For reasons only known by my subconscious, I woke up this morning thinking of the 1971 action flick Billy Jack starring Tom Laughlin. Seeing it play at the cinema dates me. My memory on what exactly happens is dim enough that I had to surf over and consult Wikipedia for a refresher course.

My main interest focuses on the underdog Billy Jack who battles against "The Man" and "The System." Underdogs, especially heroic the ones as I recall Billy Jack portrayed as, appeal to us. We like to cheer them on. We wish for them to be winners and to succeed whatever the steep odds are against them.

Likewise, in modern fiction, one of the time-proven tropes is to create a protagonist who fills the role of an underdog. Maybe that's one reason why private investigators are so popular. But returning to Billy Jack, I really got into his struggles on the silver screen. Every kid wants to grow up and become a Billy Jack.

Years later, today as an adult, I find the idea to be a Billy Jack silly on top of impractical. So instead, I write novels like my current adventure title, Lake Charles. It's almost as much fun as when I watched Billy Jack in action.

By Ed Lynskey
Twitter: @edlynskey
Author of Lake Charles
"The most fun traipsing along the muggy, rugged backroads of Appalachia since DELIVERANCE."--BNBuzz