Boom…from Say What You Mean to now

Salt & Pepper’s MMC is a familiar face to the JGU. Let’s take a different kind of look at his humble beginnings, from side character to leading man.

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, writing a twenty-one-year-old MMC (David Marcus, Hey Auntie) at my big age was a heavy lift. So what did I do for a follow-up? Wrote a part two, because, duh!

When I came up with the idea for Salt & Pepper two years ago, I knew I wanted to write an older character. Who or what his story would be, I had no clue, but he shan’t be a twentysomething. At some point during my brainstorming, I was riding a high of writing the championship game scene from, Say What You Mean (Hey Auntie, book 2). That scene, and

moreso two after it, forced a side character into the spotlight.

I’m one of those authors who believe that characters speak to you. They can control, even hijack a story, as well as demand more time on page/screen. A nonverbal interaction between Ms. Liza and David Marcus’ old AAU coach played on a loop in my mind. There was a level of control he conveyed with minimal dialogue that jumped off the page. That scene, combined with advice provided later in the book led me to decide he’d be the perfect guy to build a story around.

Who is Chris “Boom” King?

Boom is the strong, silent type that really isn’t quiet at all. His voice carries weight, both in tone and in substance. In short, there’s no wasted air when the man’s decides to do/say anything.

Where have we seen Boom before?

We first meet him in chapter four of Say What You Mean. He randomly sends David Marcus a text after the younger man receives some bad news that threatens to end his basketball career.

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Boom…from Say What You Mean to now (Salt & Pepper)

What’s the carryover between books? In Say What You Mean, Boom pops up when David Marcus needs him most. First with a random word of encouragement, then a surprise pop-up, and lastly with an introspective word when he most needs it later in the book.

Related: It's hinted at by David Marcus' mom that Boom is dealing with something personally.

(cue the transition from side character to leading man)

In Salt & Pepper, the reader finds out that this is Boom's M.O., regardless of what he has going on. He's the always-on-time friend that we all need (if we don't have one of those already).

If you can count Boom as a person in your circle, it’s a foregone conclusion, you’re back is got, forever. Now, imagine if he falls for you.