When I wrote my first novel, The Count of the Sahara, it was because I became utterly obsessed with a real-life character. Byron de Prorok was the most fascinating human I’d come across in a long time, and yet, I didn’t know a single person who had ever heard of him.
In fact, if it wasn’t for archivist Michael Tarabulski (blessings be upon him), I wouldn’t have found the chutzpah to write the book. Frankly, nobody else on the planet seemed to care about this complicated, brilliant, talented, self-destructive, and infinitely infuriating guy. He was, quite literally, the stuff that great stories are made of.
Maybe because I didn’t know any better, I decided I would be the one to tell his story. I figured since nobody else cared, who would I tick off if I failed? The Count of the Sahara made its way into the world and kick-started my historical fiction career.
Since then, my filing cabinet has filled up with real-life people who would make incrediblenovel protagonists.
The problem? Sometimes I look at their actual lives and think: I don’tknow if I’m writer enough to pull this off. In the case of people from different backgrounds or genders, is it my story to tell?
Here is a list of five characters you probably haven’t heard of, all possessed of absolutely jaw-dropping backstories. In my fevered imagination, I would love to chronicle their lives, or at least some of the cool stuff. In reality, they intimidate the hell out of me.
- Sir Richard Francis Burton Swordsman, linguist (fluent in 27 languages and dialects), explorer, minor pornographer, and a world-class pain in the ass to everyone who ever knew him—except for his fiercely loyal, wildly co-dependent wife, Isabel. He’s a biographical mountain that I’m still afraid to climb. How do you do justice to the guy you wanted to be when you grew up (without the being a complete A-hole part?)
- Florence Baker (And her husband, Samuel, but damn… Flo.) Born in Transylvania, she was orphaned and sold into the Ottoman slave trade, only to be purchased by a naive, wealthy English noble who originally just wanted to save her from a grim fate. She eventually married him and accompanied him to Africa on one of the most dangerous, insane missions ever conceived: to follow the Nile backwards, from its mouth to its source. Badass women are my kryptonite. Speaking of which…
- Kate Warne In 1856, a 23-year-old widow walked into the Pinkerton Detective Agency and demanded a job. She became America’s first female detective. Her career was a masterclass in espionage; in fact, it was her literal clothing that Abraham Lincoln wore when he disguised himself as a woman to escape the infamous Baltimore Murder Plot.
- Thomas-Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie Known in his day as the “Black Hercules,” he was the father of the much more famous author Alexandre Dumas. Born to a French nobleman and an enslaved Black woman in Haiti, he rose to become the first person of color to command white troops in the French Army. He fought for (and then famously feuded with) Napoleon, and spawned two generations of France’s greatest literary dynasty.
- Hiroo Onoda A Japanese intelligence officer so unyielding in his loyalty to the Imperial cause that he spent 29 years holding out in the jungles of the Philippines. He refused to believe WWII was over or that Japan lost. The crazy bastid didn’t surrender until his former commanding officer personally flew out to relieve him of duty in 1974.
The One I’m Writing Anyway… Vlad Tepes Dracul Yes, Vlad the Impaler.
Now, let’s be clear: this is NOT a vampire story. (Sorry, Johnny Lycan fans!) My new project is Vlad-adjacent. it asks a story that may or may not be relevant to today’s political situation: how far will a human being go before passion becomes power, power becomes madness, and what is it truly like to be trapped in that terrifying person’s orbit when it seems they’re your only choice for your country’s survival?
Over to You:
Which of these five historical wildcards floats your boat the most?
Who would you want to see get the full novel treatment next?
Let a brother know in the comments below!
The Deserter- a Tale of the Foreign Legion, is “a remarkable, thoroughly researched, gripping tale. A two-fisted adventure set in the African desert.” Available in paperback anywhere, and on Kindle. While it doesn’t necessarily have a famous character, it is a kick-ass tale of the Legion at its peak.
