Character Profiles: Average Joe and the Extraordinaires: Borland

MIB Reports
"The Pain in Our Side" aka "The Detective."

Real Name: Hank Borland
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 177 lbs
Hair Color: Brown/Gray
Eye Color: Gray/Green
Skin Color: Caucasian (dark)
Place of Origin: OrangeTown
Birthdate: 7/26
Age: 49
Hobbies: Detective Work, Teaching Dahlila
Talents: Skilled Investigator, High Levels of Deductive Reasoning, Skilled in the Use of Crime Labs, Accurate Marksmanship, Accomplished Hand-to-Hand Fighter

Once a member of the OrangeTown Police Department in his youth, Borland left to pursue a more promissing career as an FBI agent.  During his stint with the OTPD he made some strong bonds with his fellow officers especially the current lieutenant Carl Jonas thanks to his charisma, efficiency, and unwavering dedication to his work.  He left and found greater fame as a rising star in the FBI.  He quickly closed several high profile cases that had been assigned to him including the case of the Circus Park killers and the Underwood drug ring.

He left the bureau under less than ideal circumstances after his partner, and friend, disappeared.  They had been seen in a heated argument with each other by several agents right before her disappearance.  This led to an investigation of Borland himself who quit the Bureau soon after.  His personal life looks to have suffered as well around that time.  He and his wife separated soon after.  This separation was even more devastating because his wife moved out of state with his daughter.  These two are not easy to find.  We've tried, in order to get leverage on this man.  Somehow their current whereabouts seem scrubbed from public records.  There's not even a digital paper trail.  The detective is probably behind this.

Soon after leaving the Bureau and his wife, Borland began taking trips around the world.  We don't know why exactly, but it's rumored he was searching for his partner.  When he returned home, he brought home a little girl and adopted her.  This little girl, as it turned out, was Dahlila Hill, our little prisoner.

Average Joe and the Extraordinaires is out now!  Pick up your copy today!

***These reports are non canon to the original story.  I made them for the purposes of promotion to provide a little more insight into the characters.

Character Profiles: Average Joe and the Extraordinaires: Beauty

MIB Reports
"The Beauty"

This profile is dedicated to the mysterious woman that Joe meets in Picker's stadium.  Just who is she and what does she want?  We've been doing our best to watch her and try to learn how she operates and just what she wants.  Our findings are meager but we will share them anyway.

Real Name: Unknown, We've taken to calling her the Beauty.
Occupation: Spy? Infiltrator??  Magician???
Appearance: Naturally a tall, tan, black haired woman.  Has an athletic figure.  Some of our watchers have reported that she can change her size, shape, and general appearance but this is not confirmed.  It's most likely due to her skill in subterfuge and deception. She is highly skilled.
Eye Color: Reported to be black.
Height: 5'8" - 5'9", she may be taller up close.  Her size may be various based on rumored reports.
Weight: Based on a visual measurement and according to her height and shape she may be around 140 lbs but again this may vary according to reports.

This woman has been spotted around Orangetown for a long time now.  She is never in one place and always seems to infiltrate areas owned by the boss.  Anytime anyone reports this to him he just casually shrugs it off as if it doesn't matter in the least.  Some say he even smirks at some of the reports of her tampering.  This latest transgression at the stadium may be her work.  We must keep closer tabs on her.  That has so far proven impossible.  No one knows who she is or where she's even from.  It's speculated that she may have a connection with the boss.  We won't go any farther into that speculation however.

She reportedly has many talents, infiltration being one of them.  She is very proficient in hand-to-hand combat as several of the armed guards in the bosses employ can attest to.  There are times when entire groups of guards has been found unconscious after one of her 'visits'.  A few of the guards were reported to have said that she has some sort of magical abilities that she used to immobilize them.  This can be taken with a grain of salt as these guards were in a panicked and woozy state.

She is usually seen on a motorcycle.  The motorcycle itself seems to vary each time she's seen on it especially its color.  That's all we know so far.  We will continue to monitor her as best we can.  Hopefully these new readers will provide us with the insight we need through their reports.

Average Joe and the Extraordinaires is out now!  Pick up your copy today!

***These reports are non canon to the original story.  I made them for the purposes of promotion to provide a little more insight into the characters.

Character Profile: Average Joe and the Extraordinaires: Joe

Joe is the main character of our tale and our very eyes and ears into what's actually happening.  Through him we experience the crazy events that have changed Orangetown.  Who is Joe?  Well read on to find out.

Name: Joe Remington Black
Age: 16
Height: Average
Weight: Average
Hair Color: reader interpretation
Eye Color: reader interpretation
Skin Color: reader interpretation
Place of Origin: Orangetown, Florida, USA
Birthdate: March 27
Hobbies: Hanging with Kate and Mod, watching t.v. (sports, detective shows, sitcoms, and cop dramas), watching random vids on youtube

Joe has lived his entire life in the shadow of greatness.  He's never been exceptional at anything.  The range of his talent level goes from subpar to good enough with rare instances of him being considered 'good' by others.  Joe mostly follows the rules.  He's always been a good kid.  He has a close relationship with his parents and grandparents and has inherited their humble charitable no-nonsense values.  Joe is fairly sociable and has two close friends in Kate--his girlfriend--and her little brother Mod.

As a kid Joe played a few team sports like basketball and football.  He stopped playing around the start of middle school because he didn't see a future in it.

Joe is currently unaware of what his future holds.  He hasn't really prepared for it like everyone around him seems to have done and he doesn't think that he's good enough at anything to delve into one college major or career.  He has a lot to think about in his last two years of high school and doesn't have time for any distractions...

Joe's appearance is left to the reader's interpretation.  Whatever you imagine him to look like, that's exactly what he looks like - no ifs ands or buts about it.  The only thing to keep in mind is that you and I may describe him very differently in a conversation with one another.  Certain of his physical characteristics are set in stone and can be seen in his actions throughout the book.  He is fairly athletic and doesn't have any extreme features that would cause him to stand out.

Average Joe and the Extraordinaires is out now!  Pick up your copy today!

Character Profiles: Average Joe and the Extraordinaires

With  the upcoming release of my first novel, Average Joe and the Extraordinaires, I've decided to give out a little insight into the characters and world of AJE.  To that end, I'm going to release at least one character profile every week with physical descriptions and a few details about the character.  I believe this should be fun for both you and me my glorious readers.  If I'm not lazy, there will also be a crudely drawn picture to accompany each character.  As always, thanks for the browse and let me know what you think.

Average Joe and the Extraordinaires is out now!  Pick up your copy today!

What is Average Joe and the Extraordinaires?

Who is Average Joe?
In the case of my book, Average Joe is the main character of the tale, Joe Remington Black.  He is a very normal kid.  He's well adjusted though slightly scarred (as most of us are).  He's lived a life of mediocrity but wants something more.  Like a lot of us, he doesn't quite know what he wants at this point in his life.  He is a high school student and is sixteen years old at the start of this story.  He has a girlfriend, a best friend, and is fairly social.  He lives with both of his parents in a small town in the golden Sunshine State.  He used to play team sports though not anymore.  The most important thing about Joe, I'd say, is his heart.  He was raised to be a good person and it truly shows.

What's an Extraordinaire?
An extraordinaire is someone who is really good at something and who simply and effortlessly stands out from the rest.  In short: to be an extraordinaire, you must be extraordinary.  For some people it takes a lot of work to be extraordinary and for others they are born with natural gifts that put them "above" the rest.  In the culture of America those who are extraordinary are revered.

What's wrong with Average?
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being "average" or enjoying things and activities that are considered average.  I've spent a long time in combat with being something other than average and despising what is considered average.  It's taken a lot of growing up but I see that average has its place and that average is very different than how I used to view it.  As a matter of fact "average" is totally based from our personal perceptions of the world anyway.  What I find average, you may not find average and vice-versa.  Average is common ground, something we all can share.  Average can be bad if we see those who are outside the norms as threats or targets.  Average can be good when we all use it as a frame of reference for understanding each other and the world.  Where I'm from, liking basketball is considered pretty average.  I'm not the biggest basketball fan by any stretch of the imagination but I can get into it with my family and friends who are, though not as deeply, and can even watch it on my own and enjoy it.  It's something "average" that can easily connect others who share diverse backgrounds and interests.  For that, I like average.

What is Average Joe and the Extraordinaires?
I'll try to explain this without using my awesome book blurb or familiar talking points as you'll see those when I hit the marketing trail.  Average Joe and the Extraordinaires is a book about an ordinary teen who's life takes a drastic change after he meets a few truly extraordinary people.  In the beginning he fights to escape a terrible situation with his life and afterwards he tries to prove to his town that he's not the terrorist that he's now been accused of being.  The rest of his tale includes him trying to reconcile his regular life with this crazy new life that he's unfortunately been involved in.

But it's not all about Joe.  Behind the scenes there is a monumental plot taking shape.  There is a shadowy trio of men who've spread a lot of misery throughout Orangetown and the rest of the Sunshine State.  These men are not above kidnappings, murder, extortion, manipulation, and mass destruction to get what they want.  How the heck does regular ol' Joe even stand a chance against men this dangerous?  Well he has friends.  Enter the extraordinary talents of the super-spy Beauty, the no-nonsense ex-Detective ex-FBI P.I. Hank Borland, his tough-as-nails protege Dahlila, and the mysterious and unnaturally even tempered little Melissa.  Together these talented folks try to untangle deadly plots and most importantly keep Joe alive against threats that now want him dead.

There's a lot more to the book but I don't want to spoil too many surprises.  I'll be announcing my release date for the book pretty soon so keep an eye out...for excitement, intrigue, and...average-ness!  Again thanks your the browse my glorious readers!

Preview chapters below

http://belartsstories.blogspot.com/2014/07/kindle-book-preview-average-joe-and.html

http://belartsstories.blogspot.com/2013/04/kindle-story-preview-average-joe-and.html

Great Progress on Average Joe and the Extraordinaires

Been working hard on the book these last few weeks.  The covers are in the cookers, with my cover artist nearly finished with the front, side, and rear part of my book cover.  The manuscript has finished it's last round of editing and formatting.  The only thing that I need to wait for are approval for the copyright which unfortunately is a three month or more process.  I wish I had thought to get it sooner as I was waiting for my editor or all those months ago when I was wasting so much time.  Anyways, the last part of this journey to publication includes getting that copyright, buying my ISBNs, and getting that cover finalized.  I'm proud to say that I am nearly at the finish line.

So in the meantime I guess I'll be seeking out Beta Readers.  Unfortunately I can't afford the netgalley rates so I'll be searching for people who'll do it for free.  If you're interested please contact me via my Google+ page at https://plus.google.com/u/0/113780526297320838805/posts That's my progress.  Wish me luck!  As always, thanks for the browse!