Blogival 2017: Character Spotlight by Andy Blackman

I’m
excited to participate in the Blogival 2017.  This August, there will be all kinds of fun
posts for a massive virtual celebration of Clink Street Publishing. Reviews,
Interviews, Guest Posts.. Make sure to follow this fun tour this summer! 

Today I’m sharing with you guys an Character Spotlight by Andy Blackman, the
author of ‘For The Love of Grace’.

Grace
Backer had a life full of tragedy. But despite everything, she raised her son,
Tom, with her secret intact. Tom is a prodigal child, destined to escape the
slums of the East End of London for a better life; circumstances will make him
flee his loving mother and their home much sooner than expected. Tom starts a
new life in Odessa, Russia, and with the help of new-found friends starts a
business. At last, he is finally accepted into a new and loving family, but one
which holds its own dark secrets. A chance meeting with the son of a duke of
the realm leads to close friendship and a new business partnership. When Tom
decides to move his company to London and have his regal new friend run it, the
firm thrives.  

However,
not everything is as it seems, and Tom’s business soon conceals dangerous
secrets of its own. Years later, when Tom finally decides to return to London,
he is a wanted man, one hunted by the intelligence agencies. If he is finally
to be reunited with his beloved mother and his best friend, he must fight to
put the past behind him. But keeping secrets is never easy.

This book is available at Amazon UK, and Barnes & Noble. 

Check out my review of ‘For The Love of Grace’ here.

When first
creating Tom as a main character I was not really concentrating on his
personality he was just going to be a normal created character, but as the book
progressed I found myself making Tom more complicated and complexed.  The story begins when Tom returns to England
after a long time away and he reminisces on his childhood with his mother
Grace.  

Tom knew
from a very early age that Grace was not his natural mother, she never kept
this fact from him but she also never embellished his birth, to Tom Grace was
the most loving person in his life and this to him was enough as she always
loved him.  Tom was brought up in a time
just after world war two when times were hard in the east end of London, his
playgrounds were the bombed out building not yet re-developed.  Although they were not rich Grace strived to
give Tom everything to make his childhood happy. 

During his
early life, his centre of his world was his mother Grace. Grace was from a time
when morals were not as loose as they are today and she imparted these morals
onto Tom, so he always had a strong sense of right and wrong and for him family
was paramount. This theme is carried on through Tom’s life, he was always
morally just and the sense of right and wrong was hard wired. 

Toms’
greatest asset was his photographic memory, he never really understood his
abilities until much later in life, Tom was worried at first that people will
think him a freak bearing in mind the era he was born into this ability was not
common place, so he hid it even from his mother. 

Women were
to Tom an enigma, Tom loved his mother, and to Tom they were to be respected
and sometime placed on a pedestal.  So,
Tom was puzzled by his best friend’s attitude to sex and exploring her
sexually, to Tom this was not morally correct, bearing in mind he came from an
era before the sexually revelation.  The
same was to be said when he first met his future wife Natasha they became
friends but it was left to her to make the first move on him, Tom had been
smitten by her long before she also expressed her love for him, but not like
today he was unable to act on his desirers. 

Tom is
consumed with vengeance over the death of his wife and child they had replaced
his mother as the centre of his world, and when they were taken so cruelly from
him his moral compass only pointed to one course of action and that was justice
for them. Some people find this hard to comprehend as his actions would lead
him down a dark path, moving from a loving family man to a cold-blooded killer,
but to Tom’s thinking his world had been taken from him and he needed something
to fill the void and give him purpose. 

 When Tom first met his friend Grenville who he
calls Duke, it was his moral compass which kicks in to save him from certain
death, on hearing Grenville’s plea for help Tom could not ignore the plea for
help, so he intervenes which leads they both down a different path in life.

First off
Tom is shocked by Duke’s agreement to help him in his quest to find justice for
his family, but as as they become close Tom realises that Duke has the same
moral values as he does and eventually understands where he is coming from.  

When Tom
firsts meets Alice he once again is not drawn to her in a sexual way, but sees
her as his mother’s help, it takes others to make him see sense and point out
they are becoming close, Tom is in an emotional turmoil  not sure if he should invite her into his
world, although his quest for vengeance is over, his life is still not settled
and he is unsure if he can or even if she would agree to become part of it, but
eventually he asks her and to his relief agrees to come with him.
   

I think
the main theme running through the book for Tom is his sense of family and
their values to Tom this is paramount to what makes him and defines his
character and make-up.  

After serving in the British Army for over twenty-five years in the Parachute Regiment, Andy Blackman today lives in Bedworth, Warwickshire and works within in the IT sector. In his spare time he can be found visiting his three daughters and grandchildren.