A Roaring Lion and a Teddy Bear

Levi: A Roaring Lion and a Teddy Bear

Yet another character that caught me off guard, was Levi. He did not sneak onto the page or insist on being heard, but rather he grew on me. Emma needed a safe place, a safe person, someone to protect her when she was at her most vulnerable. She needed someone to teach her and reveal God’s truth, for when or if she’d fall back for the safety of the lie she’d been taught. So, Levi came on board. He was planned, but…

Like many of my characters, he went through a name change. His original name was Ely. But I can’t have the main character, Emma and a strong supporting character have first names that start with the same letter of the alphabet.

Yup, I discovered that once I started to learn about how to write a novel, a year after I’d started writing in earnest. Imagine all the changes I had to make! Levi was a name I had chosen for another character but decided to use it here anyway.

Levi Can be a Roaring Lion or a Teddy Bear

Levi is the father figure I think most of us hope for. He’s kind and thoughtful, forgiving, understanding but a bit scattered at times. Although he’s been a Light Warrior for most of his life, he has a heart of gold; he can be as fierce as a lion or as soft and cuddly as a teddy bear (Book 3 – Orphan Lights). Levi protects what is his, has a passion for God, and a desire to serve Him. Although he goes about some tasks grudgingly (such as serving as the Thirteenth Elder), his heart’s desire is to serve God. It was the strength of his character and passion that caught me off guard. I’m not sure I’ve ever known anyone quite like that. Where he came from, I’m not sure, but he holds a piece of my heart.

By now, I think you can tell, my story characters come to life in my mind, and I hope on the written page. I write about them as if they were real people, although I assure you I know very well they are not. It is what I have to do to remember what they are all about, what they do, their quirks and quarks.

Capturing Levi’s Heart

In the same way that Levi captured my heart, Emma captured Levi’s, and not because she was a White Light. He respected her for being at the application procedures all by herself, without an entourage of doting family members or teachers. Maybe it was the aloneness that captured him, or maybe because she reminded him of his deceased wife, Grace. Whatever it was, he took her on as his, even before she became his housekeeper.

The Mystery of Grace

If you have read any of the books, you may remember that there is a secondary plot woven throughout the books. This plot deals with the unexpected death of Grace, Levi’s wife, and Kaiden’s mother. Levi has always suspected that foul play was involved in her death but could never prove anything. That is, not until aspects of her death are revealed through the most unexpected means. (Yup, you may need to read book two, Children of Light – In the Shadows to learn about that mystery.)

Grace’s death was another of those unplanned nuances of the storyline, that just happened. I was writing in my favorite place, the gazebo in our backyard. The birds were chirping away, many splashing in the birdbath, the wind chimes were gently swaying and ringing when the mystery bloomed.

I remember grabbing an extra piece of paper and started jotting down the additional ideas as they flowed. Then doubt came. Should I include the mystery? What if I didn’t have a solution to it? Could I leave a story hanging? I hate it when there is no satisfactory conclusion to a story. My mind takes over and works on alternative endings until a satisfactory one is arrived upon. But I decided to include it anyway. The conclusion of this part of the storyline did not come to me until I was writing book two, so rest assured, there is a conclusion. Now, I just have to work it in.

Story Centrality

Levi is central to the story, without whom Emma would have been lost. He is God’s provision; God’s protection; the guiding wisdom and the father figure she never really had. Emma without Levi makes for an incomplete story, but I wasn’t aware I needed him until he popped up on the page.

Thank you for reading.

Please feel free to let me know what you think of these epithets on the Children of Light series. Plus, if there is an explanation of any part of the books you would like, to help you understand, just drop me a line .

I look forward to hearing from you.

Blessings

Jana