The Jim Buchanan Novels Archive

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Sunday, November 29, 2009

RAIN


On Saturday, November 28th, my wife and I traveled to Providence, RI to attend a performance by Rain, a Beatles tribute band. Being a huge Beatles fan since they arrived on the scene in 1964, I thoroughly enjoyed the concert. Their instrumentation is about 99.9% accurate and their singing is 99% accurate. We went to a local restaurant just around the corner from the Providence Performing Arts Center named Tazza Caffe for a before show bite to eat and then did some sight seeing in the immediate vicinity. We walked across the bridge over the Providence River and visited the WWII Memorial alongside South Main Street. It's amazing that just 44 miles east of us is this cultural and historical center with so much to see and do. Click on the title of this post to go to Rain's website.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

The Jim Buchanan Series Main Characters

I thought I'd provide a description of my recurring characters in the Jim Buchanan Series. The characters are listed in order by importance.

Series begins in 1995, in Thompson Falls, MT

MAIN CHARACTERS

James “Jim” (Little Hawk) Buchanan - 34, 6’4”, with a muscular build with shoulder-length brown hair, worn in a ponytail. Named after the 15th President of the United States, Jim’s father was Scottish and his mother was a full-blooded Crow Indian. Thompson Falls High School football, basketball & track star, University of Montana football star as a defensive tackle, and 1st round NFL pick who signed a 4-year contract to play defensive end for the Chicago Bears. After winning many awards, and suffering through an injury-filled third year in the NFL, Jim shocked the sports world by turning down the remainder of his pro career to be a US Air Force Military Policeman (dog handler). His friends in the USAF called him Hoss because of his size. He owns a deuce and half military surplus vehicle, was a Montana Highway Patrolman, and is the Sanders County Sheriff and an instrument-rated pilot. County Sheriff’s responsibilities are to run the county jail and patrol that area of the county not under the jurisdiction of various local police offices. Tragedy struck Jim’s life in my first novel, ‘Montana Harvest’ when Jim’s beloved wife, Kate disappears.

Linda Stevens – 28, 5’8”, short blond hair, athletic build. Linda is Thompson Falls Chief of Police and Kate’s best friend. Solid, rock steady person in town and Jim’s honest link to the police department. Everything is by the book with her. She admires Jim and those feelings grow into much more after Kate’s passing.

Angel – 2-year-old, female German Shorthaired Pointer. Obtained from a local rescue group (Montana Pointer Rescue) as a puppy and trained by Jim to be a police service dog and his faithful companion. Angel was working with Jim when Kate disappeared.

Rocco “Rocky” Salentino - 32, 6’0”, crew cut, black hair, stocky build, Asst. County Sheriff, Jim’s USAF Military Police buddy, Jim got Rocky a job in the Sheriff’s Dept in 1995 after Jim was elected to a six-year term. Rocky was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, a 2nd generation Italian-American. His family is from Avellino, Italy, near Naples. Rocky is a former Fulton/Rockaway, street-wise hoodlum. His friends back home call him Double O. He longs to be back in Brooklyn. Repeats, “oh man” when he’s in a stressful situation.

Henry Kelly - 64, 5’10”, short, white hair, medium build, Kate’s uncle, and Sanders County Coroner. Hank is a Vietnam Veteran and a former military physician. He spent 30 years in the NYC Coroner’s Office and decided to retire at age 62. Hank was a legend in NYC Police Precincts as an honest and thorough coroner and Rocky can verify that fact. Hank moved to Thompson Falls and accepted a position as Sanders County Coroner with the intention to fully retire at age 65 and live there based upon a vacation brochure he received in the mail from Kate and the fact that he wanted to help Jim find her. His wife is the twin sister of Kate’s mom. Lives on Woodland St in Thompson Falls.

Dan McCoy – 67, 6’4”, bald, a former five-term Sanders County Sheriff. Jim relies on Dan’s honesty to help him solve cases. McCoy was sheriff when Kate disappeared. McCoy moved to Whitefish, Montana after his retirement. Is dating a Flathead Indian, Esmeralda Hightower. Dan says all the officials in Thompson Falls can kiss his ass.

Alma Twofavors – 18, 5’10”, waist-length black hair, slim build. Mary Whispers Twofavors niece and adopted daughter and Jim’s blood daughter.

Mary Whispers Twofavors – 38, 5’11”, waist-length black hair, athletic build, Jim’s half-sister, loves Jim as a true brother.

Willie Longfeather – 46, 6’0”, member of the Flathead Nation. Willie is an ex-con, convicted of manslaughter. He served 25 years in federal prison for killing a sexual predator that had raped and murdered his sister. Willie is Dan McCoy’s best friend.

Paul Weathers - 32, 6’0”, black, athletic build, originally from Detroit, shaved head, FBI agent assigned to Montana. Paul has a wife and two children back home in Idaho. WR in college (Stanford) and claimed as a free agent by the San Francisco 49’ers. Once played against Jim in a 1987 NFL preseason game.

Acaraho Eaglefeather – 19, 5’9”, long brown hair. Acaraho is a Crow youth who is dating Alma. Acaraho means Mountain in Crow.

Jai Li – 19, 5’5”, waist-length hair, slim, very attractive. In the United States on a working visa, she cleans houses for a living and lives over a bar in Thompson Falls. She’s infatuated with Jim as a father figure.

Martha Wilson - 56, 5’6”, short brown hair, medium build. Martha is the dispatcher for the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office and the Thompson Falls Police Department.

Jacob Stronghorse – 35, 6’5”, long black hair in braided ponytail. Stocky build, Flathead Indian Tribal Police Chief, lives on the reservation. Jacob is Jim's friend and is a sometimes collaborator with him on cases.

Preacher Longhill – 43, 6’6”, shoulder length brown hair. Muscular build, Crow Indian Tribal Police Chief. Preacher was born into the same tribal clan as Jim. He is a self-ordained minister, which is how he received the name, ‘Preacher’.