recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Jack Ramsey

**Jack Ramsey** is a minor character in *Bridget's Calling*. He lives in the Brookview section of Stallbrook with his wife Carolyn and their daughter Effy. He and Carolyn hire Bridget as an interior designer for the renovation of their home. Later, he finds out that Carolyn had worked as an escort to earn extra money when he and Effy had been injured in an auto accident, and comes to accept it; he is also grateful for Bridget's help in turning the tables on Carolyn's would-be blackmailer.
CafeWorx

**CafeWorx** is a cybercafé in the city of Stallbrook, providing WiFi service and free meeting and work space for their customers. In *Moira's Covenant*, Wil Jackson uses the café for a private meeting with Mort Hostetler of the county Republican committee. In *Elsa's Revelations*, the café is chosen for a cross-party meeting which would later become the "Ultra group".
Autumn Harvey

**Autumn Harvey** is a character in *Elsa's Revelations*. Once a college student in Cincinnati, she dropped out and became a temp worker and activist in the radical feminist anti-trafficking movement. She began to question their beliefs and methods, and joined with June Merrill and Maggie Graff in becoming staffers at the Committee for a Better Stallbrook, only to leak information to the Committee's opposition. Autumn is a member of the neopagan Riverland Coven.
Jack Oskanian

**Jack Oskanian** is the current Mayor of Stallbrook, first appearing in *Bridget's Calling* and returning in *Adara's Apostasy* and *Elsa's Revelations*. After winning his first term in 2015, he agrees to look at Chief Graham's policies concerning sex work with "an open mind," and visits Creston Street with the Chief, along with City Council members Rhonda Carver and Angel Portillo. This leads to a more thorough investigation by the Council, which eventually votes by two-thirds majority to support Graham's policies. Oskanian describes himself as a "practical progressive" concerned with jobs, education and the quality of life in his city. He is re-elected in 2019 and 2023.
Allan Phillips

**Allan Phillips** is an important recurring background character mentioned in *Adara's Apostasy* and *Tessa's Vision*. First elected Mayor of Stallbrook in 2007 and again in 2011, he inherited a police department rife with corruption and abuse, and appointed Delbert Graham as Chief of Police in 2013 to institute sweeping reforms. In 2015, he declined to run for a third term, accepting an appointment to advise the Governor on urban affairs, and was succeeded by the current Mayor, Jack Oskanian.
Walter Rosen

**Professor Walter Rosen, Ph.D.**, is a minor character in *Bridget's Calling*. A guest participant in the debate at Riesenburg University, he argues in favor of decriminalizing sex work (although only for indoor activity). When Bridget objects to comments by Eliza Ferguson, he and the other members of his team offer their podium to her to respond. Later, when Ferguson and the two student members of the anti-decriminalization side leave, Rosen proposes that Bridget be allowed to stay and field questions from the remaining panelists.
Consuela Nuñez

**Consuela Nuñez** is a supporting character in *Moira's Covenant*. She is a research assistant at the firm of Jackson, Pierce & Wilson, and is chosen to look into allegations of sexual impropriety rumored against City Council member Angel Portillo. Her investigation shifts into trying to find Missy Grasso, a former intern in Portillo's office who left abruptly and seemingly disappeared without a trace. She eventually find Grasso, with help from journalist (and former roommate) Malika Jones and computer hacker Charlie; from there she uncovers why Grasso left Stallbrook and clears Portillo of the allegations.
Daniel Costas

**First Lieutenant Daniel Costas, USMC**, is a supporting character in *Bridget's Calling*. Costas served in Afghanistan under Colonel Halsey Watkins; while leading a small contingent to secure an area of Helmand province, he and his men were attacked by Taliban fighters, and Costas was severely injured by an incendiary device while providing cover to his men and civilians. Costas survived, but was hideously scarred, as well as losing his right leg and both hands, not to mention traumatized and abandoned by his fiancée. Colonel Watkins arranged for Bridget Stanton to accompany Costas while in Washington DC to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, as well as a formal "dining-in" banquet at the historic Marine Corps barracks. Bridget not only provided companionship, but helped him find the strength and confidence to overcome his sense of despair and worthlessness.
Fraternal Order of Police

The **Fraternal Order of Police (FOP)** is one of the oldest and largest organizations representing the interests of law enforcement personnel in the United States. In the Free Spirits series, officers of the Stallbrook Police Department were originally represented by the Stallbrook union lodge of the FOP, which was intertwined with the "Machine" of corruption and abuse within the Department. As reforms were instituted by Chief Graham, with the support of the dissident group Stallbrook Police United for Reform, the FOP lodge under the leadership of Gus Smith and other "Old Guard" officers tried to oppose and obstruct such changes. This led to the "Big Split," where almost forty percent of FOP members resigned and joined the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, which eventually won the right to represent Department personnel. The Stallbrook FOP is now reduced to a social lodge for older and retired officers.
Greg Bogosian

**Captain Greg Bogosian** is a supporting character in *Adara's Apostasy*. A career officer in the Stallbrook Police Department, he co-founded Stallbrook Police United for Reform to oppose corruption and support various policy changes within the Department and the police union. Discouraged by the obstructionism of the "Old Guard" within the Fraternal Order of Police, he was one of the first officers to resign from FOP and join the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, and would play a significant role in the "Big Split" which led to FOP being superseded by IBPO. Bogosian was an early supporter of Chief Graham's reforms within the Department; even when he was ambivalent about a particular policy change, he maintained an open mind and stood by the Chief. His leadership abilities led to his promotion through the ranks to Captain, like his SPUR co-leader Ron Marshall.
Engelbert & Price

**Engelbert & Price** is an antiquarian bookstore in the city of Stallbrook which buys and sells vintage books and ephemera. Co-owner Thomas Price is apparently a devotee of Victoria erotica, and role-plays his fantasies of "school headmaster and naughty student" with peep show performer Luna at the Blue Jewel erotic entertainment emporium on Creston Street.
June Merrill

**June Merrill** is a recurring character in *Adara's Apostasy* and *Elsa's Revelations*. A student at the University of Stallbrook, she is a radical feminist and member of the Student Coalition Against Trafficking. When Bridie Chase and Burton Trumbull propose that members of SCAT work to help elect more conservative candidates onto the Stallbrook City Council, she initially balks at the idea, as such candidates will be opposed to reproductive rights and other issues of gender equality. When the other members of SCAT support the idea, she acquiesces to the plan. In *Elsa's Revelations*, she is one of the staffers for the Committee for a Better Stallbrook*,* started by members of the Stallbrook Constitution Party to discredit Chief Graham and help gain votes for right-wing candidates who would support Chase's aims. It is later revealed, however, that June and other staffers have leaked information to the opposition, as Chase's actions have led them to question and change their views. After the Committee folds, June makes plans to return to school and pursue a graduate degree in psychology.
Chet

**Chet** is a minor character in *Peri's Bliss* who is a friend of Peri Winger from her days in the swinger community. When he calls to invite her to a swinger event, she declines and explains that she is formally joining the Free Spirit Connection on that weekend. Chet asks to attend, and arrives with three women from the swinger community; the swingers soon find themselves having threesomes with some members of the Local Gathering in the communion rooms at the meetinghouse, then talk about forming their own Gathering where they live.
Don Campbell

**Don Campbell** is a recurring character who first appears in *Peri's Bliss* and again in *Sophie's Wisdom*. President of the Board of First Unitarian Church in Stallbrook, he is mentioned as trying to mediate disputes between Reverend Justine Taylor and several members of the congregation. Eventually, Taylor's statements and actions lead to her resignation, and Campbell appears at the downtown Local Gathering in an effort to reconcile with former members of First Unitarian who subsequently joined the Free Spirit Connection. Later in the events of *Sophie's Wisdom*, he has stepped down from the church Board and serves as chair of its outreach committee.
Edward Campbell

**Edward Joseph Campbell** is a minor character in *Bridget's Calling.* Portly and middle-aged, he was one of Carolyn Ramsey's more unpleasant clients during her stint as an escort, and later attempts to blackmail her. Bridget, Charlie and CeeCee work together to foil his attempts, and Charlie later has him framed for downloading child pornography. When arrested by the FBI, he attempts to make a deal by trying to implicate Carolyn and Bridget, but they dismiss this as a "red herring" and leave the women alone.
Gabriel Brenton

**Gabriel Brenton** was the son of Joshua Brenton, succeeding him as "President and Prophet" of the Righteous Work, a polygamous and apocalyptic Mormon fundamentalist cult. Gabriel swears vengeance against Eliza Strong, the young woman who killed his father in retaliation for Joshua's rape of her friend, while also continuing preparations for the anticipated "end times" confrontation with the "Gentiles" of the outside world. When the cult's compound in northern Mexico is raided, Brenton goes into Federal custody; he dies there of anaphylactic shock as the result of an apparently unknown allergy to soy products. With no successor named, it is assumed that the Work collapses soon after his death.
Greg Robinson

**Greg Robinson** is a minor character in *Bridget's Calling*. An African-American restauranteur, he owns and runs Zirandelle in the city of Stallbrook, and is a regular client of Bridget's, as his wife will not indulge in his desires as an erotic bondage submissive. He also shares with Bridget that an inspector related to the District Attorney solicited a bribe from him, and pledges to cooperate and encourage other restauranteurs to do the same when she arranges to have the corrupt inspector arrested in a sting.
Lacy Panty Guy

**"Lacy Panty Guy"** (real name **Webster**) is a character in *Zoe's Quest*, a regular client of Zoe Morton. Zoe gives him this nickname because of his desire to have sex while wearing women's lingerie. He also buys a fancy bra and panty set for Zoe to wear during one of their sessions; when she tells him it is tight-fitting, he gives her fifty dollars to purchase some lingerie for their next session, and she gives the undies back for his solo enjoyment.
Cedar Hills

**Cedar Hills** is a suburb of Stallbrook, located to its south, and the home for the area's south metro Local Gathering of the Free Spirit Connection. Peri Winger and her partners, Andrew Hamady and Lila Jaworski, purchase a home there, which becomes a focal point for many Free Spirit social events. *Hannah's Healing* describes the town as having bus lines connecting it to the city, and a shopping center across from its town hall.
Carvel Scott

**Carvel Scott** is a recurring character who first appears in *Priscilla's Transformation* and again in *Sophie's Wisdom*. He is the prosecutor handling the case of attempted arson by Will Rogers against the Free Spirit meetinghouse in the North End of Stallbrook. Lateshia Williams, Tom Ramey and Shelby Robinson meet with him to express the Free Spirits' desire for restorative justice over retributive measures. Later, he is part of the investigation into the murder of Tina Santiago on behalf of the District Attorney's office.
Covenant and Communion

**Covenanting** is seen by modern Free Spirits as the process of two or more people establishing an intentional mindset, rooted in the core values of love, truth, peace and bliss, by which they act in consort. Likewise, any such action is considered a form of **communion**. Free Spirits even regard consensual sexual intimacy, and the process of establishing such consent, as forms of covenanted communion whereby the Divine may be known (see Sexual Ethics of Free Spirits).
Jenny Brooks

**Jennifer Brooks**, formerly **Eliza Strong**, is the title character in *Jenny's Peace*. Raised in the Mormon fundamentalist cult known as the Righteous Work, at fourteen she killed the cult's leader Joshua Brenton in retaliation for his raping her friend. Strong went into juvenile detention, where she discovered her bisexuality and had brief relationships with two other detainees. Targeted by Brenton's son and successor Gabriel, and knowledgeable about the Work's stockpiling of weapons and apocalyptic beliefs, Strong entered the Witness Protection Program and changed her identity, relocating to Stallbrook. After finding employment at the commercial real estate firm where Peri Winger works, Brooks began to explore both her sexuality and spirituality, eventually joining the Free Spirit Connection, and forming a polyamorous relationship with Marcie Tran and Tommy Raval.
Laurie Franklin

**Laurie Irene Franklin** is the title character of fifth volume in the Free Spirits series, *Laurie's Liberation*, and a minor character in *Moira's Covenant*. She is described as having black hair, brown eyes, and a "slightly aquiline nose". She admits to being an introvert, and is often anxious about certain situations, but is also very intelligent and well-read, and occasionally shows resilience and confidence.

## Early life

Laurie was born **Victoria Martha Burgess**, called "Vickie" by those who knew her, and raised Roman Catholic in south Texas with a brother and two sisters. At eighteen, she felt called to become a religious sister, and spent several years with the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, learning American Sign Language and library sciences, before declining to take final vows. Now on her own for the first time in years, Vickie looked at other spiritual communities and traditions, and explored her attraction to women. She eventually met and fell in love with Abbie Nolan, and continued a relationship with her for five years.

## Adopting new identity

When Vickie shared that she also felt attracted to men, Abbie became more possessive and controlling. After a brief but frightening altercation, Vickie decided to end their relationship, even filing a temporary restraining order against her. Abbie ignored the restraining order, however, and police were not much help in enforcing it. This led to Vickie deciding to alter her appearance - from blonde hair to black, darkening her skin, wearing brown contact lenses over her blue eyes, even plastic surgery on her nose and cheekbones - and contact the hacker Charlie to assume a new identity and find a new job in Stallbrook's public library.

## Life in Stallbrook

Now known as Laurie Franklin, she rented a small apartment in nearby Pattensville from Rachel Martini and her two partners, who soon became friends. She also befriended others, starting with library coworker Ruth Adler and her partner Tracey Bilodeau. Many of these friends were members of the Free Spirit Connection, and she became interested in this movement. Laurie also first acted on her attraction to men with the male escort Carlos, who also helped her understand the importance of communication and consent. At the east metro Local Gathering, Laurie first met Tony Graham, and there was a mutual attraction; he was also the opposite of Abbie in many ways, even welcoming her having threesomes with Bridget Torjesen and her clients. When Laurie learned that her identity might be compromised, Bridget and Charlie put together a plan, with the help of others, to protect her in the event that Abbie discovered her whereabouts. When that happened, Laurie and Tony were taken to a safe house, while the Major Case Unit of Stallbrook's police devised a plan to apprehend Abbie with minimal risk. With Abbie in jail, Laurie resumed a relatively normal life, moving in with Tony and becoming a member of the east metro Gathering.
Adara Khan

**Adara Khan** is the title character in *Adara's Apostasy*, the eighth book in the Free Spirits series. A graduate student at Clymer University, she is researching Chief Graham's policies towards sex work in the city of Stallbrook, while also exploring her own sexuality, including encounters with members of the Free Spirit Connection. The daughter of an Indian father and an American Jewish mother, she is described in the book as a "petite woman with tawny skin, dark wavy hair and round expressive eyes." Adara is a devoted feminist, committed and active in a number of causes, including support for the Swedish Model and its aim of abolishing the sex trade by ending demand. Her interactions with the Free Spirits, along with exploring BDSM and open relationships (including reconnecting with her ex-boyfriend Stuart Nathanson) lead her to question her views on sexual expression generally and sex work specifically. In the end, she finds the confidence to confront her former mentor Bridie Chase, and to embrace a more inclusive and sex-positive feminism.
Bagus Nissen

**Bagus Nissen** is a supporting character in *Amalia's Truth*. A "solo" member of the Free Spirit Connection from Copenhagen, he attends the sixth Triennial Assembly as the guest of his friend Sigrid Amdal. Later, he joins Amalia Echevarria and her partner Darla for a group sex session with Scott Stein; he is invited to join another group sex scene near the end of the Assembly.
Brandon Gunn

**Brandon Gunn** is a minor character in *Amalia's Truth*. He is described as having neatly trimmed sandy-brown hair and beard with hazel eyes, angular face and a runner's body. Brandon and his partner Marc, who is a delegate in the sixth Triennial Assembly, stay in the same cottage at the Lakewood Assembly Center as Darla and Amalia Echevarria, along with Scott Stein and his wife Petra Harkimo. Darla proposes that Scott and Brandon join her and Amalia for group sex, but because of Marc's insecurities Amalia decides not to include Brandon. Later, Brandon and Marc share with Amalia that her response prompted them to have a deeper discussion about their relationship, and they express their appreciation and support to her.
Arbiter

An **arbiter** is a member of the Free Spirit Connection temporarily appointed to investigate a complaint of ethical misconduct against either an individual or a Local Gathering. Article Five of the Connection's bylaws delineates how they are to operate in each case. Arbiters not only try to determine the truth behind such a complaint, but attempt to resolve the dispute in question and reconcile the parties. In the event that reconciliation is not possible, the arbiter may then suggest to the Local Gathering council which appoints them that suspension or revocation of membership be done. Such a decision may be appealed to the Gathering's Regional Conference. In cases where a complaint is filed against a Local Gathering, a member of Connection staff serves as arbiter, the Gathering's Regional Conference rendering the decision, and any appeal heard by the Connection's Stewards.

Andrew Hamady is frequently called upon to serve as arbiter, as well as a co-leader during training workshops for new arbiters.
Jeannie

**Jeannie** is a minor character in *Peri's Bliss*. She is a coworker and friend of Peri Winger, and the first person outside of the Free Spirits with whom she shares having an open triad with Lila Jaworski and Andrew Hamady. Jeannie is not only accepting of this, but admits that it motivates her to take some more risks in her own life to find happiness.
APEx

The **Allegheny Power Exchange**, or **APEx**, is an educational and support organization for members of the BDSM community in and around the city of Stallbrook. They own or rent a building in the city's North End, its rooms used for meetings, classes and play parties of various sizes. The Free Spirit Connection's downtown Local Gathering attends an introductory class on BDSM, co-led by Amalia Echevarria and Mistress Regina. Amalia also arranges for Adara Khan to act out some of her sexual fantasies there, and Adara attends a large play party with her new friends.
Adele Johnson

**Adele Johnson** is a minor recurring character in *Adara's Apostasy* and *Tessa's Vision*. A student at the University of Stallbrook, and a member of the Student Coalition Against Trafficking, she shares with other members of the Coalition the view that sex work is a form of misogynist oppression, and opposes the policies of Chief Graham in that area. Later, when the Blue Jewel erotic entertainment center is temporarily shut during an investigation, Adele attends a forum at the downtown Free Spirit Gathering and launches into a diatribe against sex work, only to be countered by the panelists at the forum.
Courtney

**Courtney** is a minor character in *Bridget's Calling*. A graduate student and part-time instructor (real name **Patricia Connolly**), she does escorting to supplement her meager income. She joins Bridget on a duo fantasy session with a semi-regular client, and later begins a casual relationship with her. In *Zoe's Quest*, Bridget implies that they are still in an "on-again off-again" relationship.
Eliza Ferguson

**Dr. Eliza Ferguson** is a minor character in *Bridget's Calling*. A radical feminist and staunch anti-prostitution activist, she is one of two guest debaters at Riesenburg University. When Bridget's comments are read aloud during the question-and-answer period, she responds snidely that she considers the author to be a pimp; Bridget objects, then agrees to answer Ferguson's questions at the stage. When Ferguson refers to Bridget as "a cheap piece of meat," the moderator demands that she apologize, then bars her from further proceedings when she doesn't.
Destine Francois

**Destine Francois** is a minor character in *Priscilla's Transformation*. She is a member of the transition team around the "birthing" of the Stallbrook area's north metro Local Gathering of the Free Spirit Connection, and later becomes a member of the Gathering's governing council. Her father was born and raised in Haiti's small Mormon community, and came to the United States as a missionary and married a Mormon woman from Georgia. Destine's constant questioning of Mormon beliefs and practices led her to resign from their church, and to seek a more open spiritual community. She had briefly participated in an Ethical Culture society, as well as the First Unitarian Church of Stallbrook. She found the Free Spirits more congenial to her skeptical and independent views around both religion and politics, and after joining the downtown Gathering quickly rose to a leadership position.
End-Demand Strategies

**End-demand strategies** refer to any approaches seeking to abolish commercial sex by targeting those who seek to purchase sexual services. The most well-known is the so-called "Swedish Model" of legislation, which criminalizes the purchase of sexual services, but not the sale of said services (at least not outright, as other practices related to the sale of sexual services can still be outlawed). Other models include:

* Encouraging police departments to arrest clients of sex workers ("johns") but not sex workers themselves; this includes sting operations which target prospective clients.
* Advertising and other "awareness" efforts, including so-called "john schools" to disseminate information/claims about the harmful effects of purchasing sexual services and/or to shame clients of sex workers.
* Criminalizing any form of advertising by and for sex workers (FOSTA/SESTA).
* Drives to get men to pledge to not purchase sexual services and discourage other men to do so.

Critics of end-demand strategies fault them for a number of reasons:

* They conflate consensual sex work with sex trafficking, arguing that *all* commercial sex transactions are coerced or violent.
* They ignore the diverse and complex experiences of sex workers, even dismissing sex worker organizations.
* Their campaigns overgeneralize all clients as male and all clients as female, as well as ignoring issues of poverty, race, and trangender identity.
* They offer little or no actual support for either sex trafficking victims or sex workers seeking to transition out of the industry.
* They ignore or gloss over abuses by police and prison personnel, since end-demand advocates rely so heavily on law enforcement to carry out their programs.
* Neither the Swedish Model nor any other end-demand strategy has been shown to reduce the amount of commercial sex; sex worker rights activists have even presented evidence that such approaches actually increase violence, exploitation and other harms against sex workers.

In the Free Spirit series, Bridie Chase and her Abolition Initiative are dedicated to seeing end-demand strategies implemented nationwide, as are the Student Coalition Against Trafficking and other groups and individuals. The Free Spirit Connection has ratified a number of resolutions against the Swedish Model and end-demand strategies, favoring decriminalization and consistently supporting sex worker rights.
Greta Bauer

**Greta Bauer** is a minor recurring character in *Adara's Apostasy*, *Moira's Covenant* and *Elsa's Revelations*. A moderate Republican and business manager, she was a member of the Stallbrook City Council representing the fourth district until she was defeated in the 2019 primary election by Kristine Manatos, a more conservative Republican who went on to win the seat. Bauer was ambivalent about Chief Graham's policies regarding sex workers, and abstained in the final Council vote on the matter. In 2020, she and Nora O'Brien publicly announced that they were changing their political designations to "Main Street Republicans" in protest against the harsh treatment they received from hardline conservatives; this led to the local party embracing the designation for municipal elections, and the hardliners walking out of the party. In 2023, she is elected to return to the City Council, this time as an at-large member.
Formative Assembly (FA)

The **Formative Assembly** or **FA** was the mass meeting where the modern Free Spirits discussed and developed the organizational structure for the Free Spirit Connection. It is thus regarded as the Connection's equivalent of a "constitutional convention" and a significant watershed event.

As the early Free Spirit community expanded into a network of local groups, discussions began about creating a formal organizational structure. While some resisted, it soon became obvious that such a structure was necessary, so plans were made for a mass meeting to share and discuss ideas towards this end. Many Free Spirits attended in person, but there was also significant online participation as well. Janella avoided favoring any particular proposals, instead asking people to consider how any scheme would be consistent with Free Spirit ideals. The result was a hybrid polity resembling the "connectionalism" of Methodist denominations that promoted interdependence and grassroots participatory democracy, and a clarified explication of Free Spirit beliefs and values.
Liam Shaughnessy

**Detective Liam Shaughnessy** is a recurring character who appears in *Hannah's Healing* and *Priscilla's Transformation*. When Sarah Yoder arrives in Stallbrook, he takes her statement regarding the disappearance of Abena Gardner, then accompanies her - along with Hannah Stutzman and Lateshia Williams - back to the county where Gardner was last seen and where Sarah witnesses her husband Samuel and his brother Joosef dispose of her body. He works with Sheriff Tom Harshbarger and state police Lieutenant Mark Gruber in solving the case. Later, he is in charge of investigating the murder of sex worker Jay Koenig with his partner Rachel Cao, leading to the arrest of Gerry Piper.
Will Rogers

**Will Rogers** is a minor character in *Priscilla's Transformation*. A disturbed young man, he attends Shiloh Baptist Church and decides to take violent action against the Free Spirit Connection in Stallbrook, hurling a Molotov cocktail at the unfinished meetinghouse in the city's North End, and working to build more incendiary devices when Pastor Jeff Palmer finds out and turns him over to police.
Ginny Hill

**Ginny Hill** is a recurring character in *Bridget's Calling* and *Adara's Apostasy.* A teen runaway from Emporia, Kansas, she escaped her father's abusive behavior and occasionally engaged in survival sex while moving from city to city. Corey later brings her to Creston Street in Stallbrook, where she finds assistance from the Jezebel Project. Later, Lateshia Williams reveals that a host family has been found for her, and she is making progress dealing with her situation. Some years later, she is living independently and still maintains contact with Lateshia and the Free Spirits, even introducing her new housemate Adara Khan to them.
Ethical Culture

**Ethical Culture** is a movement started by Felix Adler in 1877 as a modern religious movement centered on moral uplift instead of theological doctrine. A number of characters in the Free Spirits series of books have mentioned acquaintance with this movement; Hannah Stutzman found support from the Ethical Humanist Society in Philadelphia, and Tom Davis leads a small group of Stallbrook residents interested in organizing an Ethical Community or Society there.
Elen Gasparyan

**Elen Gasparyan** is a minor character in *Laurie's Liberation*. She works in the children's section of the Stallbrook Public Library, and she alerts Laurie Franklin that there is a deaf child in need of help. Laurie talks with the child's teacher Bianca Jimenez, then engages in a sign language conversation with the child Heather Jacobs.
Black People's Liberation Front

The **Black People's Liberation Front** is a small group of militant Black nationalists who split off from the Stallbrook chapter of Black Lives Matter when BLM chose to work constructively with Chief Graham and the Stallbrook police. The BPLF is described in *Elsa's Revelations* as doing "little more than post very verbose and vitriolic leaflets all over Stallbrook, not to mention stickers of their flag ... Even the Socialists United Party, with its far-left Marxist outlook, viewed the BPLF with skepticism.
Imani Turner

**Imani Turner** is a supporting character in *Adara's Apostasy*. An African-American social worker, she shares a rented house with Adara Khan, Ginny Hill and Vera Kuhn. Imani is a supportive friend and provides Adara with much-needed information and insight, and is very accepting of diverse forms of sexual expression.
Chloe

**Chloe** is a minor character in *Bridget's Calling*. A thin woman with a shaved head, she works at the anarchist garage run by Rocky, ostensibly as an informal medic. She provides over-the-counter pain medication to Will Gentile for his bruises, including a note about what he was given and when in the event that he is examined by a doctor or nurse.
Anders Solberg

**Anders Solberg** is a supporting character in *Bridget's Calling*. A Norwegian, he is described as being sixty years of age, pale with receding gray hair. An engineer by training, he runs a successful company that develops renewable energy technology. His wife Kari had been killed in a car accident two years prior, and Bridget's longtime client Leonardo Baldasarre referred him to her. Bridget provides emotional and physical comfort to him, and debates him over his country's laws against sex work and his own hypocritical rationalizations.
Janella

**Janella Pirtskhalaishvili** is the founder and spiritual leader of the Free Spirit Connection who is frequently mentioned in the Free Spirits series as well as appearing as a character in *Amalia's Truth*.

Janella was born in Knoxville, Tennessee; her father was a Georgian immigrant and conservative Methodist minister, while her mother was an uninhibited artist. She pursued studies in comparative religion and sexuality, with her doctoral dissertation on the Medieval Brethren of the Free Spirit. She taught at the college and university level, and while at a conservative school that did not allow students to engage in sex, she allowed couples and even threesomes to use the guest room in her house. After a pivotal experience in the Appalachians, she began to put her own ideas about spirituality and ethics into a small book, *The Way of the Free Spirit*. As she shared her ideas with others, they began to form the nucleus of the Free Spirit community, with Janella as their leader. Over time, she stepped back into a more consultative role with the titles of Celebrant-at-Large and Steward Emerita.

In *Amalia's Truth*, she is serene and insightful with a keen sense of humor, yet tends to avoid being the center of attention, even doing behind-the-scenes work with meals and setup along with other volunteers at the Triennial Assembly. While she would prefer not to see the Connection divided into special-interest nexus groups, she is accepting of this evolution in the movement, even recognizing that having a larger number of such groups prevents any of them from having too much influence.

Like many other Free Spirits, Janella is polyamorous and (apparently) bisexual; she is part of a quad with another woman and two men, whom she first met on visiting the Louisville Local Gathering.
Deputy Chief Luong

**Deputy Chief Chau Long** is a character in *Elsa's Revelations*. The senior Deputy Chief of the Stallbrook Police Department, she becomes Acting Chief during Delbert Graham's voluntary leave of absence, during which Elsa Wahrheit investigates allegations of misconduct against him on behalf of Mayor Oskanian. When it is clear that the allegations are false, Graham is reinstated.
Allegheny Hotel

The **Allegheny Hotel** is a relatively inexpensive hotel located halfway between the center of Stallbrook and its airport. Robby, a visiting client of Bridget Torjesen, stays at this hotel and they have sex there. Laurie Franklin stays there her first two nights in Stallbrook before settling into her small apartment in Pattensville. Private detective Rolly Shaw stays at the Allegheny when he meets Bridget to share the results of his investigation and its possible implications for Laurie.
Joe DiAntonio

**Joe DiAntonio** is a recurring character in the Free Spirits series, appearing first in *Peri's Bliss* and later in five other books. The husband of Carla DiAntonio, he is a crew chief in the baggage handling area of the Stallbrook airport, as well as a shop steward for the Teamsters local; the couple have three adult children. He and Carla attend the Sunday Celebration where Peri Winger formally joins the Free Spirit Connection, and later invite Peri's swinger friend Chet to have a threesome with them in a communion room. Joe is later elected to the Council of their Local Gathering, while Carla joins the task force overseeing the "birthing" of a new Gathering in Stallbrook's south metro area. Joe is a delegate to the sixth Triennial Assembly, where he and Carla also participate in intellectual discussions, and apparently hook up with a woman there. When Zoe Morton needs a place to stay during her 90-day supervision, he and Carla allow her to use their guest bedroom. Joe and Carla later join the transition team for the birthing of the north metro Gathering, and Joe chairs its governing council when it is officially formed.
Core Values

The **core values** of modern Free Spirits are summed up in four words:

* *Love* - compassion, affection, and empathy for others
* *Truth* - recognition of facts and reality, and honesty in one's conduct
* *Peace* - nonviolence and noncoercion
* *Bliss* - happiness and pleasure

Free Spirits believe that any mutual activity done with an intentional mindset towards fostering these values is a form of communion, and therefore sacred.
Vick Ayres

**Vick Ayres** is a character in *Priscilla's Transformation*. He is one of the older and more experienced male sex workers in Stallbrook's Creston Street. A friend of Jay Koenig, he provides information to Detective Liam Shaughnessy to help find Jay's killer, including introducing him to Rafe Thomlinson, another male sex worker from the New York City area.
Unaffiliated members (Solos)

While most modern Free Spirits join and participate in the Connection through Local Gatherings, there are also some individuals who are "unaffiliated" with any Gathering. Colloquially known as **"solos"** they apparently have their spiritual and educational needs met through the Connection's staff and a liaison on the Stewards. Many go on to become affiliated with new Gatherings which "emerge" in their respective areas, with the assistance of the Connection. Solos may be held accountable for unethical conduct just as affiliated members are; in place of a Local Gathering Council, a special committee of three members is appointed by the Steward liaison to hear the arbiter's report and render a decision.
Stallbrook Green Party

The **Stallbrook Green Party** is the left-of-center environmental party in the city of Stallbrook, and the local branch of the national party. In the 2019 municipal elections, Green Party member Jasmine Rashad won an at-large seat on the City Council, and also became a member of the Council's Progressive Caucus; Rashad would win re-election in 2023. It is mentioned that the Stallbrook branch of the party supports sex work decriminalization and sex worker rights, in contrast to the national party's endorsement of the Swedish Model of criminalizing sex work clients.
Stallbrook United Methodist Church

**Stallbrook United Methodist Church** is a mainline Christian congregation in the city of Stallbrook, and part of the United Methodist Church. In *Priscilla's Transformation*, it is mentioned as one of several possible places that Priscilla Rhee might consider upon leaving Our Savior Lutheran Church.
Wanda Marcelin

**Wanda Marcelin** is a recurring character in *Zoe's Quest* and *Jenny's Peace*. She is a member of Stallbrook's Young Poly group, and meets her at the meeting in Café Sureño, then stays to watch the impromptu gangbang in the basement. She later joins the fantasy role-play at the home shared by Peri, Lila and Andrew.
Steve Torre

**Steve Torre** is a recurring character in *Peri's Bliss* and *Priscilla's Transformation*. He is co-host (with Sandy Wolinski) of "The Steve and Sandy Show" on WTLK Radio, where Peri Winger and Lateshia Williams talk about the Free Spirit Connection, and spar with Pastor Nate Roth and Reverend Justine Taylor. Initially described as "a chubby and quiet fellow with a receding hairline," when on the radio he presents the liberal side with "a booming baritone". He also hosts a community cable TV program, moderating discussions and debates of local interest.
Tony Graham

**Antoine Bonaventure Graham** is a supporting character in the fifth volume of the Free Spirits series, *Laurie's Liberation*. The nephew of Stallbrook's police chief, Delbert Graham, he is an African-American in his thirties, a graduate of Oberlin College and Drexel University, and a software developer who works for a consortium of healthcare companies creating an innovative system for improving communications between various providers. Graham is skeptical of ideologies and movements, attracted more towards finding practical solutions. This skepticism is part of the reason for his strained relationship with his activist sister Zari, while his pragmatic approach explains his attraction to the Free Spirit Connection. It is there that he meets Laurie Franklin, with whom he begins a romantic relationship, and she eventually moves in with him and his pet pocket beagle Gilligan.
New York Chronicle

***The New York Chronicle*** is a tabloid newspaper based in New York City. Its publisher is Jacob Steinberg, with Morris Lincoln as one of its associate editors, and Liz Cochrane as the investigative reporter who interviews a woman alleging misconduct by Stallbrook's police chief. Lincoln approves release of the story, despite Cochrane's concerns about lack of corroboration. Later, Elsa Wahrheit's investigation reveals the allegations to be false; Steinberg has the story retracted, Lincoln is suspended, and Marina Lazarova is arrested by the NYPD on suspicion of extortion.
Lisa Townsend

**Lisa Townsend** is a minor character in *Sophie's Wisdom*. A Democratic political consultant in Stallbrook, she advises Nate Teixieira to run for re-election as District Attorney in the Democratic primary. He instead decides to run as an independent, as he did before, and asks her to serve as his campaign manager, with Main Street Republican Wil Jackson as senior campaign advisor.
Reggie

**Reggie** is a minor recurring character in the Free Spirits series, appearing in *Peri's Bliss* and *Adara's Apostasy*. The bartender at Tandy's Bistro, he is noted for intervening whenever a man harasses a woman at the bar, even giving Peri Winger a free beverage for the assertive way in which she deals with one man.
Waldo Stiles

**Waldo Stiles** is a minor character in *Tessa's Vision*. He is the former owner of the Tropical Paradise strip club just outside of Duquesne County. When forced to close the club as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, he invests in the expansion of Foxy Ladies Gentlemen's Club as a junior partner. Later, when business does not pick up, he expresses concern to the senior partner Todd Renard, and eventually expresses a desire to sell out and leave the business.
Shirley Friedman Kessler

**Shirley Friedman Kessler** is a character in *Sophie's Wisdom*. The brother of corrupt police officer Cole Friedman, she is the second wife of construction company owner Patsy Kessler, who is an accomplice to some of Friedman's crimes, including disposing the body of a sex worker whom Friedman had killed. Shirley's bone marrow donation to Lenore Goldwater winds up helping in the investigation, as it allows geneticist Sophie Giuliani to compare DNA evidence which links Cole Friedman to the murder.
Maggie Graff

**Margaret Graff** is a character in *Elsa's Revelations*. Once active with the radical feminist anti-trafficking movement, being in contact with Bridie Chase's Abolition Initiative and the Student Coalition Against Trafficking at the University of Stallbrook. She began to question their views, and with June Merrill and Autumn Harvey, was hired by the Committee for a Better Stallbrook, only to join with the other two women in leaking information to the Committee's opposition. Maggie is a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, and is later hired by Elsa Wahrheit as her new administrative assistant.
Ross Maguire

**Ross Maguire** is a minor character in *Moira's Covenant*. The senor editor of the *Stallbrook Daily Journal*, he learns about rumors of sexual misconduct by City Council member Angel Portillo, but concurs with his reporter Malika Jones that they would need solid evidence before printing anything in the paper. Still, he insists that Jones keep digging into the story, if only to clear up the matter once and for all.
Bianca Jimenez

**Bianca Jimenez** is a minor character in *Laurie's Liberation*. An elementary school teacher in Stallbrook, she is met by Laurie Franklin when Bianca's deaf student Heather Jacobs is experiencing difficulty communicating with other students. Laurie, who is proficient in American Sign Language, converses with Heather, teaches some signs to other students, and provides Bianca with a contact for the Lyons School for deaf children.
Robert Davidson

**Robert Davidson** is a background character in *Tessa's Vision*. He was Stallbrook's fifty-first Chief of Police until then-Mayor Allan Phillips asked him to step down in the face of growing demands to deal with corruption and abuse within the Police Department and union. Davidson was then succeeded by current Chief Delbert Graham.
Mark Gruber

**Lieutenant Mark Gruber** is a supporting character in *Hannah's Healing*. An officer of the Pennsylvania State Police, he has been investigating the disappearance of Abena Gardner when Sarah Yoder provides a break in the case. Gruber works with county Sheriff Tom Harshbarger, and they are soon joined by visiting Detective Liam Shaughnessy. The trio eventually find Gardner's remains, and discover that she was accidentally killed by Joosef Stutzman while he was sexually assaulting her; Joosef then persuaded his younger brother Samuel to hide the body.
Officer Singh

**Officer Daana Singh** is a minor character in *Priscilla's Transformation*. A member of the Stallbrook Police Department, he formerly served with the Akron police force before relocating to Stallbrook, attracted by the progressive policies initiated by Chief Graham. He is on a security detail at the site of the Free Spirit Connection's new Local Gathering meetinghouse in the city's North End.
Miko

**Miko** (legal name **Danielle Yamada**) is a supporting character in *Tessa's Vision*. She is a student at the University of Stallbrook and an exotic dancer who joins SEEMA and works for Blue Jewel. While performing for a small bachelor party, she meets Sean O'Rourke, with whom she later forms a romantic relationship. Miko is an intersex woman and a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, but who manages to form a relatively sex-positive perspective.
Sandra Spier

**Sandra Spier**is a supporting character in *Moira's Covenant*. She and her husband Artie participate in the swing community, albeit merely watching others engaging in recreational sex. Sandra helps Wil Jackson to arrange a role-play scenario where he brings his submissive Moira Cloutier to his workplace so she may provide sexual services with his "employees" (in fact, other members of the swing and BDSM communities playing out various roles on a Saturday). Sandra also enjoys "walking in" on sexual escapades, fulfilling her own voyeuristic tendencies.
Lyons School

The **Lyons School** is a private school for deaf and hearing-impaired children in the Stallbrook area. As part of her work coordinating the Stallbrook Public Library's Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Laurie Franklin works closely with the Lyons School and refers people to it for various resources.
May Tsing

**May Tsing** is a minor recurring character in *Adara's Apostasy* and *Priscilla's Transformation.* A moderate Democrat, she is the current President of the Stallbrook City Council. During debates on Chief Graham's policies regarding sex workers, she did not openly participate, and as President would only have voted to break a tie. Later, however, she expressed that she was supportive of Graham's policies and would have so voted in the event of a deadlock.
Peter Saxon

**Peter Saxon** is a minor character in *Adara's Apostasy*. A member of the Stallbrook Constitution Party, he runs for the second district seat of the City Council against Republican incumbent Angel Portillo (who lost Constitution Party co-endorsement based on his support of Chief Graham's policies regarding sex workers) but loses. Later, he meets with other conservatives to form an electoral alliance to get more conservatives elected to office in 2023.