Father’s Day is just around the corner. I really should have gotten this blog post done last week!

Today, I thought I would take the time to go over the roles of fathers in my books. There are some great ones and some really terrible ones. Just like in real life, I suppose. As much as we praise and express our thanks for those fathers who nurtured us and helped to make us what we are, there is no denying that not everyone has been so blessed. In fact, a fair number would probably rather bypass Father’s Day altogether and not have to think back to any of their experiences.

So let’s go through some characters, starting with the villainous and hopefully working our way uphill.

Young Adult Fiction

Parental figures in young adult fiction are often absent. If not absent, they are at least not involved in their teen’s lives, and the kids are able to come and go pretty much as they please, getting into whatever trouble they can. Here’s how mine break down:

Between the Cracks Click to start this series!

Definitely “bad dads” in this series. The father of the Simpson family is a predatory, sick, abusive individual, who is killed near the beginning of the second book in the series (although we still see him in flashbacks in the other characters’ stories later in the series.)

Ruby’s friend Marty’s father, also a bad dad, as are many of the various foster and step fathers that the other children encounter in the remainders of the series. With a couple of beacons of hope: Ruby’s boyfriend Charlie, while the author of some questionable choices, is nonetheless a good father for Ruby’s daughter, Sheree, from the time she is a toddler until she goes off to college (and later.) Justin tries, and is generally a good father to Marcie and the children he has with Sondra, despite his abandonment of Michelle and Kenny.

Dusty, one of Ronnie’s husbands, is a real sweetheart and is definitely a good dad, as tender and thoughtful with them as he is with Ronnie, raising them on his own when she disappears.

Breaking the Pattern Click to start this series!

Another series full of bad dads. Henry‘s biological father is not mentioned, and his mother moves through a series of boyfriends who are less than stellar. Sandy‘s father, Rene, professes to love her, but is unspeakably evil. Sandy does manage to get together with Peter, who becomes Gracie’s father, a gentle and steadying influence in her life. Bobby has been through multiple foster homes and prefers a home without a father present.

Tamara’s Teardrops Click to start this series!

Tamara’s parents died when she was younger, and her foster father, Mr. Baker, must take the blame for a lot of the bad choices Tamara made. Mr. Henson, the foster father she gets when she is released on parole, is much better, and despite Tamara’s anxiety about foster fathers, does not cross the line with her and remains a good influence throughout the series, though Mrs. Henson definitely outshines him.

Medical Kidnap Files Click to start this series!

Gabriel’s father is rarely mentioned in the Medical Kidnap Files, but he is, at least, not a bad guy. He is serving overseas and does not have much opportunity to see his son, especially after Gabriel’s apprehension.

Renata’s father is not mentioned, she only ever speaks of her mother.

Stand Alone YA Books

Steven’s father (Don’t Forget Steven) is a horrible person, which makes him pretty leery of any other father figures, though his foster father while he is awaiting trial is a pretty good guy. Taylor’s father (Intersexion), though not mentioned much, was also an abuser. Justine’s and Gem’s fathers (Stand Alone and Gem, Himself Alone) are not mentioned. Nathan’s father (Those Who Believe) turns out to be a stand-up guy. Parker’s father (Endless Change) was a good dad but died a few years before the storyline.

Kelli’s biological father (Making Her Mark) is almost too good to be true, though he turns out to have some flaws, like anyone else. Nadie’s father (Questing for a Dream) is not mentioned, but her grandfather raised her and helped to raise several of the other children in their band, whether biologically related or not. He is a strong father figure but struggles with addiction.

Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller Novels

Fathers are not as notably absent in crime fiction as they are in YA fiction, but a lot of my main characters are grown-up foster kids, who therefore do not have strong father figures or were pretty messed up by their fathers. Twisted family histories make for good backstory, with lots of friction and maladaption.

Auntie Clem’s Bakery Cozy Mystery Series Click to start this series!

Erin’s father died before she went into foster care, so she has only had foster fathers growing up. None have been discussed in any detail.

Vic’s pa, a member of an organized crime syndicate, is abusive and not supportive of her gender identity.

The majority of the main characters are women rather than men, forming a sisterhood community, and not much is said about their husbands or fathers.

Reg Rawlins, Psychic Investigator Click to start this series!

Reg Rawlins didn’t know anything about her father when she was young, before her mother died and she went into foster care.

It isn’t until she is an adult that an immortal takes her back in time and she learns something about her father. And let’s just say he is a little… nontraditional.

Good or bad? It’s really hard to say. Mortal values can be so confusing.

Zachary Goldman Mysteries Click to start this series!

Zachary’s father was abusive and a drunk, and Zachary didn’t see him after he turned ten. He had a lot of foster parents, but readers only really learn about one. Mr. Peterson, Lorne, was only Zachary’s foster father for a couple of weeks, and yet changed his life forever. His nurturing spirit and and the gift of a camera forever changed the course of Zachary’s life, and he was there for Zachary in the decades to come, along with his partner Patrick Parker, who became a step father of sorts. If you are looking for chosen family, you will find it in this series.

Zachary himself turns out to be not a bad father figure either. He helped to take care of his younger siblings before the family was broken up, and he helps young people not his own in a number of the books in the series. Although Zachary’s longing to become a father is so far unfulfilled, he is growing into a strong father figure himself.

Kenzie Kirsch Medical Thrillers Click to start this series!

Unlike many of the other characters, Kenzie grew up with her father around. she did not have to worry about povery, homelessness, addiction, or abuse. Her father, when he was home from work, was available to her, interested in her, and supportive of whatever path she wanted to follow in life.

But Kenzie had some issues with him, especially after Amanda’s death. A lot of secrets came to light that she would probably have preferred not to know about. She learned that he was a different sort of person than she had ever realized. And she isn’t so sure she approves of his ruthless self-serving ethics.

Parks Pat Mysteries, Police Procedural Click to start this series!

Margie Patenaude’s father has not yet been mentioned in the series. Nor has her daughter, Christina’s father. But Margie’s grandfather, Moushoom, plays a big role in her life and Christina’s. He is wise and playful, deeply spiritual, and he is one of the reasons she chose to move to Calgary.

Detective Cruz who Margie works closely with, is also portrayed as a loving and attentive father.

Stand Alone Mystery and Suspense

The main character in the first book that I published, Looking Over Your Shoulder, Abe, is a loving and protective father, concerned for the physical and emotional needs of his children. The problem is that he is schizophrenic and when he is having a psychotic break, his judgement about what is real and what is best for his children can change quite a bit.

Leo’s father in Lion Within is another abusive father, sadistic and cruel. But Leo himself, like Zachary, takes over as a father figure to his siblings, helping to raise them while they are all still at home, and when it is just him and the youngest child left, takes Stormy away with him to finish raising her on his own.

Vanna’s father in Pursued by the Past is deceased and is mentioned only very briefly, but it is clear from the way that Vanna and her mother talk about him that he was a special, caring father.

And finally, in Loose the Dogs, we have examples of at least one bad father figure, and others who are good, including the police detective investigating the incidents, who despite his mental health struggles still cares greatly for his daughter and rushes to her aid when he perceives she may be in danger.

It is probably clear from the above that there are more bad dads causing pain and conflict in my books than there are good, but it is important to have a few great dads thrown in there for examples, whether they are biological dads or not.

The rescuers, nurturers, and those who would go to any lengths to protect the children in their charges are just as important to story development and reader satisfaction as the ones who are placed there to cause conflict and personal growth.

So which dads will you choose to read today? Will he be villainous or the nurturers? And how will their behaviour affect their children and the outcome of the story? Click a link or a book cover above to start reading one of these page-turners now.

The post Fictional Dads: The Good, The Bad, & The Complex first appeared on pdworkman.com.