Last Friday we introduced you to Veronica San Luis, the titular main character (and reluctant heroine) of this year's novel, Her Name is Veronica. Today we continue with the question-and-answer portion with our main male character Dean Harper.
NAME OF CHARACTER: Dean Harper (born Clifford Dean Souza Harper)
Role in Story: Male main character
Occupation: Private investigator and high-level security expert
Age/ Birthday: 35. (Birthday undisclosed.)
Physical Description: Dark hair, blue eyes, a very short haircut. Kind of like the hapa version of this guy...
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| Photo credit: theberry.com |
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| Photo credit: Burnin' Love BBQ |
RELATIONSHIPS
Family: Dad - Dr. Clive Harper, professor in Political Science at the University of Hawaii; died in 1992 due to a freak hit-and-run accident on Buendia Avenue in Makati. Mom - Elizabeth Souza Harper, housewife turned soap maker; died in 1996 from a brain aneurysm. Sister - Nani (Wana`aonani Taryn) Harper, bath product mogul in Aina Haina. Tons of cousins and aunties all over the place.
Best friend: Kalani Souza, my cousin and partner in my private investigation business. He's like a brother to me, and I can always trust him to call me on my bullshit.
Confidante: When you're a private investigator in Honolulu, you'll be surprised by the number of people who are more than willing to talk to you if you're nice to them.
Love interest: Been there, done that. If she's cute, I'll consider.
Person I hate: Whoever killed my father. The last person who saw Clive Harper alive was Lionel Berkeley himself, and I would nail that sonofabitch if I had more concrete proof that he had something to do with my Dad getting pushed in front of that damn bus.
Person I like: Barack Obama. Saw him at Zippy's last time he was on vacation; he was at the other table with Michelle and the kids when he called me over to say hi and hang out. Cool guy.
Person I want to be: The guy who invents the best damn loco moco ever.
Habits/Mannerisms: Tends to break out into song at random moments. Crushes coffee cups with bare hands. Can be quite trigger-happy when provoked.
Background: All I'm telling you right now is this: I grew up in Kaimuki, graduated from Saint Louis School, and I have been doing both eskrima and capoeira before they were cool. My dad was murdered, my mom died of a broken heart, and I spent three years in Georgetown before a CIA recruiter told me that the agency has a few student internships open. This was a little before 9/11, so I sent my resume out on a lark. Two weeks later, I get a phone call, and I end up serving my country for a good ten years of my life. That's all I have to tell you right now.
Internal Conflicts: Can't answer this. It's classified.
External Conflicts: I'm on a flight to Manila right now because of a package that somebody found on my Dad when he died. There was a note on that package addressed to a girl named Veronica, which she was supposed to open on her 18th birthday. Surprise: Veronica is 25 now, and apparently she's Lionel's illegitimate daughter, but everybody else thinks that my Dad was trying to take the rap for the old man. Whatever it is, I just need an answer.
What is your idea of perfect happiness? Plate of kalbi and rice with side of kimchee, corn, spinach and potato salad (NOT mac salad, blech), served with ice-cold beer.
What is your current state of mind? Confused. A little pissed at my dad, too, because I can't believe that he's been letting people think that Veronica might actually be his daughter.
What is your favorite occupation? Pizza delivery boy. Don't laugh.
What is your most treasured possession? My dad's collection of vinyl albums.
What or who is the greatest love of your life? Joni Mitchell put it this way: "Don't it always seem to go/ That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"
What is your favorite journey? Whatever it is that brought me here.
What is your most marked characteristic? Kalani tells me that I'm too intense. That's bullshit; I just want to make sure I get things right.
When and where were you the happiest? I still need to remember.
What is it that you most dislike? Three things in particular: bad coffee, bad donuts, and bad soap.
What is your greatest fear? That someone would go out of their way to hurt Kalani and/or my sister.
What is your greatest extravagance? Tie: Gucci sunglasses and an Armani suit.
Which living person do you most despise? I'm assuming that the person who killed my Dad is still alive. Also, there's a special place in hell for the guy from Maroon 5 who wrote "Moves Like Jagger."
What is your greatest regret? That I never got to say goodbye to my Dad, and that I never got to tell him and Mom that I loved them both.
Which talent would you most like to have? Any kind of culinary talent.
Where would you like to live? No place like Hawaii, brah.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Losing my Mom around four years after I lost my Dad.
What is the quality you most like in a man? Strength. Integrity. Courage.
What is the quality you most like in a woman? Smells good. Knows how to cook.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? My quest for revenge.
What is the trait you most deplore in others? Dishonesty.
What do you most value in your friends? Loyalty, and a sense of humor.
Who is your favorite hero of fiction? Do movies count? Because I just saw The Maltese Falcon, and I thought that Humphrey Bogart was bad-ass.
Whose are your heroes in real life? Anyone who's more than willing to lay their lives down for what they really believe in. That was true with my parents, and the friends I've lost since the war on terror started.
Which living person do you most admire? Let me put it this way: After working in the field that I've worked in, for as long as I have... it gets pretty difficult to find someone worth admiring.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Virginity.
On what occasions do you lie? Can't answer this. It's classified.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? "Chee-hoo!" and "Awryte!" Trust me, this does not sound awesome when it's coming from a white guy.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I want to be less angry.
What are your favorite names? You'll have to ask my former handlers.
How would you like to die? Like this guy.
If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be? A diner owner.
What is your motto? "You can't always get what you want... but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need." - The Rolling Stones
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