Home of the Brandon Sparks Young Adult novels.
Frank Drek
Frank grew up in Long Island less than fifteen miles from Brandon. His father, Ray, was an extremely gifted mechanic who worked primarily on starships, but could repair almost anything mechanical. Though he worked long hours, Ray tried to make time for Frank and he would teach the boy how to repair toasters, computers and other mechanical items. Martha Drek worked long hours as well and this left Frank with a great deal of time on his hand. Without the supervision of his parents, and his large size, Frank learned that he could take the things he wanted from smaller children. Bullying became a passion.
Author’s Note:
Frank was originally a one dimensional character that was added to the story to be combative with Brandon, and reminiscent of his experience with Big Luke Sanderson. As the story progressed in my head, I realized that Frank would play a much more important role. The Hidden Sun needed someone to repair it when it was damaged, and giving Frank this ability seemed a good way to continue the verbal barbs between the two boys.
I will let you guess why Frank has the name he has.
Charlie’s Note:
It’s proving quite difficult for me to come up with a fond story about Frank Drek. Until the day he died, he was such a nasty person. The only one he ever showed affection for other than himself was Cofer Gendrew. I still can’t believe that at one point he was captain of the Hidden Sun! I will give Frank credit for being an excellent mechanic and though he did everything for his own selfish gain, his presence made a huge difference when Brandon was in a jam.