Since Crossroads is out in just a few days (you know it’ll probably go on sale a day early at My Bookstore & More…eee!) I’m going to share our respective playlists for Derek & Nicole.  I can’t speak to Donna’s method of building a playlist, but mine can be split pretty evenly between songs that make me think of a character, songs that are thematic for a character, and songs I think the character would listen to.  That can make mine, at least, a bit chaotic…but hey.  It’s what I listen to when writing!

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Jackson Holt is a good ol’ boy from small-town Georgia. His mother would have preferred that he go to law school and maybe be a judge someday like his father. His father just didn’t want him to be a cop. So of course he wound up with a degree in criminal justice.

He’s also a wizard, something that runs in his family in a hush-hush kind of way. Through a series of moves and decisions, he wound up in New Orleans, working as a private investigator…and anyone who thinks that’s a glamorous job has never staked out a crappy motel for five hours to take pictures of somebody cheating on somebody else.

But he’s a happy sort of fellow. He has his friends and his family, and he’s never gone lonely when it comes to the ladies. Sure, he’s been in a little bit of a dry spell lately, but it happens. He certainly doesn’t expect it to come to an end when his best friend asks him to check out the newest hire at her French Quarter bar.

Jackson is so much fun to write, mostly because he’s nice but irreverent. If it’s deserved, he doesn’t hesitate to make fun of anyone, including himself. He’s always there for the people he loves, and he’ll even go to the mat for people he’s only just met, a trait our heroine appreciates.

If I were going to celebrity-cast Jackson, I’d go with Nathan Fillion all the way. He’s the only actor that pops to mind who could handle Jackson’s strange mix of good-natured charm and mischievous humor. There’s also a ton of badassery there, mostly hidden by all the easy smiles, and that’s Jackson all the way. He could swagger around, all scary and don’t-fuck-with-me, but instead he’s charming. Harmless. And so you don’t see him coming.

Now that I’ve made Jackson sound TOTALLY SCARY… LOL He’s not. He’s a good guy, as his friends will attest, and an absolute blast to write. If only because I get to bust out some of my favorite Southern sayings and mannerisms.

Crux is available tomorrow, March 3, from Samhain Publishing.

So Bree let me have him, grateful (I think) that she would get a break from the alpha-male mindset for a little while. But the part of Captain Damon Antema which drew me wasn’t his usual resting state, it was what happened when he was pushed beyond. Beyond the point where he could even pretend he was still okay with what he’d done and seen. So he’s walking a fine line next to the crazy, there.

And this picture of Eion Bailey sort of captures that for me. Not that he looks crazy, but the picture does reflect a certain intensity that was what I had in mind. And while Damon probably didn’t start out with a beard and too-long hair, I have no problem imagining him this way, because the war is not going so well. Things like regulation haircuts tend to fall by the wayside when you’re just scrambling to hold your position.

Damon’s a psychic warrior, which means he exists as a foil for Noelle and healers like her. He uses his powers to attack and defend. To hurt, not heal. But he’s like thousands of other soldiers throughout the ages: he does it because he has to, not because he wants to.

He also doesn’t want to go to Elysium and visit a healer. He has too much other stuff to do, even if part of him knows he can’t do it well unless he’s well. Needless to say, one look at Noelle changes his mind about his willingness to be there. But he’s going to do it his way.

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Me: So, this would be a good time to expound on how you used to be a gunslinger type–
Oliver: Nope.
Me: Um, okay. Or how you gave up the outlaw life for your first wife–
Oliver: Uh-uh.
Me: –but she was never really comfortable with the animalistic side of being a wolf–
Oliver: Are you still here? Leave me alone.
Me: *sigh*

That’s OBVIOUSLY a dramatization (no actual conversations were had, so don’t send the psychiatrists after me!), but the truth of the matter is that I just couldn’t work that backstory in. Not many people in town, including Hazel, really know Oliver’s history, and he isn’t the sort of man to sit and dwell on the past and make narrative exposition easy. He’s terse and short with everyone, including me and (to a certain extent) himself.

As Bree has already said, we developed the concepts for the heroines of the trilogy and then “designed” their heroes. Since I’m not usually responsible for the true alpha bastards when we write–those are mostly all Bree, LOL–Oliver was a bit of a surprise. Yes, he used to be a bit of an outlaw and, yes, he walked away from that life for his first wife.

In a lot of ways, he’s more of a hardass than Jack, but he’s also not cut out for leadership. Because of his past, he’d rather be left alone with his cows and horses, and maybe a warm woman once in a while. Until Hazel comes along, anyway…but that’s the heart of the story, so I’d better leave you to your reading.

Adrian Torres is one of those rare heroes who joins Keith and Jack in the ranks of being Alpha as Hell Bastards who don’t piss me off. LOL I’ve joked before and I’ll joke again about my love/hate relationship with my alpha male characters. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I’ve got a little bit of that alpha bastard in me. It does make them easier to write, but maaaan. I seriously want to drop-kick them when I’m done!

But Adrian…not so much. Though they’re very different people, Adrian does have one thing in common with Keith: they’re my reluctant alphas. But while Keith has the choice to sit back and yield to Gavin when he doesn’t want to be the Man In Charge, Adrian has no such luxury. Last Hope is partly the story of how he finally makes the choice to take up the responsibility he’s been avoiding for so long.

One of the reasons I love Mystic Valley is because it is our only paranormal universe where the supernatural is out there in the public eye. Where people know about werewolves and shapeshifters and witches and wizards, and humans have to live alongside them–not always comfortably.

Adrian’s life has been affected by that fear. Shapeshifters were driven off the police force in Mystic Ridge, which was troublesome for a man who had been using his job as a cop as an outlet for all those protective urges that come with being one of the most dominant shapeshifters around. Adrian doesn’t want to declare himself the leader of Mystic Valley’s wolves–considering how long they’ve gone without forming formal packs, doing so would be a hard, dangerous job–but the choice may not be his forever.

I think once upon a time I’d picked an actor for Adrian, but honestly I never really thought about that while writing him. At some point on some late night Donna and I came across Morphases and I used it to generate a face that I thought looked like Adrian. And honestly, in my mind, that’s always been what he looked like. A little serious, a little tired, but strong and scary tough. (Also, Morphases is the biggest time suck…once you start playing you can’t stop!)

Last Hope is a bit of a dark story. It starts off with a dead body and goes downhill from there, and the choices Adrian is forced to make over the course of the story are the kind of hard choices that a sweet nurse like Kiara may not be able to understand. Both of them struggling to overcome their fears together while fighting against people who hate supernaturals made for a more intense story than anything we’d written before in Mystic Valley, and I can’t say how grateful I am to Loose Id for being willing to run with it.

(Don’t forget to enter the Last Hope contest!)

Welcome to another exciting episode of Behind the Hero! Today is a special treat for me because Leofric (better known in this century as Leo) was one of my very favorite heroes to write. So often in the paranormal genre you get caught in a trap where the big, the bad and the broody are the only men who get the love. I have more than a few of those taciturn alpha men under my belt, so Leo was like spring break: fun, irreverent, naughty as hell and loving every minute of it.

Leo is a demon. Not just any demon, though: Leo is the laziest demon on the planet. Literally. 1,700 years ago he was recruited based on the vice he held in spades, and I’m sure everyone thought his healthy lust would translate well to other areas of evil. They must have underestimated his enjoyment of lust, however, because Leofric has never been interested in any of the other vices available to man or demon.

Most demons spend a few hundred years corrupting human souls and earn themselves enough credit with the higher-ups to get an upgrade off the mortal plane. Not Leofric. If anything, Leo’s spent the past 1,700 years doing everything in his power to avoid the actual work involved with his job. He may have accidentally started a few wars by sleeping with the wrong women–or men, or both concurrently–but it was all in the pursuit of pure, selfish indulgence.

So that brings us to the present day. Leo is five times as old as any demon on Earth, and because of that he’s five times as powerful as well. He’s even scarier than some of the people who should be able to chastise him for spending his days in his well-appointed penthouse with a string of women and Pay Per View.

Leo’s living the perfect life, aside from the fact that maybe he gets a little lonely sometimes. Not that he’d admit it. Of course, he doesn’t have to. Not when Caitlin gets a hold of him and makes him remember all the reasons one night stands aren’t always as fun as having lots and lots (and lots) of sex with one person. Especially the right person.

Ryan Reynolds is a multi-talented guy who certainly has a few different looks. He can do playboy, surfer boy, frat boy, bad boy…and let’s not forget man-with-a scruffy-beard-crazy-eyes-and-an-axe. (Hello, Amityville Horror.) Because of this we have two pictures of him stored away in our mental character files. The first of the scruffy-beard-crazy-eyes variety, and I’m sure you’ll see it some day. This one though… surfer boy playboy. That’s our Leo. You know the ladies are paying attention, too. Why wouldn’t they be?!

Some check back tomorrow and find out what sort of woman distracted this demon.

Jack Owens is the Alpha of the Lonely River Pack, a man whose unenviable job involves keeping peace between the humans who are scraping their lives back together after a vicious plague and the werewolves whose existence became obvious when they didn’t die from it. As such he’s a man who has considerable pressure on him from every angle. There are a lot of reasons he loves Ginny, but near the top of the list is a real need for a partner strong enough to help him keep things together. Jack is not an alpha hero who is looking for a tough woman who is only challenging for long enough to keep the chase interesting.

Writing Jack was a lot of fun, which I don’t usually say about the alpha men. I have a love/hate/HATE relationship with the alpha men I create, though I have been told repeatedly that the more I hate them during the writing process, the hotter they turn out. This probably has something to do with how cocky they are. Sometimes I just want to smack them upside the head and tell them they ain’t all that…but I hold on for that victorious moment when the heroine brings them to their knees. That always makes me feel better.

No worries, though. I had my moments of hating Jack, too. He’s got his share of alpha ego and is one hot bad ass to boot. I think what earned him a stay of execution in my affections, however, was the fact that Ginny brought him to his knees years ago. He’s known for a long time that she’s the one who can be everything he needs, just as he’s known that she wasn’t ready. A lesser man might have tried to push her into something he wanted, even if it wasn’t what she needed, but Jack isn’t a lesser man. He wants Ginny on his terms or not at all, and his terms don’t involve coercing her into his bed or his life.

If she takes the first step, however…well, then. All bets are off.

This picture is pretty much my perfect Jack, lounging about and waiting. It’s not even about the actor (much as I love Jude Law) as most pictures would not really fit. As with all of my inspiration photos, it’s the mood and the expression that makes it work, though in this case the hot belt and iron bed frame certainly lends a little atmosphere. Stare at it long enough and you might imagine you’re looking at a gunslinging alpha werewolf in a post-apocalyptic world.

Reed is a medium, but he doesn’t want to dedicate his life to research. He’s had enough practical experience with the dead to know they’re more than stats and numbers, and he wants to finish his doctorate and get out in the real world, where he can really interact with spirits and hauntings instead of studying them in a lab.

When I thought of someone who pinged me as affable and open as well as gorgeous, I told Bree, “Man, this has got to be a Jensen Ackles type.” He exudes just the right measure of silly friendliness. And that’s absolutely what I wanted to capture with Reed.

Sometimes people make the mistake of thinking that, just because he’s damn pretty, Reed can’t possibly be capable or responsible. But he has a more serious side, too, one highlighted by his abilities as well as his own personal tragedy.

Reed was definitely a fun character to develop, just because he defies so many conventions and expectations. He’s aware of every misconception Sara holds about him, and he’s also totally aware that he shouldn’t give a damn. But he does, and he’s not afraid to admit it. Which makes him a delicious hero, indeed.

On the surface, Zack certainly seems to better fit the mold of romance hero. He’s buff and tough and alpha as hell, and it didn’t take me long to figure out that Hugh Jackman was the perfect inspiration for a broody detective in love with a woman he can’t have. Mr. Jackman is pretty good at balancing “scary badass” with “tender, mooshy center.”

He’s also pretty to look at.

Ahem. Anyway.

It was bittersweet, knowing Zack wouldn’t get his happily-ever-after in this story, but I consoled myself with the fact that he would get one eventually, even if we had to write it as a freebie and give it away on the website. LOL As it turns out, however, Zack is going to get his story early next year, when our only true Last Call sequel, Tequila Sunset, releases in February.

Kieran, on the other hand, is more…cerebral. Good-looking, smart, funny, British… It had to be Paul Bettany. I have such a huge crush on him, and have forever.

Kieran probably spends about 80% of his time being told that his girlfriend is too strong, too alpha, for him, and I have to disagree. She might be more alpha, but he’s a damn strong guy. He’s ready and willing to face his own fears and insecurities in order to keep Evelyn happy.

And that’s one of the things I love about Kieran. He knows that what she wants as a woman and what she needs as a wolf are oftentimes different, and he isn’t going to let that drive them apart. He knows she loves him, and that gives him the courage–and the desire–to go find a way to satisfy her. Ladies, you can’t beat that for romance.

Werewolf Evelyn Smith loves her boyfriend, Kieran. Some people find it odd that an alpha female would choose a weaker mate, but Evelyn is willing to ignore her occasional cravings for submission when the reward is a fulfilling life with a man who loves her. Kieran Rhys doesn’t mind the mocking jibes of his pack, but knowing the woman he loves has needs he can’t meet drives him crazy. After months of coaxing, he’s finally convinced Evelyn to accompany him to Last Call. If he can’t give his lover what she needs, he’ll find someone to help him. Tequila Sunrise: Looking for domination. Unrequited love has been hard on Zack Elliott. Even if the object of his desire returned his feelings, she’s a fragile human whose body couldn’t withstand the force of his needs. Evelyn and Kieran seem like the perfect solution, especially when he realizes the one thing they need is the one thing he’s been holding back for far too long — absolute domination. Read an Excerpt Online for Free

Keith Winston is one of my favorite alpha characters, simply because he’s so much more complex than he appears at first glance. On the surface he’s like most basic alpha types: a warrior. He’s a fighter, and he’s good at it. Not just the brute force fists and guns though–Keith is a high tech sort of guy. In his world that’s something of an odd thing because, unlike most of the characters you’ll meet in the Red Rock Pass universe, Keith was born a werewolf.

From an early age, it was clear Keith was going to grow up to be the sort of man who could take over control of the pack from Gavin. But with the world of werewolves becoming more and more dangerous, it wasn’t hard to see that Gavin’s successor was going to need a different skill set to keep Red Rock safe. He was encouraged to go out into the world and learn, not just about the way werewolves did things in the cities, but about humans, too. And while Gavin survived by defending his territory and being the smartest guy around, Keith was going to need to know how to fight–not just battles, but wars.

You could show me a hundred pictures of Dylan McDermott and I wouldn’t necessarily say that he’s the man I picture when I think of Keith. But this picture right here…there’s something about the attitude. The mood. If you asked me how Keith watches the world around him, I’d say… like this.

And the motorcycle doesn’t hurt, though Keith is more of a Jeep fellow these days. Easier to put refugees and other people in need of rescuing into the back of a Jeep than onto the back of a motorcycle! And rescuing people is what Keith does.

The most important thing about Keith, though, is not what he does, or how he looks, or even what he knows. He may be a badass ex-Special Forces ass-kicking alpha werewolf with a tragic past (say THAT five times fast) but there’s something inside him that still believes in good people, noble leaders and happily ever after. Keith’s a little broken, a little tired, and a little messed up…but deep down inside he wants the world to be an okay sort of place. And if it’s not that way now…he’ll damn well make it that way.

Luckily for the people around him, he’s got the brains and skill to just maybe pull it off.