Today is August 8 which means... Happy Birthday, Peter!
Peter was born to Charles (Charlie) and Elaine Murphy on August 8, 1984. He's Amber's younger brother and Noa's older cousin. As of today, in 2024, he would be turning 40 and during the events of Fragmented, which take place in 2004, Peter would be have been 20. As for his zodiac sign, he's a Leo.
Peter is an interesting character that we get to know as a guy who, at first, appears a bit stuck up. In reality, he's actually a very caring, determined person. These things don't seem to mix at first, but I think looking closer reveals that he's just very stubborn.
It's kind of funny, because Peter is a character with a lot of background that's left out of the Fragmented itself. For example...
Growing up, Peter was always a smart kid and he resented being the youngest in his family. He wanted to be independent and to be seen as mature. He was teased a lot by Amber growing up, and they butted heads a lot because of that. ...Or maybe the reason was just that they were siblings.
Amber used to call him "stinky Pete" and this caused Peter to dislike and refuse any kind of nickname as he got older. And I'm really sad I couldn't fit that into the book naturally. Unfortunately, there was too much going on and we only see so much of Amber in the past chapters.
Peter was very excited when Noa came to live with them. It meant there was going to be another boy in the house, and it was a boy who was younger than him. Peter spent a good amount of time with Noa, trying to take on the role of big brother.
Of course, Amber teased him about that too.
After Amber's death, Peter coped by devoting his time and energy into taking action. That became his incentive for helping his parents care for Noa. It was impossible for him to stay idle - he needed to do something.
And, really, that's a big part of Peter's character.
He's the kind of guy who needs to tackle things hands on. When something is wrong, he needs to do something about it or speak up. He's motivated and he has a touch of ambition. He might seem stiff or cold, but he cares a lot and he can get pretty stubborn about it.
I've actually known a few men like Peter in my life. That kind of integrity is rare, so when you can make a friend like that, hang on tight. This is just an overall great kind of guy to know - best friend material.
But anyway, that's all for now. Next month is September and that's a big month! There are some pretty special birthdays coming up.
Also, September 9 is Fragmented's one year anniversary! Actually, it's a double anniversary. One year ago, I started posting the novel and two years ago I first started writing it.
Time really does fly, huh...