Character Portfolio: Jason Strike

Jason Strike, otherwise known as traumatized boy extraordinaire! Jason is one of the main characters in my novel, Tiger Lily. He has the ability to transform into a snow leopard. However, this ability comes with some drawbacks. Everyone who reads knows that people with unusual abilities draw unwanted attention, usually negative. Jason has a mega-dose of that. 

Jason Callum Strike was introduced to the series in chapter two. But in the beginning, he was a side character whose main personality trait was anger. When I came back to draft the full novel I realized that Jason would be a fantastic main character, since I already have a preference for dual point of view.  He kind of started running the show from there 😄.

I wasn’t quite sure where to go with him at first. I knew that he was going to be able to control his gift, while Lily has no hands on the wheel with her tiger. But I wasn’t sure why. Did he have some experience that gave him that ability? Was it just something you either knew or didn’t? Eventually I realized that it would be because he is a Christian and, being a Christian, understands that he is loved with his leopard. That gives him the surety of self to be neither just human or just leopard –both. 

A bit of his backstory: Jason has some up close and personal experience with the villain of this story. His name is The Hunter. Jason was born perfectly normal… for about a year or two. Then his leopard started showing up. Now, a lot of new parents wonder if everything is ok with their kids and don’t know how to handle certain things, but this was a bit much for Jason’s mom and dad. They somehow managed with him for a while, afraid of having another child. But they finally had his little sister. 

When she was born, they believed that she was normal. They were right, but that didn’t help Jason. From the moment they brought his sister home from the hospital, he couldn’t touch her. I remember when I was six and my baby brother was born with a skull problem, and I wasn’t allowed to see him for a few days. Jason lives with his sister and has never made skin-to-skin contact with her. His parents barely even let them in the same room. 

As I’m sure you guessed, eventually he finds her alone. And she loves him. She doesn’t know what he is, nor does she care. She’s four weeks old. But when his parents come in and find him holding her hand, they freak out. So does Jason, and both his sister and his dad end up getting hurt when he turns into a leopard. After that, his parents do some research and somehow find Dr. T. Hunter. I’m sure you can guess who that is *guilty cough cough*

Anyway, Jason’s parents sign over all rights to him and Jason flies off to Africa with a man who is going to raise him for the next eight years. The Hunter practically raised Jason in a lab, but the boy eventually finds out exactly what the Hunter plans and he escapes at thirteen. Jason lives by his wits and his leopard for three years in the jungle. During that time, he finds and bonds with an African family that takes him in whenever he shows up –which is every few months because he can’t make himself stay away. This is when he becomes a Christian. 

This goes on for a while until… Lily shows up! After that it’s a whole adventure of Jason having to confront his doubts about who has a stronger hold on who he is –Jesus or The Hunter? My poor Jason has a lot of struggles and trauma, but ultimately he carries a lot of hope and determination with him. That’s his power. His hope. In the midst of his doubting whether or not God is with him when things couldn’t be any worse, Jason deeply knows that he is loved.

I hope that’s something he can pass on to people who read about him. The knowledge that while we may not turn into leopards or deal with scientists trying to hunt us down, we still struggle. We still doubt God. And he still loves us.