Another installment of my thoughts as I work on Prep School Rivals. The original web series had some great volunteer extras in Season 3, but unfortunately there was not time to delve into anyone's stories except the main characters. Throughout the novels, I have really relished the opportunity to create families and friends galore in the Prep School world. This post will discuss some of my new teen characters in the books. (SPOILERS AHEAD)
In Prep School Blues, I get to fully introduce a character who is only teased at in the web series, Larsen's athletic rival Brandon O'Reilly. While Larsen starts to have a change of heart and drop his macho facade somewhat, Brandon is an unrepentant bastard throughout most of his appearances. He's also a figure of intense, dangerous male sexual desire. Prep School Rivals will see Brandon set his sights on Rachel, who is his polar opposite. Where she is virtuous and rule abiding, he is rebellious and unpredictable. They are both in for a very rough time.
Jack's crisis of faith was a major theme of Prep School Scandal, and Marco Strieber embodied many of his reservations and doubts about believing. The matter of sensuality versus spirituality was not an issue I got to address in the show, but I felt was important to tackle in the books. For me, Marco's blind adherence to dogma and crippling guilt contrast with Jack's more loving approach to faith. Jack does believe in God, but unlike Marco, sees God as a caring, forgiving figure. Marco will return in Prep School Rivals when he enrolls at the academy and starts as a new student there, bringing with him some secrets of his own.
Prep School Rivals introduces Toby Smith, Larsen's roommate at the rehab center he is sent to in the opening chapters. Toby's expressive flamboyance and open sexuality seriously clash with Larsen's ideas of masculinity and his emotional repression. Getting to know Toby will force him to confront a lot of feelings he had denied to himself, especially where Jack in concerned. I can definitely say that Toby, like many readers, is a Jack/Larsen shipper himself!
It's been a blast for me creating these characters. Keep looking out for more updates on the upcoming novel Prep School Scandal!
-Chris.
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