Saturday, October 11, 2014

The Unknown Elf: An introduction to the characters

Today I would like to introduce you to some of the characters in my new novel, The Unknown Elf, which will be released in November.

Today's character is Clarence.

Clarence is the Head of Operations for the North Pole Organization. Basically speaking, he's Santa's right hand man... er elf. It is his job to make sure everything runs smoothly so that Santa can focus on such things as making the Naughty and Nice list, acting as head of the North Pole Council, among other things. He gets to go places Santa doesn't, and shouldn't (for security reasons). Basically, he's the second in command, jointly with the Emergency Replacement Specialist, who is equal in rank and authority with him.

But enough about the humdrum of his job. I'm sure that some people would like to get the gnitty gritty about this character.

So, Clarence has dark hair and brown eyes. He likes to wear his hair in an almost braided style, making it look "yarn-like" in appearance. He's also relatively tall for an elf, though not as tall as, say, a basketball player. I'd say he's about.... 5'6", give or take. And, as far as physical appearance, he looks like an older teenager, with some potential anger management issues.

You see, when Clarence was younger, he had a handful of friends pull a really nasty prank on him, which could have caused some serious damage. Thankfully, he was rescued from the situation, but has had trust issues since then.

Personality-wise, Clarence is the kind of guy who, unless he knows you, will be suspicious of you, especially if you meet under unusual circumstances, which happens in the story. He likes to put on a "tough" exterior for everyone to see, making everyone believe that he's all "no muss" and constantly angry. But, deep down inside, he's more of a cream puff. Once you're accepted into his circle of trust, you're in there for life, unless you do something really stupid, like pull really evil pranks on him.
One might call him a "lone wolf", in that he does have trust issues, but he respects those around him, especially those who have proven themselves. He is also detail oriented, and has a tendency to be overly nit-picky. He takes his job very seriously, and expects the same from his colleagues. There is a time and a place for everything with him, and work is not the time, or place, for foolery.
He also has a tendency to not let things go, especially mistakes he's made in the past. One might say he suffers a bit from "survivor's guilt" because of some incidents in his past, which you will find out about in the book.

In general, he likes to wear loose, but comfortable clothing, usually in earthy tones. He also usually wears a beret-style hat that was a gift to him from the previous Head Elf. You could almost say that it's a "constant reminder" of the past. And no, he does not like pointy shoes, so don't even ask about them.

His favorite color is probably either green or brown, depending on his mood.
He's not a fan of flowers, and isn't really into sugary foods, but does enjoy hot cocoa.
His favorite food is probably pizza, because you can eat it on the go without too much mess.

His favorite part of the job? That would probably be getting travel. He doesn't just stay inside North Pole City, but makes regular inspections of the outlying outposts, stations, and cities associated with the North Pole Organization.

Have a question about Clarence? Post a comment and I'll include an answer in my next post.

No comments:

Post a Comment