As I write characters they are somewhat fluid. You never know what they are going to do - devilish, I know. I do have a basic background for my characters, “who they are.” Each month, I will share a character profile, so you get to know them better.
Character Profile: Lena Hamed
OCCUPATION:
Master chef and restaurant owner Lena’s Café, Amsterdam.
CIA informant .
The niece of the notorious terrorist bomb maker called Specter.
BIO:
Lebanese.
Late 30’s.
Unmarried.
Attended cooking school in Paris, where she worked at high-end restaurants.
PERSONALITY:
Has had troubled relationships, seemingly gravitating to “bad boy” types.
In a relationship with Bridger,
APPEARANCE:
Dark brown eyes.
Long, dark, straight hair, olive skin.
Prefers Chanel No. 5.
Character Profile: Gilchrist
Occupation:
A networker. Fixer.
Operational and logistical support, and access.
Whatever was needed, he magically could make happen.
During the last decade, Gilchrist focused his talents on Asia—"where it is always profitable.”
Valuable support asset for the Spy Devils (even Demon likes him).
Bio:
Gilchrist was a man of the world—meaning no one knew where he came from.
Catchphrase:
“I swear by the sun and moon of (fill in the country), my beloved ancestral homeland.”
Personality:
Cold-blooded. Deadly. Greedy. Loyal. Loud.
He uses his size, bravery, loyalty, resourcefulness, and boisterous personality to his advantage as he corkscrewed worldwide, joining causes he felt were “on the side of the blessed angels.”
Appearance:
Massively large.
Hairy.
Large Bushy mud-brown eyebrows, dark pupils, yellowish eyeballs.
Trunk-wide arms.
Character Profile: Sun Jingwei
Occupation: Vice Minister, Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Guójiā Ānquánbù, the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS). Leader of MSS Counterespionage.
Appearance: 57-year-old, handsome with soft, warm eyes, a square chin, and an infectious smile. Personable. Highly educated—genius-level smart.
Bio: Started as Director of the Hebei provincial state security, then he rapidly moved up the ranks. He gained favor within the current Chinese president’s faction and played a role in his power play to become president. The president appointed Sun to the national leadership positions with the MSS. A true believer in communist party politics. He despised traitors.
Situation: He was China's master of counterespionage. Once he has a suspicion, he would find not stop in his hunt for a traitor. He suspects Chen is providing the CIA with the names of MSS officials and other intelligence.
Vices: Overzealous to borderline ruthless. He is conflicted between his need to protect his reputation and status as a spy-catcher, removing Chen and taking over the MSS, and protecting the president and China. Anything goes to make all these happen. His drive is his downfall.
Character Profile: Minister Chen
Occupation: Minister Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Guójiā Ānquánbù, the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS). Member of several Chinese government leadership committees.
A professional intelligence officer with a history of successful asset recruitments and intelligence operations.
Recruited U.S. businessman George MacLean of the US company Kirkwood International
Appearance: Dark suits. White shirts. Striped ties. Round cheeks. Small, thin lips. Wire-rim glasses. Deep dark eyes.
Personality/Characteristics: Cool. Calm. Silent. Intuitive.
Background: Joined the MSS specifically to harm China.
Started as a youth in the 1960s during the last horrible days of Mao’s Cultural Revolution.
In 1989, when the army cracked down on the Tiananmen pro-democracy protests, he was a low-level officer in the MSS.
Was shocked by China’s suppression of political and religious freedoms.
After two years, Chen met an American intelligence officer and agreed to spy against China.
Move up through the hierarchy of the MSS.
Selected Li Chu to lead the Dragon Fire assassination team in Bureau X.
Was the force behind the destruction of Dragon Fire .
A close associate of Danforth Chapel.
Situation: A double agent for the CIA who was recruited by May Currier—Bridger’s mother.
He has been compromised by Li Chu.
Vices: Likes good-looking women and has a taste for champagne.
Character Profile: Danforth Chapel
Character Profile: Danforth Chapel
Background: Privileged childhood growing up on Long Island's Nassau County Gold Coast. Father- Wall Street broker. Mother high society socialite.
Age: 70's
Education: Harvard. MBA.
Company: Founder, The Danforth Chapel Company, the world's leading private intelligence agency. Thirty-five offices, thousands of specialized employees, and connections spread across all regions of the world were the vanguard of his reach, but at its nexus was Danforth Chapel.
Appearance: Handsome- looks like William Holden. Expensive Gieves & Hawkes bespoke suits. A four-hundred-dollar cut for his full head of gray hair. Tinted Dolce and Gabbana twenty-five-thousand-dollar glasses covered money-green eyes. Testoni goat-skinned shoes. A Rolex Submariner. Chapel completes his look with a flamboyant, colorful silk tie. His trademark look.
Skills: Networking. Problem solver for important people, celebrities, global companies, organizations, or governments. These problems include embarrassing leaks, scandals, blackmail, espionage, fraud, asset recovery, or kidnapping. Advisor for governments and political campaigns.
Traits: Discreet. Successful. Expensive. Personable. Affable charisma, wit, and engaging character. He never swore ("It doesn't make me appear any more intelligent."). Likes red wine.
In Popular Culture: Chapel's problem-solving acumen had become a truism among his circle: If someone had been bad, they would spend time in Chapel. To the private intelligence industry he had become a verb: "Get this company Chapeled."
Character Profile: Milton
Character Profile: Milton
True name: to be revealed
Codename: A character in Paradise Lost
Age: Mid-20’s
Gender: Male
Height: 5’ 6” (ish)
Personal:
From Alabama and speaks with a distinct accent.
Engaged to be married to Beatrice (see previous profile).
Attended MIT where he received several science and engineering degrees.
Failed to receive funding for his own tech start-up.
Appearance:
Radar O’Reilly (Gary Burghoff) M*A*S*H.
Red soup bowl-style cut bangs.
One hundred fifty-five pounds, max.
Wire-rimmed glasses.
Freckled, ruddy face.
Characteristics: Shy. Not very talkative.
Expertise: Created the Spy Devils hi-tech weapons. Devilbots. Devil Sticks. Neutralizing nerve gas. He has traditional skills including, bomb making, surveillance, drones in general, language and translation devices.
Character Profile: Beatrice
Character Profile: Beatrice
True name: Unknown
Age: Mid-20’s
Gender: Female
Height: 5’ 6” (ish)
Appearance: Often compared to Audrey Hepburn in looks and dress.
Characteristics: Sense of humor.
Expertise: A talented Broadway actress, who turned her brilliant mind to the paralegal profession to pay the bills. Expert at make-up. Supports use of Devilbots and other technology.
Likes: Skilled gambler. Likes whiskey. In a relationship with Milton of the Spy Devils. They are engaged to be married.
Dislikes: People who are not team-players.
Character Profile: Imp
The Basics:
Age: Early 20’s
Gender: Male
Height: 5’ 6” (ish)
Appearance: Tortoise rimmed glasses over blood-shot eyes. Looks young even for his young age.
Personality & Interests:
Occupation: Spy Devil computer prodigy college dropout known for hacking banks, governments, businesses, and celebrities. Leader of ‘The Unemployables’, a virtual computer hacker support team.
Expertise: Computers. Technology.
Likes: Coffee. Eating. Drinking. Sleeping. Computers.
Dislikes: Physical harm or activity, but he does it anyway.
Weakness: Sarcastic. Certain of his abilities (arrogant?). Disrespectful – to a point. Self-absorbed. Whiny.
Character Profile: Demon
The Basics:
True name: Duke
Age: In his 70’s
Gender: Male
Height: 5’ 8” (ish)
Appearance: Thin. Coarse voice. Gray crewcut. Stubbled. Looks sort of like Harvey Keitel.
Personality & Interests:
Career: Marine. Embassy Regional Security Officer. CIA Special Operations.
Occupation: Member of the Spy Devils. Bridger’s companion/protector/mentor since Bridger was a child. Trained him in weapons and martial arts.
Expertise: Weapons. Martial arts. Interrogation.
Weapons of Choice: Kimber 1911. Ka-Bar. Rusty pliers.
Strengths: Loyalty. Dedication. Patriot. Inflicting pain.
Weakness: Impatience. Lack of empathy. Swearing.
Fear: Unknown.
Dislikes: Stupid people…basically just about everyone he doesn’t know.
Character Profile: May (Currier) Hall
The Basics:
Age: 70’s
Gender: Female
Resembles: Sigourney Weaver
Parents: Frank and Colleen Currier
Early life: Born Lowell, Massachusetts. Christened their only daughter Mayflower—May for short—so people would think they were descendants of Pilgrims. In reality, they were European immigrants. She spent her entire life repeating the story about her birth name and built a web of untruths around the total fabrication. Her ancestors had fought the Indians, one was a member of the Continental Congress, others were inventors, renowned doctors, or some other incredible person.
Education: Degree in education and minor in philosophy from the University of Lowell
Husband: Stanley Hall (deceased). CEO of a series of successful telecommunications and computer equipment companies—many he sold for hundreds of millions.
Children: Trowbridge (Bridger) Hall. Leader of the Spy Devils.
Personality & Interests:
Occupation: Senior Advisor, Special Projects, to the Deputy Director of Operations
for the CIA. Creator (through her son Trowbridge) of the Spy Devils. HQ contact. TDY postings in Belgrade and Berlin. Deputy Chief of Station in Athens and Cairo. Chief of Station in Madrid, Buenos Aires, Paris, and Seoul.
Expertise: Global espionage. Tradecraft.
Strengths: Resourceful. Loyal. Creative. Nurturing. Persuasive. Ruthless. Unflappable. Patient. Brilliant. Aggressive. Visionary. Aloof. Bold initiatives, high risk/high reward operations.
Weakness: Can be temperamental. Stoic. Single-mindedness.
Dislikes: The entrenched male-dominated culture of the CIA. The Press. Congressional Oversight and politicians in general. Enemies of the USA.
Desires: A strong intelligence community. A closer relationship with her son.
Hobbies: Gardening. Tea.
Character Profile: Bridger
The Basics:
True name: Trowbridge Hall
Age: 40
Gender: Male
Height: 5’ 11” (ish)
Appearance: Good-looking, but despite, has the ability to blend into any environment.
Early life: Born Washington, DC. Raised overseas – Known locations: Berlin, Athens, London, Paris, Belgrade, Kyiv
Education: MBA Wharton School
Father: Stanley Hall; Tech pioneer; deceased, car crash when Bridger was seven.
Mother: Mayflower Hall (see below)
Personality & Interests:
Occupation: Founder, Hubbard Park Investments. Leader of the Spy Devils (6 years fully operational)
Expertise: Espionage. Financial
Additional skills: Expert in martial arts, weapons, disguise, pilot
Languages: Know proficiencies - English, Spanish, Ukrainian, Russian, Serbia, French. Arabic, Latin
Strengths: Strategic planning, leadership, negotiation, initiative-thinking
Weakness: Can be temperamental
Fear: Failing, being seen as not competent in any situation.
Dislikes: Being controlled, especially by bureaucracies, or “powerful” people
Desires: A life outside of espionage-fully control his life; a relationship with a woman
Hobbies: Golf, rare book collecting