Winning character debuts

Local man 'becomes' Victorian inspector

In a dark, three-piece suit, bowler and ascot, J.R. Fisher certainly stood out in the weekend crowd at Border's.

But digging out your old preachin' duds is the kind of thing you do when you and your $100 are the inspiration for a prominent character in a new novel set in Victorian-era London, and the author has come to your town for a book signing.

Fisher, who lives in Raleigh, snagged the spot in Jana Oliver's "Sojourn" last year in the charity auction at Trinoc*coN, an annual Triangle sci-fi conference. After being outbid in other auctions where winners paid as much as $1,500 to have book characters named after them, Fisher whipped out his wallet as soon as the bidding began. Oliver remembers $10 as the starting bid and Fisher says $5, but that hardly matters -- he immediately offered $100.

"My mouth dropped open because I'm not J.K. Rowling, OK," said Oliver, who realized just after meeting him that she had found her chief inspector.

Oliver, who lives in Atlanta, already had begun writing "Sojourn" when Fisher won his part of the auction, which benefited the Literacy Council of Wake County. She had considered including a Scotland Yard detective, and once she met Fisher, she knew she would. "Sojourn," set in the late 1800s, features a plot that includes time travel, "shape shifters" and a Jack the Ripper crime spree.

Was he nervous about the way the character would turn out?

"Well, sure. If this is the only way history is going to remember you, you wonder how she's going to treat you," said a laughing Fisher, who restores chandeliers for a living and ended up a fan of the book -- he finished it in one night.

To get in the Victorian spirit for the book signing, Fisher wore a 40-year-old suit originally purchased during his days in seminary, and topped off the look with a hat, ascot and cane. Oliver wore a teal, bustled dress.

Rather than just slap his name on the character, Oliver took the time to get to know Fisher and incorporated aspects of his personality into the book. For instance, Fisher the detective is meticulous just like Fisher the chandelier-fixer.

How meticulous is the chandelier-fixer?

Oliver once kidded Fisher, telling him he was the sort of person who always knew the exact amount of change in his pocket.

Of course, he said. I always start with four quarters and four dimes.

Fisher, who gives his age as "over 60," once ran out of gas in college. Because he didn't have any change in his pocket, he had to sweet-talk an operator into helping him call a service station, which brought him some gas. After that, Fisher always carried four dimes, enough for four emergency phone calls.

When a pay-phone call increased to 25 cents, he added four quarters.

And even though he has a cell phone, Fisher now hauls around four quarters and four dimes, enough for four 35-cent calls.

Like we said, meticulous.