Jon Devlin

Born and raised in Winner, SD, Jon Devlin learned about order from a young age. His father, Admiral Samuel Devlin, was a military man and a strict disciplinarian and his mother worked for the local church. After graduating high school with honors, Jon put off a scholarship to college to enroll in the armed forces. After two years of excellent work in the Air Force, Private Devlin was abruptly transferred to the Hidden Sun. Admiral Devlin was an old friend of Captain Smoke, and knowing the man’s accomplishments, asked if he would accept Jon onto his starship and teach him as much as he could.

Jon was 6′3″, with pale skin and short black hair, which he kept neatly parted to the left. He was thin but in excellent shape, and people wondered if his unflappable energy level was genetic or due to the fact that he did not ingest carbohydrates.

Author’s Note:

When I decided to eliminate school for the children and replaced it with more of an apprenticeship, it gave me a chance to create a host of secondary characters. Jon Devlin was one of those characters. He pops up a few times in the books, his incredible work ethic being what the children remember.

There was nothing special or memorable about the creation of the character. I don’t recall why I chose the name I did. I can say that while writing, especially secondary characters that I am not emotionally attached to, there is not much thought put into their names. I try to keep it simple and use names that do not pull the reader out of the story. If i had named him Pepper Pinkleberry, the reader might laugh and say, “What?” and that wouldn’t be good. Better to fly under the radar and save the interesting names for the characters that spark my imagination.

Charlie’s Note:

Everyone always talks about Jon Devlin’s work ethic and stamina, but I prefer to remember him for winning the 82nd annual beef jerky eating competition in his home town of Winner, South Dakota.