Riley has been in my imagination as long as Ally has. Always there for her through thick and thin. As she is for him. They are as close as family without the blood connection.
In Jesper Schmidt and Autumn M. Birt’s Plot Development Step by Step exercise book, the Sidekick is loyal to the protagonist through anything from defending the innocent, investigation for clues. to stealing cookies. Riley is idealistic and a people person, he spreads himself thin using his big heart and personality.
Riley is the youngest son in his family and therefore spent more time at his mom’s healing practice on shore than he did on the boat with his father and brothers. Although the whole family is close, it has created a distance between them, even more so then him being younger than them. Luckily for him, and for Ally, they were both basically only children and that is why they grew so close so fast. He is also the main reason Ally has experienced as much as she has, outside of the boating community, because she would stay with him and his mom shoreside for visits. He is gregarious and friendly so always had somewhere for them to go, people for her to meet, and experiences to share.
Now that Riley spends more time on the boats with his family, he longs for his favourite part of living on land. His goal of joining a band. But now, when he is not in a location for longer than a couple of nights, it is problematic. He finally receives an invitation to audition for a band, but there are other agendas that might stop him from pursuing his dream. Fortunately, Ally is there by his side, as the two of them are always there for each other.
Ally and Riley are the main focus of the prequel Wicked Currents, to the River Run Series. The novella will be written during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this November. I had mentioned NaNoWriMo before, but as a reminder it is open to anyone who wants to write. A community of like-minded and enthusiastic individuals who welcome everyone to join in. You can find out more information here at: National Novel Writing Month