kirstyes

J is for Jane Thomas and Jamie Trainer

(Post 10 on my WIP)

Like Gabrielle, Jane has already said hello – here. But, as our main character I think she is allowed more blog exposure. I’m also going to more formally introduce her stepbrother Jamie Trainer (initialling things to distinguish ownership wouldn’t work in their house).

I see Jane as being similar looks wise to Amber Tambyln – an actress I’ve admired since seeing her in Joan of Arcadia.

Here’s a glimpse of Jane and Jamie’s first meeting.

Jamie scuffed in first, he had a mop of brown hair that a comb would probably get stuck in. Jane thought he’d be better off cutting it all off and starting again.
‘Jane, this is Jamie Trainer,’ Jamie gave her a nod and a grin that made her feel that perhaps he wasn’t like the sullen teenage boys in the higher school. ‘and this,’ her mum continued, ‘is his father, Sergeant Benjamin Trainer, he’s a policeman with the local station. We met,’ her mum shot him a coy smile, ‘when I parked somewhere I shouldn’t have. He gave me a ticket and his phone number.’
Sergeant Benjamin appeared very serious. Surely if you liked someone you would have let them off a ticket. Jane realised that they had probably been told more about her than she had about them but decided to introduce herself anyway. ‘I am Jane Violet Thomas, I am nine years old and six months and,’ she faltered not quite sure what she wanted to say next, so plumbed for something in between the whole truth and a lie, ‘and I think I’m happy to meet you.’
She got another grin from Jamie, a sideways glance from her mother and a frown from the sergeant. She chose to ignore the adults and wink conspiratorially at the boy who would, within six months become her stepbrother.

Jane and Ben do not see eye to eye and part of it appears, at least to Jane, to be his favouritism of his biological child.

Jamie and Jane at first tolerated each other. Their mutual presence had meant that things were changing and neither of them much liked change. Jamie who had grown up with only his father’s influence and discipline after his mother died in childbirth was better behaved, at least on the surface. Jane who had been let off small bouts of naughtiness because she had just lost her father was not used to being told no. It seemed that no was one of the Sergeant’s favourite words. No Jane you can’t keep that big room, Jamie is older and needs the space to study hard so he can follow in my footsteps and join the police force, no Jane we can’t take you to ballet and horse riding, Jamie’s police cadets programme is very expensive, what about a horse riding lesson once every two months. No Jane you can’t get down from the table until we all, Jamie included, have finished.

But despite this Jamie and Jane become true friends and Jamie steps into the protective older brother role with ease. She is devastated when he dies and spends the book trying to solve his murder.

When I was searching for images of my characters I actually found this picture of Orlando Bloom and Amber Tamblyn together and found out they have acted with each other before (along with Colin Firth in Main Street, which I’d never heard of). How freaky is that?

Can you get a sense that our Jane may not always be the most reliable narrator?
Do you think Jane should break the ethics of time travel to get her brother back?