I lay down for one second to play Solitaire and this happens. Meanwhile, I'm too much of a sucker to wake them up so I can get up to pee and make dinner. I'm glad everyone is getting a good rest 🙃👌 #TheLife
Some of my authorly reflections for the week...
Knox has quickly become a reader fave. Here's a quick look at his two-book evolution and why we love him more and more as the pages turn.
We should all take a moment to bask in our favorite characters for a moment. What we love about them, especially. As a writer, even more so. I create these characters and then move onto the next one. So, it’s nice to stop. Reflect. And appreciate these awesome characters and the hell I’ve put them through.
Knox went from love interest to protective father, and the character growth is chef’s kiss. Who doesn’t love a swoon-worthy hero in his youth who then becomes a badass, protective father as the stories go on? He’s still swoon-worthy, I might add, a decade later.
But first…
I would be remiss not to mention Jackson Mitchell (sigh). He is the KING of swoon-worthy protective dads. He’s my favorite character, like, ever, and he too went from reluctant leader to patriarch of a family he thought he’d never have nor deserved. If you don’t know who the hell I’m talking about, you NEED to read The Darkest Winter. It’s only free in my bookshop here. At least, it is at the time of writing this.
Now back to Knox…
In Skies of Fire, Knox is twenty-eight and focused on two things: survival and Ava.
In Land of Ash, Knox is focused on legacy and, well, still survival. But protecting his family when Mother Nature has villainous plans in store for all of them is a new twist to Knox’s story.
We fast-forward ten years after Skies of Fire for Harper’s story, and not only is Harper is all grown up, Knox and Ava are parents. WOW. In fact, here’s one of his first lines from Land of Ash between Harper and Knox, and I love it (unedited).
As Coco and I step into the gray day, the dry earth dusts around our feet.
“There she is.” Uncle Tony’s arms open wide at my lackluster entrance. He practically towers over the rest of us from atop old Bert, a draft horse we rescued from an abandoned farm years ago. Knox glances back at me as he tightens Hershey-the-pack-horse’s saddlebags. Yes, I named her, too. And temporarily, all feels right in the world. Knox’s and Tony’s big smiles dissolve my bad mood, and I lead Coco over to join them.
“Look who’s decided to join us,” Tony teases.
I roll my eyes, unable to help my smirk. He knows this trip in Dean’s company will be about as fun for me as an ingrown toenail.
“Rooster seems as excited as I am,” I muse, and give the gelding a pat on the neck.
“This might be his last trip east,” Knox murmurs. There’s a tinge of regret in his voice, even if he’s been preparing himself for Rooster’s retirement for a few years now.
“Careful, Knox,” Tony tuts. “(REDACTED) yet and you already sound like you’re run ragged.”
Knox nods in my direction. “’Cause of this one right here.” He winks at me and adjusts his ever-present ball cap. The edges of it are frayed, but that’s par for the course now. And even if Knox feels old, he still has that twinkle in his hazel eyes that always puts a smile on my face.
“Morning,” Dean drawls. The three of us glance over as he approaches on his black horse, Scout. My smile instantly falters.
Becoming a father has changed Knox’s priorities, which you see throughout the story. Now he’s thinking generations ahead. Worrying about survival not only now, but if his farm will be sustainable for his children and grandchildren.
It’s the same protective energy, it just feels different. Dad Knox hits different than boyfriend Knox. But he’s still swoony and a badass either way.
So, this is a long-winded way of saying I love writing characters over time, and witnessing their growth. I’ve talked about romantic leads only working if the two people respect each other first, and I think that goes for the reader/character relationship. You can’t love characters without respecting them hell out of them first.
Well, Knox. I 💜 you and respect the hell out of you too. Thanks for popping into my brain, grabbing on, and not letting go until I got not ONE but TWO unexpected books out for you.
If you're in a paid member at $5+ you already get full access to my stories as I write them, so you know what the redacted part is all about. :)
Hello, Roguelings.
Happy Monday!
It's time for the weekly Rogueling Roundup Post where we can all check in.
I'll post my weekly check-ins in the comments.
Feel free to share your ups and downs. Your smile-worthy moments. We want to hear about your fur babies and weekends with your kids or gardening. The shows or books you're loving - whatever you feel inspired to chat about.
My only request is to keep religion and politics out of this space. This is a safe place for me. This is a safe place for readers. Period.
This is our safe, happy place!
xo, Linds
This week in my current work-in-progress...
I created a multi-page writeup of the main villain in The Ghost King. He's a character that is only mentioned in The Raven Queen and in this story, he plays a much larger role. It's finally time to meet him. *Evil laugh* Here's a sneak peek...
His power: Ability Amplification / Empath
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explains why he is obsessed with Pyra’s calming abilities “like a drug”
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addresses why he’s been collecting strong abilities “like toys” and also collects telepaths for his communication network (mentioned in The Raven Queen)
Eduart's Master Plan: (All of this sets up for the big standoff and cure discovery in the final book)
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MAIN GOAL: Become a god-king
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Allow the wasting sickness to spread flush out the healers,
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Collect the healers so he can amplify their healing elixir
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Revenge on Pyra/Del
**This could be really cool because Eduart is so underestimated and it takes his villainous quality to a whole new level.
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I tried not to give too many spoilers away. But if you're a paid member at any level you have access to the entire early draft, so you can get a full peek behind the curtain there, if you desire. 😘
