The Bitter Winter

Faroh is becoming quite the character. I'm writing away for him and I've come to the conclusion-he's a pain in the butt! As I have often times said, I have always had stories running through my head and when I wrote the first book, for what I hope is a very good series that readers of this genre will love, I never thought I would write a character that turns out to be such a pain. Why is he such a pain? Well because he's basically your typical Fred Flintstone. He's an alpha male for sure. One of those, "Me hunt it, me kill it, me eat it, and wear the fur" kind of guy but and I stress BUT here, he's very intelligent(I know,I've written the perfect man and he's fiction)and there is a part of him that is tender underneath all that bravado and attitude. He's the type of guy that goes in, makes difficult decisions when he has to and doesn't regret them, he's a fighter and isn't afraid to get dirty, and he's someone that is constantly on the go because if he stayed anywhere too long he'd go insane.

Faroh's work ethic, I borrowed from my grandpa. My papow had that "Do a job right, and do it until it's done" kind of ethic. The rest of Faroh, I swear I couldn't tell you where I got all his bits and pieces from. Perhaps it was all those early GI Joe cartoons and the 100 times I have watched Braveheart. I was asked, "What makes him different than Alexi, the character from your first book?" Well there are a lot of things different. Alexi was cold in the beginning. He border lined a killer without comparison. He had so much self loathing that it had really taken over his whole life. He thought of nothing but everything he had lost and it had made him more of a killing machine than anything. Faroh is every bit as lethal in Bitter Winter,but he chose his path even though vengeance is still very much apart of him. Alexi's tragedy as a human broke him.

Faroh Maclean's character sprang from my enduring and first love of Highlander Romance stories. I fell in love with Julie Garwood and Lyndsay Sands tales of rugged Highlanders who lived for battle, their people, and had a sense of humor especially when it comes to the women that drive them beyond reason.

Mia Ohlson was created based purely on my love of history and museums. I also have Johanna Lindsey to thank for Mia as well, since many of her books were Viking Romances. I always loved her heroins more than I loved the big muscle bound heroes of her books. I also gave Mia a very complex set of issues she'll work through in Bitter Winter, something that I think many people will be able to follow. For Mia, she's beautiful and smart. Truly a duckling that turned to a swan with a brain but is under appreciated for it by those who should love her regardless but shun her for it. I am lucky because my family supported me, unlike Mia's. How many times have we heard the tale of the poor little rich girl who grows up in privileged yet is still a bird in a gilded cage? I hope you enjoy Mia as much as I had thinking her up! She really does have more than a brain, a pair of legs, and beauty. She is the very type of girl to stand someone like Faroh on his head and make him spin!


So my dedicated readers, friends, and followers-Stay tuned for Guardian of the Bitter Winter, coming soon!