Let’s Talk About Side Characters

Not the support cast—like the IPR.

I mean the characters who show up for a while, for a particular reason, and then quietly vanish back into the pages, perhaps never to be seen again.

When I read or watch a series or a movie (they’re all stories, after all), these side characters are sometimes the best part of the experience for me. Sometimes they even end up being my favourites—occasionally more so than the main characters.

I always suspected I wasn’t alone in that feeling, because of characters like Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Created for just a few episodes, he proved so popular that he became part of the main cast.

Or Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings.

Or Lucy Eyelesbarrow in 4:50 From Paddington.

If I were going to write side characters, those were the kinds of characters I desperately wanted to write: memorable, beloved, quietly vital to the story. But I never thought I could. Surely my meagre abilities couldn’t measure up to the giants who created characters like that.

And yet, I poured everything I had into them—just as much energy as I gave my main characters. I built their lives, their backstories, all the things I would normally reserve for centre stage. And I loved them all dearly.

Still, I assumed that was just for me. That readers would see them as adequate decoration—functional, pleasant, forgettable.

So imagine my surprise when some of the very first feedback I received on my debut novel, Blood in the Dust, focused on my side character, Maude.

I was astonished. I never expected Maude to be popular.

But again and again—first from beta readers, then ARC readers, and then others—people told me how much they loved her. That she stood out. That she lingered.

Had I done it?

Had I achieved that much-admired, elusive skill of writing truly beloved side characters?

I honestly still don’t know.

What I do know is that early feedback on book two, Blood on the Ferns, suggests that Norman Riley and Joshua Wise have resonated with readers as well—though it still feels too early for me to make any grand claims.

What I can promise you is this: every character who appears in my books—main characters, supporting cast, side characters, and yes, even the villains—has the same effort and love poured into them.

None of them are there simply to decorate the plot.

They’re there to make you laugh, make you cry, make you angry—and to help move the story forward.

And some of them may just pop up again from time to time as the series unfolds.

So—which one is your favourite?
I’d love to know.