ANK on Nick Cole

Who is Nick Cole?
A gifted engineer, handsome devil, loyal friend, and saviour. He is Bella's temptation and Dylan's bane.

Nick's character didn't even exist when I started writing the first draft of The Sphere.
He appeared literally out of nowhere. One day, he stepped out of a dark corner of my mind and very politely introduced himself. Once I got over my initial shock and allowed him in, he had no problem convincing me that I needed him.
He never left me in any doubt that he came to stay.
Three books into the series and guess what: He is still with me.

And what a character he is!
I took him on board - reluctantly - because I needed him; the story needed him; Bella needed him.
Nick, however, fell for Bella; line, hook, and sinker.

And no matter how many times she floors him - he always gets up. He is a fighter; a survivor. He is my true hero.

I am grateful that he had the courage to come and the stamina to stay.

I admire and respect him.

Thank you, Nick!

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The man himself:
ANK has a melodramatic outlook when it comes to my person.

Let me get one thing clear: I never volunteered for altruistic reasons.

Firstly, I only agreed to talk to Bella about warp travel because my friend and mentor, Barnes, asked a favour of me. Secondly, I wanted to help because the project provided a new and intriguing distraction from life on the space station.

Thirdly - and I hate to admit this - I stupidly fell for Bella - and I couldn't pull out afterwards.

What started with butterflies in my stomach and high hopes for a future together almost ended in a disaster. The woman I love has some cruel ways to twist a man around her little finger and break him in the process! I know - I am at the receiving end. Yet - I cannot deny her! I cannot step away from her. I am too bloody weak.

She has a pull on me that I cannot escape; like even light cannot escape the pull of a black hole. That's what Bella is for me: A black hole - relentlessly sucking everything into it. And like a black hole, Bella's pull is indiscriminate. I know she doesn't do it out of spite. It is her nature. I wish I were stronger... I love her.

I need to get her away from the space station; out of the reach of The Sphere. Make her forget it ever existed; make her forget what it holds inside ever existed. I can do it... I would do anything to win her love. Beg, steal, lie, kill. I only need to build this spaceship. That's all it takes.

Once we are underway, she will be mine.

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ANK:
Nick is my most complex character. He causes me massive headaches because he is so unpredictable; yet - he is such a pleasure to work with.
When the story runs dry, Nick steps in to save the day.
Guess it's his paternal ancestry. He cannot deny his genetic predisposition. His father is a handful as well.
I nearly fell flat on my face when he turned up out of the blue!
Those men have a nasty habit of taking me by surprise...
I was blissfully oblivious to Nick's true nature - and so was he.

Enough! Nick's Dad has no doing in The Sphere, but he will feature prominently in the third book, Homecoming, where he will cause a good deal of havoc and upset. Until then, the Sphere-World Series has some life-changing challenges in store for Nick. I am not going easy on him! But that's what he came to volunteer for...
Good luck to you, my friend!