Since we’re now just a few weeks out from The Incident Under the Overpass making its worldwide debut, I thought it might be a good time to introduce the characters.

LACEY CAMPO BECNEL is the main character in the story. She is thirty-three-years old, a New Orleans native, an LSU graduate, and a recent widow. The whole story is pretty much about how she discovers she’s acquired a supernatural healing ability. Kirkus Reviews had this to say about her: “Lacey has a wry, self-deprecating narrative voice, enlivened by frequent pop-culture references.” (Kirkus also called her “an engaging heroine.”) There’s a little bit more about Lacey in this post from a few months ago.

NATHAN QUIRK is a married man in his early forties. He has two young children under the age of ten. His wife is from a wealthy family, and Nathan is employed by his wife’s father. Nathan grew up in a modest home in uptown New Orleans, and studied at NOCCA for music. (NOCCA is the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, and provides arts instruction for high-schoolers.)

ANGELE LEE is Lacey’s best friend. They are the same age. She is an only child, and grew up in Metairie, (a New Orleans suburb), across the street from the Campos. She went to college in California (Occidental), and has worked in film and television production since graduation. As the story opens, she is in New Orleans working as First AD on a Lifetime movie that is filming there.

JIMMY CAMPO is Lacey’s thirty-six-year-old brother. He is a musician (guitar, some vocals) and has lived in Los Angeles for fifteen years. His current band, LeViticum, has enjoyed some recent success. Jimmy spends much of his time touring, and travels to New Orleans frequently.

AMBROSE is Lacey’s giant dog, a St. Bernard.

FOX BECNEL is Lacey’s dead husband. He appears in the story once, in a flashback.

TONTI (EVANGELINE RICHARD BECNEL SCHMIDT) is Fox Becnel’s aunt (sister to Fox’s father). She left the small town of Galliano, Louisiana, when she got married, and settled with her husband in the Lake Vista area of New Orleans. They raised two sons there. She’s an eccentric who has always been very fond of Lacey, and endeavors to keep her within the family fold after Fox’s death.

ELI BARDZANI is a colleague of Angele Lee. He is overseeing Special Effects on the Lifetime movie. He has a unique understanding of Lacey’s emerging abilities.

THE DAKOTA KID (KEVIN HORNER) is the young, emergent, star of the movie Angele and Eli are working on. He strikes up a flirtatious exchange with Lacey.

CECIL SESSION is a mysterious man of indeterminate age, who Lacey first meets when he drafts her into volunteer service for a fundraising event.

LAWRENCE LASALLE is Nathan Quirk’s father-in-law. He always has, and continues to spoil his daughter, his only child. He bears great resentment toward Nathan Quirk.

So, that feels like a decent introduction to the key players in this story. I left a handful off this list, some who will play a larger part in Books Two and Three, and others who just populate this one.

I hope you will enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. Just remember: Don’t hate the players. . .