The Development of a Character–a Peek Inside One Writer’s Head
By Parker Blue

I don’t often remember where character ideas come from, but in the case of Fang in my Demon Underground series, I remember very well.  You see, my main character, Val Shapiro, had just been kicked out of the house by her parents and, since she’s part demon, she didn’t have any friends.  I wanted to give her someone to pal around with who would understand the problems she faced, and since I love furry critters of the canine variety, I decided she needed a dog to befriend her.  But not just any dog.  I wanted her to have a special one she could talk to.  One she could hold a conversation with–one who could talk back.

 

So, I created Fang.  And boy, does he talk back!  But what most people don’t know is that Fang was originally written as a vampire.  Yep, a vampire mutt.  That’s because I needed a reason for this dog to be telepathic, and since Val slays evil bloodsuckers, vampires came to mind.  Vampires live long lives, right?  And maybe an immortal pooch would learn enough over the centuries to be able to communicate with humans.  Seemed kinda logical, anyway.

 

That’s how he got his name.  Fang for…well, his fangs.  I thought the idea was hilarious, but for some reason, people didn’t find the idea of cute puppies sucking blood appealing or amusing.  And then there was the problem of him not being able to go out in the sunshine without turning into a crispy critter.  Might be a tad difficult to work into daytime scenes.  And Val killed vampires–how could I justify her friendship with one?

 

So, I rethought it and figured if Val was part demon, why couldn’t the dog be, too?  It would give them something in common.  Since I remembered hearing about these creatures called hellhounds, I decided that, in the world I created, hellhounds are very intelligent and telepathic.  So Fang morphed from being a vampire dog to part demon hellhound.  That worked much better, and gave him reason to hunt vampires alongside her.

 

Of course, if he was only part hellhound, that meant he was also part dog.  And since I happened to have a terrier/poodle mix living with me that I could use as a model for the dog part, he became part hellhound, part terrier mix, and all snark.  The snark…well, that comes from me.  You could say Fang is my inner smart ass.

 

I’ve had a lot of fun with Fang.  He disdains dog food, loves pizza, is embarrassed by his shedding, and rides on the back of Val’s motorcycle in a special sheepskin-lined leather seat, wearing goggles to keep the wind out of his eyes. He says things we all think but are too well-mannered or well-trained to actually say.  But most of all, he’s Val’s sidekick and best friend.

 

He’s become a fan favorite, so I decided to give him a girlfriend in the second book.  That meant I had to create another part hellhound pooch, ’cause I didn’t want to stick him with just any dumb bitch, y’know.  I wasn’t sure what kind of dog would appeal to him, but BelleBooks Office Manager, Pam Ireland, was a Fang fan, and mentioned her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Diva.  An excellent match!  So, Princess, Fang’s girlfriend, showed up on the page and ended up being as self-centered as her name.

 

It seemed like a good idea at the time.  The only problem is, now Princess is pregnant with Fang’s offspring.  Let’s see, combine the two and you get…what?  A whole litter of smart-aleck, self-centered puppies?  What was I thinking?

 

Parker Blue is the author of the Demon Underground series in which Fang plays the role of the faithful sidekick. Book 4 of the series, Make Me, came out in April 2012.  For more information, visit Parker’s website at http://parkerblue.net .