My Favorite Characters Part 6: Hard Ass

I am a straightforward person. I don't brood or bitch behind people's backs. If I have a problem, I'll tell you straight out. I don't try to hurt anyone's feelings, but better that than lying to them.

Given that, it should be no surprise that one of my favorite characters is the "hard ass". Now, there are a lot of similarities between the hard ass and the diamond in the rough and some might not be able to tell them apart. But, whereas the diamond in the rough is general a sweetheart who talks tough, often because he never learned any better, the hard ass is pretty much just what you see. Sometimes old, sometimes young, no pulling punches or pussyfooting around the truth. They are often an expert in something and don't suffer fools worth a damn.

They tend to not to be terribly sensitive, not because they haven't known pain or trauma, but because they've chosen not to be owned by it. People hate 'em or love 'em. They are the consummate professionals, no ambition, just want to do a good job and, as long as you're not obstructing them (and can stand to hear the truth), you'll get along fine. If you have something to hide, are incompetent or oversensitive, you won't get along at all.

Traditionally, these have, again, been male characters, but I have to admit, I have a soft for females in this mold because it's a damn fine description of me. So, many of the most abrasive females out there are favorites of mine and, yes, I've written quite a few, including the title character in Curse of the Jenri. V.I Warshawski, Eve Dallas...yep, they're favorites.