Hambledown Dream (Part 3 - Andy DeVries)

I'd taken a break from this little series of articles but I thought it would be a good idea to kick it along again as I think it's a worthwhile part of my story's telling and it gives you - the reader - an idea of the thought processes that have gone into the development of my characters.

Andy DeVries was a character who was central to the story, right from the very beginnings of the idea that has now become The Hambledown Dream. He was the individual who first germinated in my mind and I felt I had a real sense of him, even before I had a name for him.

Likewise, the idea of a character who is, at first glance, irredeemable but who has the spark somewhere deep inside of him to make a profound life change in his life was one of the earliest ideas that I had. All he needed was the oxygen in order to coax that spark to life - a spark that, as the story progresses comes from a fairly unlikely place.

Andy DeVries is a fairly "ugly" character when we first meet him. He is emaciated, he hides his features under stringy and long hair, black mascara - sometimes lipstick too - and fairly gothic/emo clothing. An insatiable desire for drugs fuels his destructive existence and, at the outset, Andy is not a character who we want to like. Yet there is something about Andy that prevents us from totally writing him off. He has an uncanny talent for classical guitar and he walks a delicate tightrope, trying to juggle two worlds - but is failing. Then he arrives at a critical point, where the very foundations of everything he has come to know about life is shaken irrevocably and we bear witness to something profound.

In imaging the character of Andy DeVries, I sought to have in my mind someone who is very much a Chicagoan, someone who embodies an idea of the potential we see in Andy from the earliest scenes of Andy's journey - but in saying this I have to stress that the person I eventually used as a physical template in no way represents the actual character of Andy as he is when we first meet him.

Dean Carlson is a Chicago stand up comedian and writer who, from a relatively young age, has established himself as one of Chicago's most interesting and painfully funny individuals. He has explored his rather hard knock existence to date, through his comedy which is laced with an acerbic wit and a surprising poignancy that I have not found in quite the same measure in any of his contemporaries.

Chicago Comedian & Writer Dean Carlson.

Dean Carlson possesses a very streetwise, yet urbane presence and a simmering ruggedness just under the surface which, to me embodies the Andy DeVries that we see develop from a crucial point in the narrative of The Hambledown Dream. He possesses a world weary intelligence and this translates into his comedy seamlessly.

I have had the opportunity to work with (from a great distance) and talk to Dean quite a lot over the past couple of years and I like Dean a lot.

His qualities make him a an ideal physical representation for Andy in the novel.

You can follow Dean through his entertaining blog "Unhigherable".

DFA.