The main character in PHOBIA, Artemis Herne, is an ex-cop with a drinking problem and a dark past. He developed as a character on his own as I wrote the book, but I did have a pretty good sketch of him before I started. Here are a few tidbits of info about him:

Artemis was the greek goddess of the hunt. Herne was a hunter from British lore. My character, Artemis Herne, is a hunter to the core. And yes, Artemis can be a male name (such as with the character Artemis Fowl).


In my mind, I see Herne as a younger Bruce Willis from around the time of Tears of the Sun and Unbreakable. Herne is a little bigger, he has a scar, and his nose is crooked. But definite similarities exist.


Herne has no family. His sister was beaten to death by a boyfriend. His parents were killed in a car accident. His wife was murdered in a house fire. I didn’t plan to make him such a loner, but it works for him. Will he develop more relationships as time goes on? Maybe. But I think part of him will always prefer to hunt alone.


Although his parents owned a small bistro, Herne can’t cook. He relies on restaurant meals and take-out pizza for sustenance. I considered making him a gourmand, but it didn’t seem to fit his character. Herne is a pragmatic and simple man. And he’s also too broke to buy gourmet ingredients.


Herne’s past is violent and depressing, so he battles with the bottle. Substance abuse is fairly common among people who deal with the ugly side of life, such as cops and war veterans. Herne is an alcoholic, but he struggles to prevent his addiction from consuming him.


His sense of fairness, honor, and loyalty does not necessarily agree with society’s version of these values. He is willing to be judge, jury, and executioner if necessary, and he’s capable of handing out his own brand of justice.

In the next book, Herne develops even more as a character and as a man. As I’ve been writing the first draft, I’ve been enjoying the way he keeps evolving through the story.