"Why Am I Doing This?" Ep.1: Happy Birthday to My Character, Jolan Nashoba

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOLAN!!

Is it appropriate to write a post in dedication to a specific character in honor of said character's birthday? I don't know. Am I going to do it last minute? You bet I am. Somebody cue his theme song.

If Jolan Nashoba were still alive, he'd be a whooping fifty-one years old! However, he died at age twenty-three in 1989. Tragic, not just for me, but for other characters as well. 

I don't have an image I really love for Jolan yet, but I know his hair goes down to about his shoulders, and that he'd think this was a pretty sweet jacket.

Cue a short bio:

Born February 6, 1966, Jolan was raised into the San Francisco Renegade. His father was oftentimes away, chasing justice wherever it fled, leaving Jolan home with his mother and two older sisters. One of his earliest memories is of one of the crusades in which his father was close -- the Indians of All Tribes occupation of Alcatraz Island. Although his family descends from the Ohlone Native American tribe, they lived in the city, where his mother could work and the kids could grow into the Renegade. 

As he grew up, Jolan drew closer to his father's diligent mindset regarding morality of the post-civil rights era. When he joined the Renegade, he began formulating the idea of a Renegade take-back of the Fortis Compound, which was overrun in the early colonial period. As the Fortis ran independently from government policies, they had little restriction against discriminatory practices, which oftentimes left marginalized groups to compile the Renegade. As time grew on, the Fortis and Renegade blended with changes in societal norms, but the descent between the two groups still hung heavy. 

This is portrayed in Jolan when he and friend/ally Bethany Thomas sought to invade the Fortis for the people of the Renegade. However, once they build up their forces in the Renegade, their attempted siege of the Fortis failed for reasons Jolan never found out; he went missing in the siege, and is presumed dead.

I tried to do that without many spoilers. On one hand, it was easy because I haven't written his book yet (my prequel novel, CRUSADER), but it proved difficult on the other because I LOVE JOLAN. He's a laid back kind of guy, and he's obsessed with his pick-up truck, especially with painting it random colors. His bestie, Bethany, knows better than anyone that at any given time, he has a new dream plan spinning around his brain. For example, "I think that if we can take out the electricity and get about five hundred people on our side, we can take San Francisco. The whole city. You know, Bethany? The entire damn city."

Bethany for 99% sure gets this for Jolan on his twenty-first birthday.

With that said, here's another excerpt of my Wondrous Jolan described by Bethany:

"The universe's mystery grabs the roof of the truck, pulling himself up to stand on the seat of the car and look over at me from the other side. 

Big smile. One of the biggest I've ever, ever seen, and he looks at me like I'm a long lost friend. His hair is dark like the woman's, but his eyes aren't. They're lighter, hazel, a bit of a greenish tint to them I might be imagining under the yellow street lamp. And they contrast his other features - hard, square jaw, a bigger nose that looks normal when placed with his grin, and naturally dark skin also naturally tanned. His arms are muscled, his hair wild and nearing his chin, but his eyes are soft. Plus, he's wearing a Pac-Man t shirt, and I figure bad guys don't play Pac-Man."

Anyone wanting to wish Jolan a happy birthday or comment otherwise is welcome to do so below! I conclude with the words of my friend, Mackenzie: "Oh My Jolan."