Hey guys! So I woke up about 10 minutes ago with a brainstorm, and I’m too tired to argue with myself so I’m just gonna roll with it.

I thought it might be cool to do a weekly/monthly blog on characters from my book (which is available for free upon request).

I don’t have it all laid out just yet, but I think it’s going to be more or less a character profile. I’ll pull descriptions from the book for their physical features, but basically go off script for the rest.

For the first entry, I think the most natural starting point is going to be our main character — at least the first character we meet — Thornton Woods.

“Despite working alongside his father for nearly two decades, Thornton was still slow to get going. He could feel that the night had made a mess of his thick brown hair as he pushed it out of his face with a yawn. His strong jawline capped off what was otherwise a youthful face, light and even, with the firmness that came from years of exposure to open flame and molten steel.”

So I’m going to let you in on a secret: when I wrote Thornton, I basically used myself as a basis. Granted, he’s a better version of me in the fact that he’s taller, more muscular, and clearly a better blacksmith, but the basic traits are there. He’s got long brown hair that comes down just past his chin, and brown eyes to go with it.

Thornton is a young man who is still living in the shadow of his father, Olson, who is unquestionably the better blacksmith. In fact that’s one of the things that’s mentioned about Olson in the early chapters: he’s good enough to be known by name even outside of Derenar (the region of the world that they live in). So here’s a young blacksmith’s apprentice in his early-to-mid 20s who knows the trade after doing it for most of his life, yet is still essentially second fiddle to Olson — his father — on reputation alone.

But one thing that makes Thornton special isn’t so much a trait, but something he carries with him nonetheless: his hammer.

“Its handle was carved from straight-grain white ash, giving it a lighter appearance, and the head of the hammer – a dark black steel that stood in stark contrast to the lightness of the handle – was as solid as the day it was crafted. In this sense, it was perfectly suited to be a striker’s hammer: huge, heavy, and well-balanced. Hammers like it could be found in the hands of any blacksmith’s assistant worth his salt.”

And,

“Carved up and down the entire length of the solid white ash were intricate figures enveloped in smooth, swirling lines that gave the illusion of smoke. The years had eroded the surface and turned the deep grooves into shallow nooks, but the design was still largely visible: on one side was a figure holding a hammer above a forge, and on the opposite side was a second figure standing beneath a pillar looking at a shining star above him. Whenever Thornton looked at it, he felt a sense of power, and a sense of pride, knowing that his father had used it when he was small. His father wasn’t sure where it came from, but he knew that it had been in the family for generations.”

So you can tell right away from the description that the hammer is something special. And while Thornton may not know how, he certainly feels it. I like to think of the hammer as its own character, too. It doesn’t have a personality per se, but it does have a bearing on the overall story. You’ll have to read the book to find out just how, as I’d rather not just give it away all willy-nilly on some internet blog.

But anyway, back to Thornton.

He’s spent most of his life growing up in the small village of Highglade, and the only exposure he has to “city life” is when he takes trips to Lusk, which is a few hours away by horse. And, like most boys (or men) his age, he has his eye on a girl. That girl is none other than Miera Mi’an, his childhood friend and a girl who holds a special place in his heart.

Miera will have her own entry, but she bears mentioning here since she plays such a big role in Thornton’s life. The two of them have a great relationship that’s lasted years, which (as we all know) can complicate things when it comes to the “L” word. But despite that, they care deeply for one another. In fact, Miera thinks of Olson as a second father since her own passed away. So you can see how that could further complicate things.

If there was one word I would use to describe Thornton it would be “selfless.” He thinks of others first, and always considers them when making a plan. In this, he’s something that I aspire to be and he represents the ideal model for how a man should treat others. Isn’t fiction great? 😉

I hope this write up has provided you with a little more insight into Thornton — who he is and why he acts the way he does. I’d like to make more of these, so if you have any comments, feel free to let me know!

-Dave