Jorge Hernandez vs. the Greek God ☠️ (Updated)

It's no secret that Jorge Hernandez isn't exactly crazy about Alec Athas, or the man he mockingly refers to as 'The Greek God' in the Hernandez series. The reasons are numerous, and most don't have a leg to stand on, and yet, he continues to keep control over the Canadian prime minister because he's an asset to him. 

So, what's the deal? Who is Alec Athas? Let's get into some history.

If I'm not mistaken, Alec showed up in the 4th book in the Hernandez series, A Devil Named Hernandez. At the time, he was starting to think about entering politics and had asked Paige (Jorge's wife) if she would help him with his campaign if he decided to put his name in the race. As soon as Jorge learned this information, it was all over for Alec. He immediately jumped in with both feet and took over Alec's political career.

So, if Alec is the vehicle Jorge is using to make the changes he wants politically, why would there be any issues between the two men? 

As it turns out, Alec is a prominent part of Paige's past. The two had a relationship in their 20s, and even though it's been many years since that time, Jorge continues to be wary of Alec's friendship with Paige. In essence, Alec is the opposite of Jorge in every way. He's the prince, while Jorge is more the evil villain. For example, Alec's intentions when getting into politics were good. Having been a social worker for many years, he felt this would be a way to make some differences that mattered. Jorge just wanted to have control.

As the series moves forward, the bitterness grows in their relationship. Often with Alec showing more attitude toward Jorge, whereas the sinister Latino never bothers to hide his contempt for Alec. The two men tend to lock horns, but in the end, Jorge always gets his way. But will it continue to be this way? 

How characters affect each other 🤝(Updated)

Much like real life, fictional characters affect each other in many different ways. The reader must see the contrast and dynamics of various relationships within the story. Again, like with reality, everyone brings out various qualities in each other. Sometimes good and sometimes bad. That's what makes things fun.

In my Hernandez series, we can see the relationships between characters and how they evolve or change throughout the story. For example, the protagonist, Jorge Hernandez, has a powerful effect on others. He brings out everything from fear to admiration, and loyalty, depending on the character he's dealing with and the specific situation. We can sense the strength in his personality and how people react in turn. For example, some characters try to impress him, while someone like his teenage daughter instead might challenge him. His reaction to each also tells us a little more about who he is and his values. That's the beauty of character interaction; it allows us to see what pushes their buttons and what brings out both their best and worst traits.

One thing to keep in mind is that these connections change over time. Characters grow, some fade from the story, and others devolve. This is much like the people in our lives. It's interesting to see how each plays off the other, creating fascinating plot twists and subplots.

The most important thing is to bring out the 'human' in characters, and really, is there anything more human than our relationships and interreactions with one another? 

Animals and Devils 🐺😈(Updated)

If you're familiar with my series, you probably already know that the books have an animal and devil theme in the titles. But why is that?

As I said in previous videos, this became the series that wasn't meant to be a series. It started with a book called We're All Animals in 2016 and took off with the follow-up, Always be a Wolf, a few months later. This portion of the series follows protagonist Chase Jacobs, a naive, small-town boy who tends to try to do the right thing.

And that's when things take a bit of a turn.

In the fall of 2017, the devil-themed titles start appropriately with the blood-thirsty thug Jorge Hernandez as the protagonist. The Devil is Smooth Like Honey followed the life of the Mexican narco who's about to take over the legalized pot industry in Canada. While Chase was very much the boy-next-door, Jorge is the complete opposite, demonstrating the vast differences in characters. Having Chase as an employee, both men tend to have an influence on one another as the series continues with A Devil Named Hernandez and And the Devil Will Laugh. (Since this blog was posted, there are MORE books with animals and devils in the title. Go HERE to learn more.) 

I've always said that I love character contrasts in books and feel that extremes have a way of balancing each other out. I'm curious where this will go in the future because I predict a shift in both of these characters in my next book. Will Jorge bring out the bad in Chase and Chase bring out the good in Jorge, or are certain aspects in their DNA to stay? What do you think?