A Little About My Characters: Harley Bushkin
He's a work in progress. Aren't we all?
Harley is precious to me. I think it’s because I put him through the wringer in my book, and I feel a bit guilty.
He’s had a rough go of life. He’s made some awful choices. He’s hurt the people closest to him. He knows he can do better … but hasn’t chosen to. He thinks he can handle it all himself. He avoids the hard things and the painful feelings. Sound familiar?
He’s rough around the edges, but soft as a marshmallow inside. He is off-putting, yet something inspires compassion. Just ask Claire.
Perhaps it’s the lostness (is that a word?). Perhaps it’s the relatability. He’s every one of us. Maybe not in exact circumstances or situation, but if we pan back and see him from a distance, he’s wandering in the wilderness. That’s something we’ve all done.
I won’t spoil anything here, but suffice it to say, he’s on a journey. His journey intersects with Claire’s … and neither of them will be the same.
I love writing fiction. I get to create characters, swirl my finger in their circumstances, and throw them into the deep end of the ocean. When they languish, and my readers languish with them, that’s when I can give my characters a glimpse of the Light. And I pray my readers will see it too. That Light that redeems them from the choices, the avoiding, the wrong paths, where the darkness seems hopeless and the way out, impossible.
It’s not.
Harley is a troubled soul—looking for a Savior. He just doesn’t know Him yet.