Children

A note about the children in the Brandon Sparks Universe – Joshua Fuld

As I began crafting the Brandon Sparks Universe, I felt confident that Brandon was a strong main character who could carry this complex story. When I added Charlie, I knew that I had created something special, but as the main storyline evolved and Charlie played more of a supporting role (due to him not being physically on the Hidden Sun), the children surrounding Brandon became more important. Brandon Sparks and the Hidden Sun became less Batman and Robin, and more Justice League.

When the core group of Brandon, Reggie, Traylor, Sly, Carlos and Frank were fleshed out, the main goal was to make the Hidden Sun feel lived in and do so in a realistic way. I decided to have eighty-eight children on board. Not only is this my homage to Back to the Future, but I also felt this was a good number based on the size and needs of the ship. There are enough characters on board that the children will run into one another, but not so many as to form large crowds, except in extreme cases like when Brandon becomes captain. Any less and the ship would have felt empty in my mind.

Having only created about a dozen child-aged characters by this time, I was left with a lot of room to create and incorporate new young characters as they were needed. While the expansion began in the first novel, it wasn’t until Brandon Sparks and the Star Shadow that these additional characters started to pop up and play a significant role in the storyline. Not only are these new characters critical to the main plot, but also to the subplots that are developing aboard the Hidden Sun. These subplots allow Brandon to become a more three-dimensional character, and add a level of depth and realism that the audience can identify with an embrace.

An example would be the addition of Diana Brioche. My original intention for her was solely as Brandon’s love interest, but as the story grew, she became critical to helping Brandon solve a key problem, and therefore advancing the plot. This would not have been possible without her and as the story has progressed into future novels she has become even more important.