January 11, 2026
Writing Alistair Without Making Him a Hero
Alistair works only if he remains fallible.
He can be intelligent, but he cannot always be right.
If he becomes the man with the answer in every room, the books lose their purpose.
I write him as a listener who sometimes hears too late, judges too quickly, or hides behind analysis when an apology is needed. That is where his humanity lives: not in certainty, but in correction. Readers do not need another spotless protagonist.
They need someone who can be wrong, admit it, and keep showing up. That is the version of Alistair I trust.
Clive