Howie has always been my throwaway character. I hope writing a novel about him has helped with that, but before Sick as My Secrets, he was the only one who never really seemed to have an established role in my stories. Usually Nick or Brian is the star, and whichever one it's not about serves the best friend role (they'll always be Frick and Frack to me). Kevin is usually in that older brother position; he's good for giving advice or keeping the boys in line. AJ is usually the comic relief. Other than maybe being the "peacemaker," Howie never really did much. I see him fitting into that best friend role more in future Nick stories because he and Nick have been so tight the last few years. I think I've seen more of Howie's true personality and sense of humor in recent years, thanks to cruises and soundchecks and that kind of stuff, and writing a Howie-centered story helped me learn more about him and "get to know him" better in a character sense. So hopefully you'll see more of Howie in my future stories!
