D'VAIRE

When I outlined Marked by Lightning , I didn’t anticipate creating a new household in the D’Vaire universe, but somehow a group of guys blossomed into a family. There are some intriguing new personalities to explore and I look forward to learning more about them. I have no clue who their mates are yet, but I’m sure they’ll let me know when they’re ready to jump into the fray. As for the story of our two wizards, I was happy to finally be able to give Vadimas a happy ending. From the start of the series, he’s been a reliable constant and it seemed only fair that his time came to find his mate. Over the years, Severin has always been his other half, but his personality has morphed significantly. Vadimas had a lot of issues trying to decide what would make him happy, so poor Severin had to be recreated multiple times. In the end, I hope I found a formula that will create a successful matebond for them. Their playlist was fueled by Vadimas’s secret love for Disney movies and by the end...

Unpredictable Fate was an interesting journey. When I started Disregarding Fate , I had an idea of what Evlithar’s life was like and why he made the decisions that he did. Evlithar wasn’t perfect and he wasn’t always right, but when I neared the end, I found myself altering aspects I thought long ago decided. The birth of Kalthekor’s child sent him reeling and he changed drastically. By the time I completed Evlithar and Cadlyr’s journey I was feeling rather sorry for Kalthekor. But I set it aside. He had a mate and unfortunately, she did not make him happy. When we got to the editing stage of Disregarding Fate , Hope (one of my editors) mentioned how bad she felt for him too and was there something that could be done to help him. Although I could understand and appreciate her point of view, Fate’s choice had been made. I moved on but it festered in my brain. Out of nowhere a centaur charged in and nothing would ever be the same. I grew excited about the idea of giving Kalthe...

I hope you enjoyed Imperial Twist ; it was certainly an interesting story to write. Years ago when I first created the character of Damian, he was adamant that he’d have two mates which was quite a surprise to me since I wasn’t even sure how I felt about MMM at the time! From the start, it was always going to be Marcus and Ryan he was paired with, but I couldn’t quite get the puzzle pieces to mix. After I’d read some wonderful MMM titles, I realized that when it’s done right it could be fantastic and so I knew it wasn’t simply that I was against the idea of writing them together it was the men themselves that were the issue. It was Marcus who first made it clear that he was unsettled. I tried probably a million different ways to alter the characters and the story to come up with a happy ending, but it just didn’t work. I had to listen to the core of who they were as people and adjust accordingly. Damian was horrified to be stripped of his dream and remained stubborn until the bitter...

I hope everyone enjoyed Dravyn and Killian’s story as much as I did putting it together. Some couples practically write themselves and these guys were definitely in that category. They surprised me throughout as well. I always had the idea that Dravyn was shyer and less straightforward in the way he demanded Killian get his shit together. And while I always knew Killian had secrets, he was more unwilling to put the stitch the pieces of his life back in place than I would’ve guessed. They’re super proud of the orange banner their book earned, and I want to thank you for giving them so much love. It’s inevitable that once a book comes out, the next question is about what’s next. In March, you’ll finally get to see what Fate has in store for Imperial Duke Damian Draconis in Imperial Twist . After a couple of books that have taken place in the Draconis condo, he’s certainly ready for his turn. You'll get to read it in mid-March. If you’ve read my blog before, you might be aware t...

Letters to Aleksanta was released last week and became the first D’Vaire book to garner one of the coveted best seller banners on Amazon! I have the most incredible readers and I’m so grateful to you for not just wanting to read that fun short story, but for the fourteen books we’ve journeyed through together. I have no plans on letting D’Vaire stop or slow down, so there’s plenty more to come. For my first short story, I got to step into Aleksander’s shoes for more than one chapter as I’ve done in some of the other books. I think that might’ve been what propelled me to spend my summer writing his full-length novel. I wrote Letters to Aleksanta last year around the holidays and I can hardly believe we’re nearing the end of 2019. And, even scarier, the end of a decade. Time truly does move incredibly fast. Those of you that follow this blog know that it was kind of a rough one for me, and as Christmas fast approaches, I grow more saddened by the wonderful woman who I won’t get to...

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 w...

Although I’ve got all kinds of ideas running through my head, I haven’t written anything since I finished Aleksander’s book. (And damn do I miss him and his mate! They are definitely going to be featured in more short stories.) I believe I’ve got most of the outline figured out for the short story I need to complete next, so my plan is to tackle that next week. My goal is to get that wrapped up before GRL so I can focus on my next book when I return from New Mexico. The couple featured are jumping up and down for my attention and I’m looking forward to it. It’s got some elements that are unique, and I do love a challenge. A few months ago, I told you about my best friend’s mother who found out she had metastatic lung cancer. If you’ve heard me talk about her, you know that she’s been a major influence in my life, and I consider her family. The last I wrote I was heading to Minnesota to see her and that she wasn’t doing well. It was a nice trip although very difficult. Her favorite da...