How I Built My Main Characters
Hi, I’m Ken Webb. If you’ve been following me or my work on Trapped in Deception, you know this isn’t just another thriller. It’s a story with weight behind it. Today I want to talk about something real. The people behind the fiction. The ones who shaped the characters in this book. Because the truth is, I didn’t create these characters out of thin air. I built them from real experiences and real people—some I respected, some I had to walk away from.
Let’s start with Shawn Larson, my main character. He’s not your typical villain. He’s smart, controlled, and manipulative. The kind of man who does you a favor just to put you in his debt. I built Shawn based on a former friend of mine, easily the most manipulative person I’ve ever known. You could be going through something hard, and he’d show up like a hero—but it always came back to him. There was always a hook, always a string. I didn’t write Shawn to glorify him. I wrote him to expose how people like that operate. And still, I made him human. Because that’s what makes it hit harder. The most dangerous people don’t come off as monsters. They come off as friends.
Then there’s Eddy Ludt. Eddy is the conscience of the book, and in many ways, he’s a reflection of me. I’ve never bought a house and I’m not some computer wizard, but Eddy’s internal world—his loyalty, his doubt, his willingness to believe the best in people even when he shouldn’t—that’s me. I even named his dog Dina, after my childhood dog. That little detail mattered to me. It grounded the story in something personal.
And I want to be honest with you. I’m socially awkward. Always have been. And I believe I’m on the autism spectrum. I’ve never gone through a formal diagnosis, but I’ve heard it more than once, and I see it in myself. I’m high-functioning, but I process things differently. I take things literally. I see patterns in behavior that most people miss. That makes social life hard
sometimes, but it makes storytelling sharper. I don’t just make characters. I observe them. I study what people hide.
Carlos is a character who came from a place of frustration. He’s petty, indulgent, has no self-control—and he’s based on a former boss I had. That man’s leadership was driven by mood swings and ego, not principles. Writing Carlos wasn’t about revenge. It was about telling the truth. When you put a weak man in power, everything around him suffers. That’s what Carlos represents.
Tommy is another character with layers. I worked with someone like him while contracting in Thailand. He had his own code, even if it didn’t make sense to anyone else. He was dangerous, but not chaotic. He was sharp. Cold. Effective. That kind of person keeps you on edge, and that’s exactly what Tommy brings to the book.
Diane Ferry is different. I based her on two women—one from my college dorm by that same name, and the other was my mother. My mom was strong in her own way yet also very vulnerable. Diane is very similar
And finally, Ana María. She’s based on a close friend of mine here in Peru and also a woman from my church in Miraflores. She’s the kind of person whose faith runs deep. She doesn’t seek attention. She just shows up with grace and strength when it counts. I wanted that kind of character in the story because we need to see what quiet faith looks like in action.
Writing this novel was therapeutic. It helped me process things I’d carried for years. I confronted disappointment, betrayal, and a few hard truths about my past. And through it all, I came out stronger. Writing helped me let go of some things without losing who I am.
This wasn’t just about telling a good story. It was about facing the parts of life that left marks on me—and letting God turn that into something useful. I believe He can use every experience, even the painful ones, to shape something better.
Trapped in Deception is more than a thriller. It’s a reflection of real people, real struggles, and the fight to stay grounded when the world is full of lies.
If this speaks to you, check out my blog at kenwebb69.com. That’s where I share more about the process, the characters, and the deeper truths behind the fiction.
Be good to others and to yourself. Stay anchored in truth. Don’t be afraid to tell your story. God bless.