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Niko and Costas

Precariously Mated isn’t your typical D’Vaire book. The two main characters, Niko and Costas, build a friendship before Fate pairs them. I enjoy making the rules for the D’Vaire universe and at the same time, I like to see how far they can be pushed. The challenge of writing stories that differ is something I am intrinsically drawn to, but there are times that I don’t quite anticipate where that journey will take me.

If you’ve had the chance to read Precariously Mated, or at least peeked at the author’s note at the start, you know that Niko shares something in common with me. I believed that creating a character with obsessive-compulsive disorder would be easy or perhaps cathartic, but it was quite the opposite. It made me uncomfortable to reflect upon how much the mental disorder impacts my life and I suppose that’s because I prefer to think of myself as the one consummately in control. When my husband read Niko and Costas’s story, his reaction was quite unlike his response when finishing the others in the series.

Often, I get little pushback from him, so it was surprising when he adamantly told me I still had plenty of work to do. His conclusion was that I’d started off with Niko’s OCD represented well but that I’d failed to carry that tension throughout the book. I went back to the drawing board and forced myself to confront my struggles and therefore Niko’s as well. It wasn’t easy, but it was certainly what Niko deserved. The husband was told he had to read the book a second time (bitching ensued) but he was satisfied that I’d tackled Niko’s personality better.

Although it was tough, I’m happy with how it turned out. Niko is a guy who went through a lot and who slowly finds out what he’s capable of. He deserved someone who not only loved him but respected him and I believe he certainly got that in Costas. Here’s a little secret about Costas: when I wrote the first D’Vaire book, Aleksander and the gang walk into Emperor Chrysander’s office and meet His Majesty and his twin, Imperial Duke Damian Draconis. I failed to mention Duke Zane or Costas even though they were already in my head. 

I remedied that in Sentinel’s Dagger where you first meet Zane. So why didn’t I also include Costas? Because although I knew there was a fourth guy that was a part of Chrys’s team, I couldn’t land on a name I was happy with. As I got further in the series, I even flirted with the idea that maybe he could be a sentinel. I liked that. I knew he was going to be with Niko and figured an incorruptible assassin would be perfect for a man searching for his own strength. But I just couldn’t get it to work the way I wanted. So, I went back to him as a dragon and since many books had now passed, I had to figure out where the hell he was hiding whenever Chrys, Damian, and Zane were around. You know now that he was off caring for his parents and once I got that issue sorted things fell into place. 

Next post I’ll catch you up with my latest project which I’ll be starting in the next few days (I’m still trying to get through my editing!). I can report that Lich Hollow, a short story featuring the Daray household is now complete and you’ll get to read that next year. The companion thingie is still slowly coming together as well, but I’m ready to sink my teeth into a novel, so I really have no clue how long it’s going to take to complete but I'll get there eventually!

As for GRL, I had a fantastic time and met some wonderful people. I don’t know that I’ll make it to the event every year (especially when it’s not in drivable distance), but I’ll definitely be back at some point.

Here’s the playlist for Niko and Costas:

"Granted" by Josh Groban
"Disconnected" by The Dreaming
"Tell Me Now (What You See)" by Moya Brennan (King Arthur Soundtrack)
"The Fifth Guardian - Interlude" by Epica
"Someone Like You" by My Indigo
"You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker
"Like to Get to Know You Well" by Howard Jones
"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" by Kelly Clarkson
"Confident" by Demi Lovato
"Hero" by Mariah Carey
"We've Only Just Begun" by The Carpenters
"Rainy Days and Mondays" by The Carpenters
"For All We Know" by The Carpenters
"Superstar" by The Carpenters
"River" by Josh Groban
"Let Me Fall (from Cirque de Soleil)" by Josh Groban
"All or Nothing Love" by Claire Maguire
"I Honestly Love You" by Olivia Newton-John
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Josh Groban

In addition to the ones listed above I rediscovered the album, Roseland, NYC Live from Portishead, before I started this book and the feel of it was perfect for the story and helped calm me as I wrote it. Here are the songs from it:
"Humming"
"Cowboys"
"All Mine"
"Mysterons"
"Only You"
"Half Day Closing"
"Over"
"Glory Box"
"Sour Times"
"Roads"
"Strangers"

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