5 people who inspired Xavier Bradshaw
When I look at MCs I want to come back to visit time and again, it’s because they spark admiration. I want them to struggle but win. They speak to me across the pages and say, ‘you’d like me, despite my flaws.’ I want to look at them and say, ‘I wish I could see myself in your shoes.’ Their idiosyncrasies make them feel real.
How did that look for me?
It’s safe to say you’ll always see character-focused writing from me. To have Xavier reach readers in a visceral way, I thought about characters who did that for me.
Not in any particular order, this is what inspired Xavier Bradshaw:
Edward X. Delaney
I was introduced to Laurence Sanders’ Deadly Sins series years ago. Far enough back I only remember one part–Delaney’s love of sandwiches. Sanders does an amazing job of memorializing his detective’s penchant for this type of food. Actually, there were two types of sandwich–wet and dry. Delany ate dry sandwiches at the kitchen table with no worry about mess. Wet ones were only to be eaten leaning over the sink since they would inevitably ooze contents out the back and sides. Perhaps it was a pre-modern OCD personality. But it stuck with me. When you get to know Xavier, you’ll discover his food fascination. That obsession is based around local restaurants. He is almost fanatical in his choices of independent shops. Perhaps it’s his support for owners who he gets to know on a personal basis. But it also could be his own desire to hold onto the Livingston that existed before the huge change from a town into a small city.
Hieronymus ‘Harry’ Bosch
One of the more recent characters I love is Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch. He is a hard assed cop who’s willing to bend, and break, the rules to solve a case. I’ve read the books and watched the celebrated series. One thing that stands out about Harry is his love of jazz music. It’s his signature, even naming his rescue dog Coltrane. Xavier also loves music. But not jazz. Xavier loves good old rock ‘n roll the way Bosch loves his Coltrane. If you bore down, Xavier loves Canadian rock legends. Why is that? Well, part of that is almost all well-known detectives in the last decades love either jazz, blues, or both. Xavier is more of an everyman. From Triumph to Prism to Bob Seger and Nazareth, Xavier likes it loud and anthemic.
Sherlock Holmes
There is no greater detective than Mr. Holmes. First, like Xavier, he’s not a police officer, leaving him outside official circles. More importantly, Sherlock Holmes has a unique ability to see clues that others miss. Including his more than capable sidekick, Watson. Xavier doesn’t always see the specific clues as he doesn’t always have access to crime scenes. He sees patterns others do not. You will eventually hear Jessi refer to this skill as Xavier’s Jedi mind trick. It’s not anything supernatural, but Xavier has the uncanny ability to read body language, tone and trends. The patterns he sees are available to everyone. He just interprets what may be happening more astutely.
Elliot Stabler
When Law and Order first hit the airwaves, my wife and I watched every episode. When SVU came out, we watched it too. Our interest faded as other franchises grew. Then, when Organized Crime came out, we drew back in. What is it about Xavier that parallels to Elliot Stabler? First, the hard exterior. Second, the way children and the innocent are drawn to him despite that rough exterior, and his devotion to his family. Xavier recognizes how simply he or those he’s close to can be drawn into violence with the wrong turn. His anger at what’s happening to his wife, among others, has set that hard edge and a part of him wants to lash out at the world. Underneath it all is a man who roots for the underdog and cares for those who need it.
My Dad
Like Elliot Stabler, my dad had a hard exterior. And as a young man, he was more than tough. I remember one time at Little League tryouts when he was a coach. We were participating in drills, and I asked one of my fellow tryout hopefuls who was new what team he wanted to play with. “I don’t care as long as it’s not him,” he said, pointing to my dad. “He looks mean.” And my dad did have that permanent scowl that hid a very humane person. In essence, that is Xavier. My dad was the toughest man I ever knew. He had all 4 wisdom teeth out one morning and by lunch time was back at his store, working. He almost cut his own leg off in a workplace accident and was back to work in 10 days. He also learned to judge people by their character. He hired one of the first Vietnamese ‘Boat People’ when it was taboo. He hired the Indigenous and the old, hippies and the young. The people no one else was willing to take a chance on, before it became the rule. He learned to treat people well despite their flaws. That is Xavier.
Does Xavier remind you of anyone you know? If it resonates, share it to socials, tag me and tell me about your inspired person.