I have a confession to make.

I started off hating Jesse Bradford, the hero in my upcoming November release, STRONGER THAN SIN.

It wasn’t hard to hate him.  He was a superstar football player who let fame get in the way of family and the values they had instilled in him.  In fact, Jesse made as big a name for himself with his off-field antics involving women and alcohol as he did with his accomplishments on the football field.

How bad was he?  The first time Jesse met the heroine of the book, Dr. Liliana Carrera, it was in the Emergency Room after a drunken bar room brawl that left Jesse needing stitches (You’ll be able to read that free prequel shortly!). Did I also mention that he somehow got around government regulations to undergo radical gene therapy in order to return to the only thing he has left in his life, namely  football?

You’re probably asking yourself by now why I would ever want to have someone like Jesse as a hero.

The answer is actually quite easy:  Redemption.

I knew that deep down inside, the real Jesse still existed and would realize the error of his ways and re-emerge.  I sensed that Jesse was a man devoted to family, dedicated to hard work and capable of great love.  He had just lost himself along the path to becoming a celebrity.

I also knew that if either his family or someone he loved was in jeopardy, Jesse would rise to the challenge in order to protect them.

No matter how much I wanted to hate Jesse as the story unfolded, he proved me wrong at every turn by doing the right thing and demonstrating his love for family (and Liliana) as well as intense loyalty, courage and honor.

Redemption.  The ability to own up to your mistakes and rise above them. To me that’s what makes a true hero.

It’s what made me fall in love with Jesse Bradford.  I hope you will as well.

But now for some fun!

When I think of Jesse and who would play him in a movie, I envision someone like Michael Weatherly from the original NCIS television series (as well as Dark Angel).  A little bigger and brawnier since Jesse is a football player, but definitely with the same kind of looks.

Are there any sports heroes or movie stars you would imagine casting in the role of a super-hunky blonde ex-football player?

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Michael Weatherly Photo Credit: SpecialWindler@en.wikipedia.com