Annette Dashofy--When Sidekicks Take Over

DEBORAH CROMBIE:  We have a "favorite author" bonus for you here on Jungle Red today! Just back in October Annette Dashofy was on the blog, sharing the third novel in her Detective Matthias Honeywell series, THE DEVIL COMES CALLING.

And now there is fourth Detective Honeywell, NO STONE LEFT UNTURNED! How lucky are we to have another book in this terrific series! This one has a super premise, too, as Annette will explain!

When Sidekicks Take Over

 Annette Dashofy

Fictional sidekicks come in all forms, shapes, and sizes from Snoopy to Robin to Chewbacca to Dr. Watson. If you think about it, what would our favorite heroes be without them. Charlie Brown without his beagle? Batman with no Robin? Who besides Chewy would put up with Han Solo? And Sherlock would be intolerable without Dr. Watson.

I think it’s safe to say, as readers and viewers, we love our sidekicks. As writers, we love them, too.

Generally, when we’re creating our cast for a new book or series, each character tends to have their own specific “purpose” within the story. Protagonist AKA hero, love interest, mentor, villain, and the previously mentioned sidekick. Often one character takes on dual roles. A sidekick might also become the hero’s love interest. Think Pepper Potts in the Iron Man movies. Lois Lane might fit the category as well. A sidekick might also be a mentor. Or as in the Star Wars example above, they can provide comic relief.

And sometimes, the sidekicks or other secondary characters outgrow their small roles to become fan favorites. It’s almost as though they don’t realize they’re only sidekicks.

For instance, Pete’s father Harry in my Zoe Chambers mysteries was never meant to appear beyond the end of Lost Legacy, which was the second in the thirteen-book series. Readers, though, kept hounding me. When’s Harry coming back? How’s Harry doing? We want more Harry!

It took a while, but I did find several more stories for dear Harry.

Something similar has been happening with my Detective Honeywell mysteries. In this case, Detective Sergeant Cassie Malone is Matthias Honeywell’s partner. She’s older, taller, and carries a higher rank, all of which she never lets him forget. From the very beginning, I’ve described her as part Amazon warrior, part mother hen. She’s also better with people than he is. But Matthias knows Cassie has his back no matter what.

She’s been a great counterpoint to him in so many ways. Matthias dates frequently, but rarely (until he meets Emma Anderson, that is) gets to a second date. Cassie has been happily married to a veterinarian for decades and is raising her 8-year-old granddaughter whose mother (Cassie’s military daughter) is deployed overseas.  

It’s been a blast writing her as the Wise One of the pair.

While it was never my intention, it became a natural progression to give her a featured role in No Stone Left Unturned, my fourth Detective Honeywell Mystery. Instead of simply being a smart, savvy cop, we get to see her deal with tragedy in her own family. She’s still tough, but she’s also vulnerable. Forced to sit on the sidelines in an investigation into her husband’s shooting, she must rely on Matthias and the rest of the police force to do what she’s used to doing—tracking down the bad guy. And we get to meet the rest of the Malone family, who up until now have only been mentioned in passing.

And ultimately, we get to see Cassie as a victim. Will she be tough enough to save herself?

You’ll have to wait to find out!

I’ve had a lot of fun shifting much of the focus and storyline to a secondary character and getting to flesh her out. How about you, Reds? When have you brought a sidekick or minor recurring character to the forefront of the action? And, readers, do you enjoy getting to know more about the peripheral members of the cast? Are there sidekicks you would like to see more of?

DEBS: I have certainly had my sidekicks decide they want to be major characters! Looking at you, Melody Talbot and Doug Cullen!

Here's more about NO STONE LEFT UNTURNED:

When a local Erie vet is shot during a robbery, Erie City Police Detective Matthias Honeywell and his partner Cassie Malone are tasked with pursuing the perpetrators. But as they close in on the truth, a mysterious sniper targets those involved in the case.

Emma Anderson has seen more than her share of cases since becoming a journalist in Lake Erie, and with news of the shooting becoming local interest, her instincts kick in. What she didn’t expect to uncover was a secret that could cause an ethical dilemma between Matthias and Cassie.

As the search for the sniper continues and the investigation taking a dark turn, Cassie and Emma find themselves caught up in a kidnapping plot. As the women are forced to draw on their resourcefulness to survive, will they manage to escape or is time against them?

I can't wait to find out!