Blog number 45

Blog Forty five, this blog is getting positively middle aged.

It's an odd thing that when Velio Pinneius came out of the ether and invented or created himself in 'Legionaries of The Boar'  I did not know what he looked like.  I developed him, as best I could, as a character and yet I could not have picked him out of a police line up as the principal offender-suspect.  I knew what he thought and what he said, how he felt about life and duty.  I had him in my head as a person, a soldier, hero, flawed warrior, disappointed in love, reconciled to serving the empire of Rome and lonely Britannia.  But not his face. No, I did not see that at all. Which, to be frank was a little bit tricky. I'm writing about an invisible man! - not good.

Part of the joy of a book is every reader imagines every character differently. My Gallus Tiomaris is not your Gallus. Who is Gallus?  'Legionaries of the Boar' explains all.  :) 

Still, it felt like something was not quite right. Velio where art thou?

I do a lot of YouTube music watching, from Highland piping- my own folly, to country and western, to folk, to miscellaneous rock.

I happened on the Canadian music legend, Gordon Lightfoot's song, 'Early Morning Rain' and found it taking root in my head. A bit of browsing took me to "Gord's Gold" , his album circa 1974/5/6 I think, and there , on the album cover, if cropped for leather jacket and full head of hair - leaving just the eyes, cheekbones, nose, mouth and chin, was my invisible hero, Centurion Velio Pinneius revealed.  At last, the stare of a Roman centurion, with a mere hint of understanding of other men's weaknesses. 

He might not be the Velio Pinneius you see in your head, but he's got the essence. Thank you Gordon Lightfoot.  The Boar legion salutes you. And 'Gord's Gold' stands the test of time too.