Blake Schwendiman's Blog and Blook

Nope, this isn't about greenhouse gasses. I've noticed that the percentage of visitors from non-US countries has been steadily increasing. That makes me happy. As of this morning, Canada took the number 2 spot in visitor percentage, just squeaking past the UK for the first time in the history of this web site.

Since 1990, when I lived in South Africa, I have had a great interest in international events and a greater appreciation for events outside of the US. When I initially developed the story for The Agency Delta (read here), the four main characters were all white US men in their forties and fifties. After reading the fantastic book, Creating Unforgettable Characters, by Linda Seger, I realized that my characters were flat.

I went back to work and re-evaluated the story and the characters. The main character remained a white US man, but his closest friend and confidant in the story became a South-African born Indian raised and educated in the UK. The primary antagonist became an Indian woman named Sireesha Naidu whose personal tragedies involving Pakistani military and Kashmir provided her with a strong motivation for the atrocities she was to coordinate throughout the story. Her right-hand man became a younger white South African man raised in Durban and intimately affected by the demise of the Apartheid government.

I enjoy hearing from my non-US friends because I always get a fresh perspective. Thanks for reading!