Over a year ago, I finished my very first novel. While the name has yet to be 100% decided, I thought I would take some time to talk about my characters. I will try to keep too many spoilers out of this.
The novel is set in Chicago in the future. Two men have developed an Artificially Intelligent robot which they begin mass producing and selling across the US. The last two men to try this were brutally murdered by their creations who then caused an explosion to collapse the building.
James Dunn and Connor Fenton create Silver Linings, the most advanced robotics company to exist. They improved on the failure of the previous owners with more safety precautions, faster electrical conductors, and more variety to suit any person’s needs. However, the company is built on a terrible secret.
James Dunn is the cold leader of the company. He believes his brutal past gives him the right to dole out justice his way. As a child, he was abused by his foster father. He believes emotions like anger, happiness, and love are weaknesses of humans that should be squashed.
Connor Fenton is the other leader of the company. He flashes his charm, smile, and money to get what he knows he deserves. He is the charismatic side of Silver Linings. However, on closer inspection, you see a darker side to him full of anger and hate.
Both of these men commit heinous crimes. Both are offered redemption. Only one decides to change.
In the novel, you will also follow the story of three other people: Greg Hughes, Veronica Mahal, and Melanie Winters. Each of them discovers the secret of the company in different ways.
Greg Hughes is a loving father of two adorable kids. Living just below the poverty line, Greg is forced to borrow from a loan company to provide for his family when he is fired from his job. Greg finds a new job but does not have the money to pay the loan back on time. And just like that, Greg disappears from the normal world.
Veronica Mahal is a huge nerd. She is fluent in geek, computer code, English, and Hindi. Her love of codes has never been a problem until now. A strange graffiti symbol keeps her awake at night, wondering what it could mean. Soon after she cracks a different graffiti code, Silver Linings hires her to uncover a coded message. However, what the message contains makes Veronica change her mind about which side she wants to be on.
Melanie Winters is a young girl with a huge curiosity. Her parents are mostly absent and leave Melanie to be raised by her robot nanny. Her nanny makes Melanie feel normal in a world that doesn’t always look at her that way. Melanie was born with a limb difference; she doesn’t have a left hand. Her parents usually make her wear an uncomfortable prosthetic that’s bulky and useless, but the nanny never does. Melanie’s curiosity gets her into trouble when she stumbles upon the secret of Silver Linings.
The story is told from these multiple perspectives because I believe you can’t get the full story if you only hear one side. How do you feel about stories with multiple perspectives? Comment below!
Follow me on Social Media or through my monthly newsletters for more information about my book including more in-depth character sketches, sneak peeks, and deleted scenes.