Valentine's Day is right around the corner.
I love love. I’ve always been this way. Even as a kid, I liked romantic movies and playing out relationships between Barbie and Ken. I’m a dyed-in-the-wool hopeless romantic. That’s why almost all of my books and series have some kind of love and relationship theme going on. I’m just trying to spread the love.
I still enjoy writing Don’t Let Me Down, although I’m at a much different place in the book than I was the last time I gave an update. Weeks back, I was writing new love, comedic scenes, and my main character coming out of her shell. This week, my characters are facing relationship drama, nightmares, and difficult conversations. This book, just like Haunted Sugarwood book 1, is a roller coaster in the same way life can be… if your life includes bloody showdowns and ghost encounters, of course.
Keeler recently learned to love this soft fish toy I got for him last month. He slowly warmed up to it, but now he’s really getting into the play spirit. He wrestles with it and tosses it around. He stopped for a moment to stare at my husband, so I was able to grab this picture before he got too shy to stick around.
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day (early birthday shout-out to my mom), I wanted to revisit some of my favorite couples from my books. This is a little challenging because there are so many power couples left to come you haven’t met yet. Today, my top 5 couples are:
5. Amelia and Lewis from Steam World book 2, The Airship. They’re in kind of a crazy situation because he’s in a long-running relationship, and she’s rekindled her on-and-off, love-hate relationship with Darius. But Amelia and Lewis, no matter how little time they actually spend together on the airship, form a pure, caring bond with each other I think is really sweet and poignant. I’ll also say for the Steam World fans out there, we will find out what happens to Amelia, Lewis, and all the other main characters of the series in book 8, which caps everything off. Look forward to it. : )
4. Johnny and Adrian from Johnny Forgotten. With how prickly they are toward each other at the start, it’s hard to imagine them even becoming friends. They seem like completely different people when they meet, and the longer they get to know each other, the more they find in common until they realize most of what they have in life is each other at this point. I like how they fight for their relationship against the magician trying to hurt and control them both. They have a unique wacky yet passionate journey together, and I appreciate the high energy they get around each other.
3. Fawn and Cade from The Playground series (currently book 1, The Jester, the Hedonist, is out). They start out with shades of the last couple I mentioned, except that Cade is overly confident and cheerful in the face of Fawn’s distrust and defensiveness. She starts to realize she has feelings for him just in time for the big reveal in the middle of the book. But setting a crush aside isn’t the same thing as diminishing it altogether, and they end up with a grand, romantic, honest relationship. I’m excited to explore their relationship in the future books, but if you’re looking for a fun romance that grows without a lot of dramatic ups and downs, this is your series.
2. Fenwick and Princess Hayden from Brutal Worlds book 2, Fenwick and the Princess. Aptly named, don’t you think? These two women go through the ringer together. They’re from completely different backgrounds. Fenwick’s about twenty years older than Hayden. But they forge something that’s one of the most unbreakable bonds in any of my books. They’d never turn on each other, abandon each other, or even criticize each other under their breaths. They’re stronger for having met one another, and you’ll see the strength of them as individuals and as a couple get titanium strong as the series goes on.
1. Joss and Liam from Haunted Sugarwood book 1, Never Let Me Go. I’m not just saying this because I’m writing in this series right now. I legitimately respect and appreciate the love and care these two show for each other. Like Fenwick and Hayden, the relationship between Joss and Liam battles big obstacles. They also have an age gap – about 16 years – and are thrust into terrifying, life-or-death situations by the horror streak running through this series. But they’re willing to push through the awkward moments and support and lean on each other, which is definitely what they need to try to survive as individuals and a couple in this series.
And that’s my top 5. If you have favorite couples you’d like to talk about, you can head over to Facebook from the Facebook icon below and make a post or leave a comment.
I’m more than 70% done writing Don’t Let Me Down, so the new book is racing along. It feels good to be back in the thick of creating something at this pace.
Have a great holiday, and happy reading!
Cassandra