There’s a long tradition within crime fiction of “badass” sidekicks who not only help the lead detective, but keep them out of danger and serve as enforcer when needed.

Think of Hawk, the mysterious mercenary and former French Foreign Legion member who’s like a brother to Robert B. Parker’s hard-boiled detective, Spenser. Or Mouse, the raging psychopath and childhood best friend of Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins in Walter Mosley’s books. Or Joe Pike, the strong and silent assistant to Robert Crais’ Elvis Cole.

In creating Amalia Velasquez, the bartender and ex-Army Ranger who lives below the main character in my Parker Hanson Mystery series, I took inspiration from these literary forerunners. But in a twist on traditional gender roles, I thought it would be refreshing to make it a woman who’s saving Parker when the danger ramps up and the stakes get higher.

Amalia is such a fun character to write. I decided she would be Latina in response to the racism and backlash against immigration in America. Although I wrote the first Parker Hanson book before ICE raids entered our collective consciousness, I figured it would be empowering for immigrants (and allies) to read about a tough and formidable Latina heroine whose family came from Central America to pursue the American Dream.

In making Amalia one of the few women to have completed the grueling Army Ranger school, I took inspiration from my nephew, Tom, who’s a former Army Ranger himself. Tom has been instrumental in helping me understand the training involved and what skills Amalia would have in this capacity.

Amalia is strong, capable, and entirely dependable. She gets the job done. In choosing her character’s name, I looked for a common Latina name that embodied these qualities—and “Amalia” means diligent, vigorous, and industrious.

In naming Callie Stewart, Parker’s love interest, I went in a different direction. I’ve always loved the name Callie, and it holds sentimental value for me as well, as my wife and I considered naming our first daughter Callie (after Cal Ripken Jr., a baseball player we both admired). So when I saw an opportunity to use this name in my first novel, I took it.

Like Parker, Callie is smart, kind-hearted, and quick-witted. That’s one reason I think the pair are a good match for each other: They can verbally spar together, with Callie holding her own in these interactions. 

In fact, the moment when Parker realizes he’s falling for her occurs after they’ve just seen a baseball game together. Although the game itself was disappointing, at least the entertainment between innings—a performer known as “The Amazing Harris”—was memorable. When Callie makes the joke, “We’ll always have Harris,” it endears her to Parker for two reasons: She’s made a play on words involving his favorite movie, Casablanca, while also proving herself quite astute.

Of course, Amalia needed a romantic partner as well. Because I have friends and family members who are gay, it was important for me to have LGBTQ+ representation in my books. That’s why I’ve chosen to have Amalia be in a relationship with another woman. 

Her partner, Kris Koskinen, is an example of how opposites attract. Whereas Amalia isn’t interested in clothes, Kris is a fashion maven. As for the inspiration behind her name, I have no idea where it came from, other than that I’m a sucker for alliteration.

Parker also owes some of his success to Detective Frank Connor, his closest ally on the Concord, New Hampshire, police force. I named him after Frank Belson, the Boston police sergeant who’s an old friend of Spenser’s from his days as a cop in Robert B. Parker’s books. In a tribute to Kojak, the iconic, lollipop-sucking TV detective played by Telly Savalas, I’ve described Connor as frequently eating various kinds of penny candy—though whether he does this to help him quit smoking (like Kojak) or just because he has a sweet tooth is left to the reader’s imagination.

Because I wanted Black representation in my novels, I made Connor’s character Black. New Hampshire’s population is largely white, which means most of its police officers are white as well—and in a future book, I plan to explore how being one of the only Black employees on the force can lead to conflict for Connor.

And finally, there’s Minerva, the four-year-old bloodhound Parker adopts near the end of book one in the series, Swinging for Power. She plays a key role in the second book, Cross Checking, helping Parker and Amalia solve one of its two interconnected mysteries. Minerva is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, bravery, and victory—and so I thought it was the perfect name for a highly intelligent dog who also helps solve crimes.

Although Parker is the series’ main hero, my books wouldn’t be nearly as interesting without this colorful cast of supporting characters. 

Which characters are your favorites, and why? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Drop me a note and let me know your thoughts.