Tyris is the other main character in my novel, Reckless Rescue, and a favourite of mine. I found him much easier to write than Marlee, perhaps because he isn’t anything like me at all. Nor is he the typical ‘Alpha Male’ that many romance novels seem to favour. He’s just an ordinary man. Well, as ordinary as a Captain in the Space Force can be!
Right from the start, it’s obvious that he’s one of the good guys. Of course, in his world, a world very controlled by the government, doing the right thing doesn’t always pay, a fact of which Tyris is painfully aware, and is demonstrated in this quote from the first chapter.
This couldn’t be happening. Not to him. He hadn’t killed or hurt anyone. He’d been trying to do something good. And where had it gotten him? He wiped one hand on his pants, but it still felt damp. The letter slipped from his fingers and fluttered to the floor.
Milandra put down her orange juice and picked up the letter. “There must be a mistake,” she said, skimming the document. “You don’t have a criminal record. I’ll talk to Daddy and get this fixed.”
“It’s not a mistake.” His voice echoed hollowly.
“What?” Milandra’s eyes widened and her hand fluttered to her chest.
“I participated in a protest in college.” Tyris closed his eyes briefly. He didn’t expect Milandra to understand.
“You went to a protest; are you insane?” Milandra stared at him. “Why would you do something like that? What could possibly be important enough for you to risk everything?”
What indeed? “They withdrew the pensions for those who fought in the Off World Wars.” A flicker of anger stirred in his belly at the thought, but he squashed it. He couldn’t afford those feelings—they’d already cost him too much.
“You took part in a protest for that?” Milandra’s voice rose a notch, and Tyris winced. “Do you have any idea what this could mean for us? For me?” She covered her face with her hand. “What will Daddy say? What will the papers say? How could you be so thoughtless, Tyris? Why would you do something so pointless? That’s what we have a Justice Department for! They appealed the decision and reinstated the pensions.”
Because we protested. But he didn’t dare say the words aloud. “They shouldn’t have done it in the first place,” he mumbled. “Those people fought under government orders. They earned those pensions.”
A lot of this story (and the sequel, Reckless Rebellion) is about Tyris fighting to discover whether doing the right thing is worth the risks. And whether his ‘perfect life’ was all he thought it was.
All this month I’m participating in the A-Z blogging challenge, writing a blog post for each letter of the alphabet, on every day of the month except Sundays. Check back regularly to see what else I have in store for you.
All depends upon what your value system is. If goods for many people are greater than what you can achieve for yourself, then the risks can be worthwhile. They just won’t be fun.
John at The Bathroom Monologues
True John. I didn’t think to diferentiate between good for you and good for others (possibly many others.)
Good for Tyris for taking an unpopular stand for his priciples! Great excerpt too!
Thanks Sherri. It was unpopular too. But it all turns out for the best. (As romances tend to.)
Good on Tyris ‘protesting’ against what needed protesting! It reads well thank you for this!
Thanks Susan. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks for visiting my blog! I really enjoyed returning the favour and reading some of your posts 🙂
Naomi @ Cornet Crafts
Thanks for visiting Naomi.
He sounds like a great protagonist. I keep reading these snippets and I can’t wait to get stuck into the book. Am debating the merits of a kindle paperwhite vs a normal kindle (apparently the touch screen can be annoying on the paperwhite!)
I have no idea. 🙂 I’m bewildered by all the different kinds of kindles. So confusing!
Hedging towards an iPad mini… 🙂
Ohh. I would love an iPad mini! They’re so cute! And I reckon they’re just the right size. Big enough to use easily, but better to carry than the full size iPad.
Nice piece of writing, I like the dialogue. Tyris sounds like a good guy, I hope he can find the truth about doing the right thing.
I think he will, though it make take him a little while. 🙂
It’s a great intro to the character – seeing that he’s willing to take a stand even at risk to himself.
Well, to be honest, he didn’t know that this would be the consequences at the time. The protest was many years ago, and this ruling is new. But I suspect he might have done the same thing anyway.
I love characters who do the right thing regardless of the personal risk or disapproval of governing forces or others who might want to do the wrong thing. Personally, I think doing the right thing 100% of the time just never happens, people make mistakes and it is only later that they may realize they did the wrong thing. I try to do the right thing but don’t always succeed.
Yes, no one can do the right thing 100% of the time. Tyris does wonder a little if it’s worth it, and if one person really can make a difference. There is a limit to all of us, when we wonder about chosing between what’s important to us, and what is the right thing to do, and it’s a choice I think everyone has to make for themselves.