A fictional character within The Unwritten, Tommy Taylor and his eponymous series of novels were created by Wilson Taylor to be used as a weapon against a global conspiracy. Tommy is a riff on popular “magical boy” characters, such as Harry Potter or Tim Hunter. Every aspect of Tommy and his world were calculated to make the series as far-reaching as possible.
Within the story-within-a-story, Tommy was born to one of the world’s most revered magic couples, though he initially showed no trace of magical ability. His parents died and Tommy was forced to work as a servant in a magic school until one day, he solves the mystery of their dead and recovers his magic “spark”, becoming the most powerful wizard in the world. (The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the Ship That Sank Twice)
Tommy Taylor is essentially an alternate universe version of Wilson’s real life son, Tom Taylor, though the lines of separation between them wear thin depending on public belief in the character.