Behind the Heroine: Mackenzie Brooks

Mackenzie Brooks has a heavy load on her shoulders in Crux. Not only does she start off the book on the run from a madman, but it’s through her eyes that readers discover the world of Southern Arcana. When she stumbles into the middle of a magical mystery, she’s completely out of her depth. Magic is the realm of fairy tales, fantasy and fanatics, and Mackenzie Brooks has always been a practical woman.

Writing Mackenzie was hard, but it was rewarding, too. No one can take the revelation of a world beyond their own completely in stride, so it’s lucky that she had a few advantages–and a hero who removed doubt from the equation by showing her magic in action.

The real reason Mackenzie is able to pick herself back up, though, is because she’s always known there was something a little off about the way she fit with the world. Maybe it was the little things: the fact that she almost never got sick, the fact that she excelled in dancing and sports due to natural grace that was just a little inhuman. Or maybe it was the dreams, the ones she could never completely remember but knew were important.

In the end, Mackenze rallies and is ready to take her fate into her own hands. And she’s not going to let any generation old conspiracy dictate who she spends the rest of her life with. Donna and I don’t play with the destined mate trope much, but in Crux the heroine does have a destined mate. The real question is what’s stronger: destiny or love.

Find out the answer on March 3rd at Samhain Publishing.