First of all, if you haven’t had the pleasure of watching Logan Lucky, you’re missing out. It’s a fantastic heist movie set in West Virginia with the most unbelievable premise. Two brothers, hard up for money, decide to steal from the vault at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Of course, things go sideways…and you know there’s gonna be some crazy shit that happens. It’s full of humor and tension. I just love it.

But what I love the most is one of the characters. Clyde Logan, a military veteran turned small-town bartender. He’s one hundred percent cinnamon roll who is always taking hits for his older brother and catching flack from outsiders for only having one arm. Or one hand as he explains in the film. “A transradial amputee,” he clarifies in his matter-of-fact deadpan to the smart ass who takes a teasing jab at him. He has a quiet way about him, but don’t let that fool you. One should never mess with the Logan brothers. Clyde will burn your shit to the ground without a second thought.

It was Clyde Logan and his relationship with his brother Jimmy that inspired the dynamics between Detective Grant Richards and his younger brother, Claude Richards, in both She Gives Love a Bad Name and Owner of a Lonely Heart. I borrowed some of those vibes from the film and added a lot of new ones to create the two brothers bound by the Black Penny and Hell’s Kitchen.

Claude and Grant look very similar (yes, that’s because I used Adam as inspiration for both characters), but they each have their own personalities, goals, and temperaments. Where Grant is rough, grumpy, and jaded, Claude is softer, more mild-mannered, and even-keeled. He’s definitely a cinnamon roll who deserves all of life’s wonders, but often catches the short end of the stick. He wants a simple life, but more than that, he wants love. The poor guy truly believes that no one could love a battle-scarred veteran like him.

Until Gwen walks into his bar covered in blood and terrified for her life. Their instant connection is palpable, and yet neither of them wants to believe it could lead to anything substantial. Gwen isn’t his salvation, and he’s not hers. But together, they find something they both want more than anything. Something worth fighting for.

While I borrowed heavily from Clyde Logan in creating Claude Richards, he took on a life of his own. Being set in 1985, it gave me the perfect opportunity to make Claude a Vietnam veteran who struggles with his past…including addiction.

Claude makes an appearance early in the series when Rob and Arthur go to the Black Penny in When I Found You. He’s a fixed character in every Craving 1985 book…and it’s for that reason I gave him his own happily ever after with Gwen. He deserved it.

And you deserve to meet him. Check out my Craving 1985 Series where I introduce you to the 80s and the crazy characters that I created based around a single premise…

What if I woke up and it was 1985?