Behind the Hero: Jackson Holt

These days, it’s almost surreal to be talking about the Southern Arcana universe because Bree and I have been developing these characters for a long time. Some of them are one, two, even three years in the making. Crux was our first pro writing effort, and we’ve done a lot of worldbuilding with this universe and these characters.

Jackson Holt is a good ol’ boy from small-town Georgia. His mother would have preferred that he go to law school and maybe be a judge someday like his father. His father just didn’t want him to be a cop. So of course he wound up with a degree in criminal justice.

He’s also a wizard, something that runs in his family in a hush-hush kind of way. Through a series of moves and decisions, he wound up in New Orleans, working as a private investigator…and anyone who thinks that’s a glamorous job has never staked out a crappy motel for five hours to take pictures of somebody cheating on somebody else.

But he’s a happy sort of fellow. He has his friends and his family, and he’s never gone lonely when it comes to the ladies. Sure, he’s been in a little bit of a dry spell lately, but it happens. He certainly doesn’t expect it to come to an end when his best friend asks him to check out the newest hire at her French Quarter bar.

Jackson is so much fun to write, mostly because he’s nice but irreverent. If it’s deserved, he doesn’t hesitate to make fun of anyone, including himself. He’s always there for the people he loves, and he’ll even go to the mat for people he’s only just met, a trait our heroine appreciates.

If I were going to celebrity-cast Jackson, I’d go with Nathan Fillion all the way. He’s the only actor that pops to mind who could handle Jackson’s strange mix of good-natured charm and mischievous humor. There’s also a ton of badassery there, mostly hidden by all the easy smiles, and that’s Jackson all the way. He could swagger around, all scary and don’t-fuck-with-me, but instead he’s charming. Harmless. And so you don’t see him coming.

Now that I’ve made Jackson sound TOTALLY SCARY… LOL He’s not. He’s a good guy, as his friends will attest, and an absolute blast to write. If only because I get to bust out some of my favorite Southern sayings and mannerisms.

Crux is available tomorrow, March 3, from Samhain Publishing.