I thought it would be fun and in the spirit of the month to show you some of my characters and their story backgrounds in my upcoming novelette series called EVADE.
Getting geared up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) Challenge which is in November. This story already has me super excited to write it!
Enjoy!!
DETECTIVE LINDSEY KORREY
(Alexandra Breckinridge)
Character Profile Questions:
What is their name? Lindsey Rose Korrey
How old? 32
What does your character look like? Thin, athletic-build with long reddish-brown hair and gray eyes.
Where does she live? Penn Wynne, a suburb of Philadelphia, PA
Where is the character from? Hinsdale, Suburb of Chicago, IL
What kind of childhood? Lived a typical Midwest life with a happy upbringing. Her mother died early in a car accident, but her father did his best to raise and provide for her and her older sister, Cheryl. He worked as a truck driver. She is driven and has a keen mind for investigating but emotional with kids — has always wanted a child but physically cannot. She recently divorced due to not being able to have children.
What does the character do for a living? Detective for the PPD (Philadelphia Police Department).
How does your character deal with conflict? Her temper can get her in trouble, stress can cause her inner filter to drop. Lashes out when in pain or upset.
Who else is in their life? Ex-husband Jerry Raymond. Her older sister, Cheryl Korrey and Lawson Torv — the serial killer she has been hunting her whole career.
What is your character’s goal or motivation? While in college, her best friend, a nurse, was raped and murdered. The killer and her friend’s body had not been found. This spurred her to make a career change. She is convinced that Lawson Torv “The Nurse Catcher” is the man who killed her. Now that he is in custody, her new goal is to see the man personally led to the courts and have all his victims receive justice.
Their Status: She has climbed her way to a good position within the department by her drive and will to find the perpetrator. Her work focus has earned her grudging respect. After eleven years, she has finally caught up with Lawson and helped in his capture. Currently, he is being held in California and on his way being extradited to Pennsylvania. With this arrest, she’ll be one of the most respected policewomen in PPD history. While she’s not looking to go higher up in the chain of command, she’s excited to finally move on from this case.
What is the worst thing to happen to her in her life? Just after she left the police academy, she was assigned to patrol with an old friend of the family, Officer Roderick James. During a late-night robbery, both of them were ambushed and shot. When she came to, she found that her kevlar vest had stopped the shots from hurting her, but James had been shot in the head. While he survived the scene due to her efforts, he had suffered a lot of brain damage. In the months after, he never regained functionality nor even remembered her. During the Christmas holiday, he died of a brain aneurysm brought on by lasting injuries from the shooting incident. She suffered a lot of anxiety and guilt from this; wondered if she should have let him die with dignity versus a slow drawn-out death.
What is her greatest fear? Losing another partner like Officer James due to a mistake.
OFFICER JOSH BANNON
(Jake Gyllenhaal)
Character Profile Questions:
What is their name? Joshua Tyler Bannon
How old? 26
What does your character look like? Short dark brown hair, goatee, blue eyes, thin
Where does he live? Jenkintown, Suburb of Philly
Where is the character from? Jenkintown, Suburb of Philly, lives in his late mother’s house.
What kind of childhood? Average. Middle-class family.
What does the character do for a living? Patrol officer for about three years on the force.
How does your character deal with conflict? He’s a bit impulsive and has a temper. Passionate about helping people though and will risk his life every time.
Who else is in their life? Patrol officer O’Dell is his best friend but he doesn’t go out or have any other friends. Has only a golden retriever named Casper.
What is your character’s goal or motivation? Not too ambitious. He likes his routine and his post. Hasn’t worked out a plan for the next 5 years.
Their Status: Recently got into a little trouble over beating two men that were robbing the homeless people. He caught the two men after they beat one man unconscious and were assaulting his wife. He’s under an ongoing investigation about the matter.
What is the worst thing to happen to him in his life? High school sweetheart cheated on him when she went to college. He has problems with trust and commitment.
What is his greatest fear? Being helpless to help someone in his care.
OFFICER SHAWN O’DELL
(Micheal Cudlitz)
Character Profile Questions:
What is their name? Shawn Karl O’Dell
How old? 30
What does your character look like? He’s Irish, redhead, freckled white skin, green-blue eyes and has a red goatee. Heftier build and a fraction of a limp from being wounded on duty.
Where does he live? Glenside, Suburb of Philly
Where is the character from? South Marketview Heights, a poor suburb of Rochester, NY
What kind of childhood? Average, not middle class but not exactly poor either. Has three older brothers. They were a bit rough on him until he got bigger and could beat them. He looks more like his father than his mother.
What does the character do for a living? Supervising patrol officer
How does your character deal with conflict? Levelheaded, a tad stubborn. Pretty traditional thinker and conservative in religious and political beliefs.
Who else is in their life? Recently married — less than two years. They are thinking of having kids.
What is your character’s goal or motivation? After Josh moves up, he’ll either put in for a post with the training department or quit for a private security firm. Feels there’s too much of a chance he won’t be there for his new wife and possible children.
Their Status: Patrols and trains Officer Bannon.
What is the worst thing to happen to him in his life? During a car chase, he was hit by a civilian car that broke his leg. The leg didn’t heal very well but the civilian also died and that haunts him some.
What is his greatest fear? He either kills an innocent person or gets killed on duty which he feels that the chances of this are getting more and more likely.
RORY PHELPS
(Levi Miller)
Character Profile Questions:
What is their name? Rory Dillon Phelps
How old? 7
What does your character look like? Small 3’4”, brown hair and brown eyes, with a short bowl haircut.
Where does he live? He did live in a suburb of Philly but disappeared in a mine in 2016.
Where is the character from? Edgewood, Suburb of Philly
What kind of childhood? It was up and down for him as his father was abusive and a drunk. He has a great sister, Bethany, who he loved completely.
What does the character do for a living? Had just started second grade in school.
How does your character deal with conflict? Rory will sneak out and find a hiding spot whenever he’s threatened or stressed.
Who else is in their life? Bethany was the only person in his life that mattered as his mother was too wrapped up in keeping her abusive husband happy and calm.
What is your character’s goal or motivation? REDACTED TO PROTECT YOU FROM SPOILERS — HEH!
Their Status: At the beginning, in 2019, Rory will appear on a street corner, wearing the winter clothing he’d been captured in. He won’t speak and waits to attract attention. He doesn’t look like he’s aged in the three years.
What is the worst thing to happen to him in his life? Getting abducted and taken away from his family.
What is his greatest fear? AGAIN REDACTED… Nothing to see here. Please move along.
BETHANY PHELPS
(Mackenzie Foy)
Character Profile Questions:
What is their name? Bethany Anne Phelps
How old? 12
What does your character look like? Sandy brown hair, skinny, glasses and brown eyes
Where does she live? Drexel Hill, Suburb of Philadelphia, PA
Where is the character from? Edgewood, PA
What kind of childhood? Average until the death of her family.
What does the character do for a living? Student. She’s kept to herself mainly and often feels ostracized by her classmates. The weird “Mine Incident” has put a stigma upon her.
How does your character deal with conflict? She internalizes a lot of her stress and doesn’t show much emotion. The experience of the mine has created a lot of PTSD and nightmares.
Who else is in their life? Lives with her new guardian, Kenneth Gerard. They met in the mines and survived the experience together.
What is your character’s goal or motivation? She has no aspirations right now as the “real” world seems bizarre to her now that she has witnessed its supernatural underbelly. Everyday life has become surreal.
Their Status: She’s stuck in limbo; growing up without her family. It’s hard on her not having her brother. She feels she failed him but won’t speak with anyone about the event. One, no one would really believe her except those that were there and two, she doesn’t want to relive the experience.
What is the worst thing to happen to her in her life? Of course, seeing her mother killed (not so much her father) and seeing her brother dragged off by some beast dog… She hasn’t found a way yet to move on. Her guardian also fights with his own inner demons that attached to him from their shared trauma in the mines.
What is her greatest fear? The creature some call Mr. Boots… the one who wiped out her family.
KENNETH GERARD
(Judge John Deed)
Character Profile Questions:
What is their name? Kenneth Byron Gerard
How old? 59
What does your character look like? Grey hair, glasses, cane for walking, thin and green eyes.
Where does she live? Drexel Hill, a suburb of Philadelphia, PA
Where is the character from? Norwalk, CT
What kind of childhood? His family has always been wealthy. However, Kenneth and his father were never on good terms, mainly due to his “outbursts”. Kenneth is a psychic and has had episodes or visions all his life. He tried once to discuss the matter, but his father exploded and beat him — something he had never done before and hasn’t since. Kenneth never forgot that anger though. He later discovered that a great aunt of his had the “gift” but was burned for her abilities. The family always laughs at or gets uncomfortable discussing the subject.
What does the character do for a living? At an early age, he left for college, became a history and philosophy teacher. Teaches at Constitution High School in Center City, PA. He has a trust fund that his family maintains for him, but he tries to live mainly on his own resources.
How does your character deal with conflict? He is pretty down-to-earth for someone who has lived with privilege. Tackles problems head-on and with focus. He is patient and sympathetic, but after the “Incident”, his nights have been plagued with vivid nightmares and he doesn’t sleep well.
Who else is in their life? He also never had children, so taking care of Bethany has been a taxing endeavor for him. He loves the girl as if she were his own, but he can’t get through her own wall. He knows that she is struggling to deal with her grief and trauma.
What is your character’s goal or motivation? He has been working for years on a historical novel about the Civil War and the struggles of the families caught in the middle of it. His visions have given him some insight which he is portraying as fiction when it was actually someone’s true life. The book has been on hiatus since the Incident and he’s struggling to pick it back up. The current goal is to find a way to get past the mine horror and to provide a good life for Bethany.
Their Status: Nightmares, horrible visions and specters that haunt his days and nights. Tries to keep his fears and problems from Bethany, but she has commented she has heard him scream at night.
What is the worst thing to happen to him in his life? The Mine Incident – seeing several people torn to pieces and several visions of what became their fate.
What is his greatest fear? He doesn’t know what the creature was that came after them in the mine and doesn’t understand what Mr. Boots wanted. He worries that he’ll come again someday for Bethany.
LAWSON TORV “The Nurse Catcher”
(Vinnie Jones)
Character Profile Questions:
What is their name? Lawson Daniel Torv
How old? 44
What does your character look like? Broad-shouldered, short black hair, white with blue eyes. Devilish grin.
Where does he live? Since he’s a serial killer, he moves around a lot as a drifter to reduce the chances of suspicion. Latest residence in San Diego, CA.
Where is the character from? New South Wales, Australia.
What kind of childhood? Lived in a very abusive family. After his mother abandoned them, his father eventually killed his little brother and nearly killed him one night. As he grew up in foster care, his anger became directed at his mother who was a nurse. He cannot forgive her for leaving them and punishes his mother with every kill.
What does the character do for a living? Mainly survives by breaking into isolated houses, kills the owners and keeps their money, valuables, etc.
How does your character deal with conflict? He doesn’t handle it well, usually going into a fit of rage or laughter.
Who else is in their life? The only people in his life are his victims which he will keep primarily a week if possible and the detectives constantly after him.
What is your character’s goal or motivation? He has no current pressing goal other than escaping or eluding police. He likes his life and thrives on punishing his mother. He left Australia after killing four nurses near Sydney. Before he could be tracked down and identified, he left the country and came to America. After San Diego, he had plans to fly to Germany but was caught in the airport.
Their Status: The press has dubbed him The Nurse Catcher due to the pattern of nurses among his known kills across the country. He has slain 12 nurses (plus 4 in Australia) and 7 homeowners. No remains have ever been found. After his capture in San Diego, he has been held in California at High Desert Maximum Security Prison. He’s awaiting extradition by plane back to the start of his killing spree in Pennsylvania.
What is the worst thing to happen to him in his life? Losing his brother and being beaten by his father.
What is his greatest fear? Forever locked up and not being able to kill. He would do anything at this point to be free once again. ANYTHING!
***If you are interested in learning just what was this “Mine Incident”, please feel free to purchase IN FOUR DAYS ($6.99 paperback, $1.99 ebook or $4.87 audiobook) on sale at Amazon, Kindle and Audible.com!!***
The Official Website of Author Derek Barton 
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