Me, Myself & the Realm...Defending Lorcan

Welcome back to my second installment of Realm discussion and author babbling.

You may have heard me mention in one forum or another that I am a writer by accident.  I never aspired to write - this was not some long-held dream of mine. I come from a line of very creative people – artists, sculptures, musicians – and always lacked either 1) the patience or 2) the talent to follow in family footsteps. My mother will fondly retell the story of me sobbing over my lack of artistic ability as a kindergartner because someone disliked the witch I had drawn on the Halloween wall mural and colored over it while I was out sick one day.  (Yes, a witch – even way back then).  One thing I did always have was an incredibly overactive imagination - I’ve been spinning elaborate tales in my head as long as I can remember.

The entire premise of the Realm had been taking shape in my brain for a long time.  When I run, that imagination kicks into overdrive, so every day on the treadmill, more stories, more plots, more detail, more conversations – all in my head. I decided to start writing them down in December 2011 because I liked them so much.  With more time and attention, this whole world of the Ancients and the Realm came to be. As fate would have it, I was downsized two months later and had the opportunity to devote six months to the development of the Realm and writing Chosen and Forsaken.

I am sharing this for two reasons –

First, I am not a writer/author by trade or design so while I am now trying to learn the world of publishing, etc., this was never a career plan. I still have my ‘real’ job because it pays the bills. I don’t follow the ‘author’ rules - I react too much to reviews and disclose too much about the series and interact too personally with my followers. However, for me, it is about these books that I love, and if you are a fan of the series, it is about you. If you take the time to come over to the Ancients Facebook page and interact with me, I positively adore you.  Seriously. This would not be fun if I did not get to enjoy my books through others’ experiences.  So if you love the books – thank you, I love them too.  If you come connect with me and want to chat, FABULOUS!! 

Second, these characters and storylines were never contrived with the thought of making them as appealing as possible to the masses in order to launch a writing career.  These are mini-movies in my brain that developed fully into a series of stories.  These characters have lived, grown, loved and gone through heartache and pain in vivid detail in my head.  When I wrote the scene in Chosen where Kaitriana nearly died, I cried. The pain that Lorcan was experiencing in that instant was overwhelming, and I lived it typing those words. When I went back and edited that scene, I cried again, because Kaitriana’s heartache and concern for him was agonizing. When I am in one of these books, the characters are that real to me - the scenes are that vivid.  As a consequence, I love these Vampire and Witch, each and every one of them. 

That being said, Lorcan has gotten a bad rap. He is strong, and honorable, fiercely loyal and capable of love to a depth that is mind-boggling. He is also horribly arrogant and overbearing. Being the best, unmatched, he is never questioned in his leadership or authority and answers to no one. It is outside his realm of experience to be countermanded, disrespected or disobeyed. He is Vampire and by instinct is naturally protective and dominant. Lorcan is a mighty warlord, and he is the very reason that the Light never fell when Kaitriana was getting her beauty sleep for five hundred years.

Lorcan was over twenty-five hundred years old when she finally woke up. That is a long time to become set in ones ways. He likes order and Kaitriana is a ball of chaos that came bouncing unexpectedly through his life – a defiant, impulsive, immature, humongous ball of chaos.

His struggle to accept her as his equal in strength, power and leadership in the Realm is true to life. Lorcan has more experience in everything – the Realm, the Light, war, and life. Had he just handed over reins and bowed down to her, I would have disliked him a thousand times more (wimp) than for him honestly struggling with being an overbearing jackass.  Perfection is boring, I would rather write flawed characters experiencing personal growth.

Chosen took place over a period less than a year (minus the big sleep) – Lorcan needs time. He will always be overprotective, and that may at times come out as gruff arrogance, but he loves Kaitriana beyond reason. There is a place for her in his life, and he wants her at his side, leading the Realm.  He sees her potential, he knows what Kat is capable of (probably more than she does), and he will get her there.  The lessons just won’t always be glitter and rainbows, and really, if they were, would they be believable?   

At the same time, give Kaitriana time to grow up and grow into her powers (there are 10 more books for her to become the kick-butt female we all want to see her be). Having the strength to rule does not necessarily mean one has the ability. Few of us at twenty-six are experts at managing our own lives; she needs time before she is adept at managing the affairs of the Realm.

Now that I have defended dear Lorcan and broken more ‘author’ rules, I am done for today.  Please come back next week when I wrap up the series and ramble on and on – ‘Me, Myself and The Realm – Ancients Revealed.’  Oh, and if you haven't come over to the Ancients of Light page on Facebook yet, please come join us.  :)

Have a Happy Week, Peeps!