Who is James Ellis?

“Who is James Ellis?” is a question readers of my books might be asking. As I stated ad nauseum I began writing in the spring of 2012, months after receiving my masters in business administration from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Rather than describe the supportive friendship Miguel, James, and Corey share, I am going to talk about them individually in terms of their personality, background, and opinions on different matters including them occasionally stumbling across a dead body. In the following paragraphs I am going to explain how the characters show different sides of my personalities.

Background of James Ellis

James Matthew Ellis is the youngest of three sons born to William and Mariah Ellis. James’s parents are highly successful relationship experts and bestselling writers whose success afforded them the opportunity to live comfortably in the small town of Carrington, Louisiana. Due his family’s affluence, it allows James to easily make friends from different walks of life. One would assume that James would feel very relaxed socially and emotionally, but he like everyone has his share of insecurities. His older brothers, Neal and Drew, are very attractive who had no trouble finding acceptance in high school and garnering the attention of the female population. James had very severe acne, braces, and found himself being looked as the ugly duckling among his parents’ children. Now as a 22-year-old his insecurities gradually fade away when he enrolls and graduates from Clinton University. 

Personality

James is the most naïve out of Miguel and Corey. Unlike Miguel and Corey who were athletes in high school and college, James has a strong passion for learning which is evidenced by him being named ‘Who’s Who among High School Students’ and the dean’s list at Carrington University. He majored in computer information systems and participated in several organizations such as the Association of Information Technology Professionals and Union Board. He is an introvert unlike Corey and Miguel. However, James is beginning to show interests in expanding his social circle when he attends grad school. He wants to carve his own niche for himself without being in the shadows of his parents and equally successful brothers. James’s interests are different from most adult young adults. He loves reading, journaling, listening to classical music which helps stimulate his mind, and a yearning to strengthen his faith.

Crime Solving

Given that James has lived in Carrington for his entire life he, members of the community are more willing to share information with him than others. James’s sleuthing is based off of one of my favorite TV characters Jessica Fletcher. Like Jessica, James hardly believes the most likely suspect is the one responsible for the crime even though they had a strong motive or an intense dislike for the victim. James remembers conversations that might seem innocuous yet are vital to the police arresting the guilty party.
 

Creation and Naming Of James

The first, middle, and last names of the main character are special to me. James is the middle name of my godfather. The middle name of Matthew is one that I have always had such a strong attraction to since it is the first book of the New Testament. Ellis was my great-grandmother’s last name whom I was blessed to have in my life until I was nineteen years old. Not a lot of people can say they knew their great-grandmother. Unlike myself who is the oldest of three children I thought it would be interesting to make James the youngest. He wouldn’t feel pressure to set a great example as the oldest, struggle to find his identity as the middle child, or play the mediator between his older and young siblings.