Interview with Dane Raphyel

Please tell us about yourself.

I work for TRAIL, which stands for Trace, Rescue, and Identification League. Don't listen our competitors, who'd like you to believe it's Thieves, Ruffians, Assholes, Idiots, and Liars. We're the real deal. If it's lost, we find it. If it's in danger, we rescue it. If it's unknown, we identify it. That sums up my job quite well. I'm married to my college sweetheart, and we have five boys. Since everyone seems to ask, I'll go ahead and tell you I'm 6'9" tall. Not the lanky type. I work for a living, so I'm pretty much all muscle. You'd think that would warn people, but no. Bullies seem to ooze out of the floor. I try to defuse the situation, and usually I'm lucky, but there are times when I have to demonstrate that you don't mess with me. Still, I prefer a peaceful solution. I don't carry a weapon unless I have to. Generally, I don't need one. Besides, my partner, Jee Tonopah, is a walking blade. She's always packing something that slices or fires.

What is it that you want, but cannot have? Authors call this the conflict of the story.

In this story, I'm trying to get home. I'd promised my wife I'd be there for more than an overnight stay for a change, and we get called in on a mission.

What inner doubt causes you the most difficulty?

Inner doubt? *rubs back of his neck* Don't rightly know. Maybe that I'm getting too old for all this. I only work for TRAIL so I can afford to be a dad and give my wife and kids a good home. I'd like to settle down. Thing is, Jee needs me. My partner is a well-armed hyperactive jackrabbit with delusions of grandeur. You don't have to worry about that getting back to her -- I've said it to her face. I'd hate to see my dear Jee out on her own, and we do work well together. We'll see. But I think my biggest doubt is that I can keep going. Sometimes you get tired, you know?

What's your external complication? In the story world your author created, explain what it is you fear most.

You see, we're trying to find this young man named Kaiwulf. Now, believe it or not, he can walk through stone. We don't know where it is he's going, or how he gets there. We don't rightly care, to tell you the truth. All we're supposed to do is find him, and bring him back to this dimension. Thinking about how you find an invisible man in another dimension -- that's keeping me up at night.

Tell us about your significant other, that person who makes living worthwhile.

That's my wife, Haylie Jennifer Allard. Everyone calls her Jenny because her best friend growing up was named Haley, and they decided to use their middle names instead. They're still best friends, and that's one of the things I love about Jenny. She's loyal. She's there no matter what. She loves my partner like a sister. That means a lot to me. I spend day in and day out with Jee, and if Jenny had any issue with that, it would mean I'd have to quit. Because when it comes down to it, I'm in love with Jenny, and she means everything to me. That said, I don't get to spend the time I want to, nor the time she deserves. Jenny does an amazing job with our sons, and I wish I could be there more to be part of it.

What would that person say about you?

I'm afraid one day she'll say, "Dane who?" *rolls eyes* Lately, she says I'm not home long enough to please her. Doesn't please me, either. But she loves me.

What special skills do you rely on?

You'd think it would have to do with my size, but the truth is, my size is part of me, like skin color or the color of my eyes. I can use it to intimidate, and I do when needed. But despite all the sharpshooter training, the background in covert ops, and the physical training that goes into being a TRAIL agent, mostly I depend on my memory. I don't have an eidetic memory -- I can't remember every detail. But it's sharper than most people's. TRAIL makes sure we're all well educated, and we're briefed extensively about missions. I can understand more languages than I can speak, and I can speak quite a few. Funny thing, working with Jee, who is not even five feet tall, is that for our size difference, you'd think we would play off the traditional good-cop/bad-cop routine when we need to question people. But we do the opposite. I will usually step up close to people. I'm tall enough that they end up tilting back their heads to look up. When they do, Jee puts herself in their line of vision, usually with a gun in one hand. They can see the threat of my size, and they understand it. But Jee has a hair trigger personality, and when she starts fingering a weapon, they back right down. It's kind of fun to watch.