By now to anyone who has enjoyed any of the books in the series–and bothered to read the blog a little–it should be obvious that one of my true joys is basing some of my fictional characters on people I know. Some of my friends and relatives ask me, “Wait–can you actually do that? Won’t you get into trouble?” My answer is usually the same–so long as World War III doesn’t begin, some imaginary weapon I cooked up based on fake elements isn’t created and its use doesn’t start creating mutated carnivorous creatures–I think I’m pretty safe. There’s not a whole lot of reality in my plots, thus little danger of slanderous intentions. It’s all in good fun, and I also make sure to get my friends’ blessings before proceeding. My newest addition to our cast of characters is based on a friend with the very same name: Jimmy Chung. But the real Jimmy Chung isn’t a Korean double-agent spy–he is a successful assigner of wrestling officials in one of the “Big Five” conferences whom I’ve known for over two decades.
The fictional Jim Chung does have a few things in common with the real one. He’s from Maryland, and he does have a background as a wrestling official–but that–in combination with an unforgiving sharp tongue and ascerbic wit–is where the comparison ends. The character is a resourceful, self-serving, and expedient operative who is constantly surveying the landscape to see which side he wants to end up on. While Jake Fisher and Boo Andrews decide to trust him with their future–they also admit that they have no other recourse when they do. And Chung gives them reason to doubt his intentions from time to time. I won’t spoil the ending, but Chung’s involvement with our heroes becomes one of the defining moments at the finale.
Chung is a harsh leader to his North Korean troops, and his ease at spinning yarns to the locals in St. Michaels in order to win their trust reveals to us his ability to tell believable lies on the spot. We’re not supposed to trust him as readers any more than the characters do. But we do respect him. He is intelligent, efficient, does his homework, and knows his job well. He has little patience for stupid questions, and is merciless to ineffective and unintelligent co-workers (actually, the real Jimmy can sometimes be the same). He is also–like the real Jimmy–an incredibly likeable character. His affability makes Jake and Boo’s need to trust him all the easier to bear.
Moving forward, Jimmy won’t be playing as major a role in the action in future books, but I’d love to reintroduce him to the plot at key moments. I was always a big Spenser for Hire fan in the 1980’s, and I read every single Spenser mystery that the late, great Robert B. Parker wrote. I loved the characters–even the ones that only made occasional appearances. And when Parker threw together his other talent (writing westerns) with his Boston detective crew in the novel Potshot, we got to see some of those unforgettable side characters return. For that reason it remains my favorite of Parker’s mystery novels. It was like getting the gang back together. I’m going to take a hint from his success and try to do the same with some of my characters. I’m hoping to keep this up for a while–and if the more memorable characters can make key timely returns, it will be as much fun to read as it is to write.
In sum, thanks to the real Jimmy for lending me his name, and I promise we’ll get to see the elusive Korean double-agent again before the series is over.
Writing with Jay Vielle 