When I [Allen] wrote a draft for the fourth book in the John Stone thriller series, there was a short scene setup with a sentence in it that read:

“Marvin Van Pierce checked the time on his watch. 09:00 hours.”

Perfectly fine, it conveyed the information the scene needed. I didn’t really think about that line after I wrote it and sent the manuscript for Brian to write his pass. When he sent it back, I read through his draft, and this sentence caught my eye:

“Marvin Van Pierce rubbed his index finger along the bezel of his watch as he checked the time. 09:00 hours.”

That line stuck with me because it suddenly made the character feel… human. Brian adds things like that to his writing. Details that don’t serve the plot so much as they serve the characters. Movements and behaviors that bring them to life.

In another book, about a brash young wheelman and shadow courier named Ty Octane, the protagonist has a scene involving the deception of an oatmeal raisin cookie. Chocolate chip lovers know what this is about.

It wasn’t there to push the story forward, but it helped flesh out the main character. We also carried over a little extra detail, Ty Octane is frequently snacking on something. He’s always on the move, so he usually has to grab his food on the go. 

As a fun detail, whenever he’s eating, in any book where he appears, it’s always a round, flat food shape. Donuts, cookies, Ritz crackers, any food that could symbolize wheels.

Those little details, a gesture or an expression, can bring characters to life. They make us cheer for the heroes or curse the villains. They add that extra emotional connection to a character’s arc. They make a story worth reading.

Our mission is to write thrilling, over-the-top, cinematic fiction. Books that keep you on the edge of your seat from the first page to the last. But without characters that feel real, feel human, our stories would just be the equivalent of smashing toys together while making explosion sounds.

“Allen ran his finger along the mouse’s scrolling wheel, reading and rereading this email before finally hitting PUBLISH.”