Eric emerged as the central character more than I originally intended, but I guess it was inevitable. In my opinion he's the most interesting character in Time Force, certainly the most complex. The story touches on Wes's relationships with Jen and with his father, and on Jen's adjustment to our time, but those are subplots.
Jimmy Duran and Frank Kelly were originally one character (Jimmy Kelly), but by the end of the second chapter I had gotten to like him so much I wanted to keep him around for future stories, hence the split in two.
Any mistakes in writing about police procedures or detective work are strictly my fault; most of my knowledge comes from crime novels and 'Law and Order'. The drug used in the story, Rohypnol, is the so-called 'date rape' drug. It does exactly what I said, lowers inhibitions, causes blackouts, amnesia, and unconciousness, especially when combined with alcohol. It can also kill.
The tree branch flashback was based on an incident in my own life. However, I was with a bunch of other kids, it was a neighbor's tree, and we just got yelled at, not hit.
Anyone who thinks it's stupid to psychoanalyze a fictional character can stop reading right here.
In the series Eric was hostile, ambitious, compulsively competitive, occasionally violent, and also unhappy and lonely. (Not to mention brave, kind to those weaker than himself, and ultimately heroic.) All he actually said about his past was that he grew up 'dirt poor', struggled to 'pull my life out of the gutter', and that no one ever helped him.
From the beginning I thought the only way to explain his antisocial behavior and attitude was with some sort of childhood trauma, probably abusive, neglectful, and/or absent parents. This story became a way to flesh out his backstory, explaining his peculiarities (some of which I gave him). All of this is based on my version of Eric, by the way, it's consistent with the Eric of the series, but all the details of his background are mine.
While Eric hates his father for abusing him, in his mind the ultimate betrayal was his mother's abandonment of him. It's affected his ability to have close relationships, especially with women. He expects to be abandoned or rejected again, and tends to bring it about by his own behavior, repeating the pattern.
The knowledge that both his parents didn't want him, and his perception of his grandmother's death as an abandonment of him because he was bad, have left Eric with the subconcious conviction of his own worthlessness. This is why he feels compelled to continually prove himself; why he is driven to risk his life in an effort to help others as a Guardian and a Ranger; why he is so competitive and ambitious.
Eric's grandmother was added to the story because if he had grown up with no real affection at all, he would now be a complete basket case emotionally, which he definitely is not. He's quite capable of feeling and accepting affection, but it's difficult for him to trust others. Childhood abuse and neglect have a permanent, destructive effect, and Eric will never be entirely free of it, but he can change and grow, as we all can.