“Why is Robbie’s dad such a jerk?”
I get this question a lot. And I love it.
I love writing characters whose motivation isn’t clear. Sometimes I don’t even understand why they do the things they do.
That’s what makes them complex. That’s what makes them real.
Mr. Franklin is someone I have messed around with in my head for years. Robbie is such an important character and I always knew he had a strained relationship with his dad, but I wasn’t sure why.
Sure, his parents were divorced and he lived in a different state. But really, that isn’t so unusual. It doesn’t account for the distance in their relationship.
I have always written the parents of the characters to be one of two ways. Either super supportive and caring or evil and deranged.
Robbie’s dad is different. He’s a bit of an enigma.
Robbie is a character I have grown to adore. I had to be careful with who would hold Tessa’s heart. She is such a special character who is close to me and has so much of the anxiety I fight with on a daily basis. I have never written a character so closely resembling an issue I struggle with and showing her able to have such an open and loving relationship with Robbie is a testament to being supported and valued.
Back to Robbie’s dad. Does he love Robbie? Yes, absolutely. Does he have a really hard time showing it? Yes.
Robbie’s dad reminds me very much of someone who shuts down when unable to handle things. Robbie’s Epilepsy is a bone of contention with him not because he blames Robbie or is somehow bothered by it, but rather by his inability to ‘fix’ his son and his guilt at maybe being someone who contributed to it. None of that is helpful or relevant, and to Robbie, it’s completely insulting. But it is something Mr. Franklin has never been able to handle.
And it’s cost him years with his son.
I have worked very hard to cover Robbie’s Epilepsy with the care and knowledge it deserves. I try to show the unpredictability of the disease and how it effects his life and those around him. I also never want to make it all he is just as the issues all of my characters face are never the only thing about them.
I began to focus on Robbie’s dad more in the third book of the sequel. I planned on having his mother pass away and his father come and play a more prominent role in his life. What I didn’t anticipate is where that arc would take me.
I love showing the stronger side to Tess when Mr. Franklin does something to hurt Robbie. She is a passive person, but never confuse passivity for weakness. She will fight fiercely for those she loves.
I introduced Mr. Franklin when Sabrina needed a lawyer. I tried to show his personality in small ways through the interactions with the whole family and then through how Robbie talked to others.
Mr. Franklin had some legitimate concerns about his son, but he always focused on the wrong things. He never saw the good, just the negative. He focused on what could go wrong, and not the potential for success. I understand it, but it’s hard to be around someone like that. Someone who is always waiting for something to go wrong.
His arrogance is questionable. What I mean by that is that he is often mistaken. His personality is a bit stand offish and what he means isn’t always portrayed by what he says. He is socially awkward. He is blunt and opinionated and the lawyer in him causes him to question people’s motives. The problem with that is twofold. It makes people dislike him and it creates tension where there doesn’t need to be any.
One thing I have tried to be consistent about in regards to Mr. Franklin is how he reacts to Robbie’s seizures. His reaction is way more about him than his son, but it reinforces the idea that something is ‘wrong’ with Robbie. That isn’t the case, and it infuriates those who love Robbie and chips away at his resolve.
In book 11, I took the character in a very different direction. I didn’t realize he had a family hidden from Robbie until I saw them on the page. I realize how weird (and kind of alarming) that sounds. What I mean is that I wanted to uncover the deceit with Robbie and Tess and see it unfold through their eyes. I know it was a shock in so many ways, and I needed it to be. I wanted there to be a schism that opened so wide, it may not be fixable. That’s what happens sometimes, despite our best intentions.
Creating Candace and Luke gave me so many opportunities. In Robbie’s eyes, it was a do over for his dad. It was another chance to be the father Robbie always wanted, but it would be for someone else. That would hurt Robbie in a way he couldn’t express. Not because he didn’t want his dad to be happy, but because he hid everything from him.
Why?
I want to take time in book 12 to push deeper into the relationship Robbie has with his dad. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
There is also a part of Mr. Franklin that has been kept hidden from everyone. He will soon find that he can’t continue to live the life he’s been living. Not without consequences.
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