The Midnight Breed Series Companion (8 page)

As originally planned,
Midnight Awakening
puts to bed the bad guy plot involving Lucan’s brother, Marek, as the villain. In the final showdown with him, readers also learn more about Tegan’s first Breedmate, Sorcha, and the truth behind her abduction and eventual death—events first referenced in
Kiss of Midnight
.

Marek was an evil man, no doubt about it. But I was about to introduce an even bigger threat in the series—and begin sowing the seeds of a larger story arc that had the potential to expand over more than just the next three books.

To make this transition to a greater evil, it was important to me that it feel organic to the first three books somehow. I didn’t simply want to shoehorn it in, I wanted a clean dovetail. So I went back to the beginning to see if there was some creative portal I’d left open and could make use of now. I found it in
Kiss of Midnight
. Specifically, I found the answer I needed in the medieval tapestry hanging in Lucan’s study at the Boston compound.

In
Midnight Awakening
, we discover that one of the original members of the Order, back in the Middle Ages, helped conceal the last remaining Ancient—his alien father—instead of killing the creature as Lucan’s edict demanded. That Order member, Dragos, had an infant son also named Dragos. And between the separate actions of the two of them, the hidden hibernation chamber where this last Ancient slept remained sealed for centuries. Until the close of
Midnight Awakening
, when the Order uncovers the betrayal and finds the chamber empty.

Midnight Awakening
was a challenging book, but one I’m ultimately very proud of. It took a bit longer for me to write than the first two books had. Of course, 2006 had been a long, difficult year on the personal side. I finally wrapped up Tegan and Elise’s story in 2007, around the same time that
Kiss of Midnight
(the formerly titled
Kiss of Darkness
, until it was discovered that an established
New York Times
best-selling author was releasing a vampire book by that same title in 2007) was about to publish.

Kiss of Midnight
debuted on May 1, 2007, and immediately hit the USA Today best-seller list. On May 29,
Kiss of Crimson
released. This book hit the USA Today best-seller list too, but it also hit the New York Times list! Not long after the books came out, I noticed readers online were beginning to call the series the “Kiss” series. At this time, Random House was not printing the series title on the front covers, only inside on the title page (for what reason, I have no idea).

In an effort to root some part of the actual series name in readers’ minds, I decided to begin putting the word “Midnight” in every title. So, for those of you who wonder why
Kiss of Crimson
is the only oddball title in the series without the word “Midnight” in it, now you know!

Midnight Rising

BOOK 4

Romantic Leads

Rio (Eleoterio de la Noche Atanacio)

Dylan Alexander

Plot Summary

After surviving a savage betrayal, Rio has given up hope of redemption...until he finds himself craving a fiery tabloid reporter who’s in pursuit of a sensational story that’s closer to the truth than she could ever imagine.

Primary Story Locations

Bohemian mountains in Czech Republic

Andreas Reichen's Darkhaven in Berlin, Germany

Various locations in New York City

Order's compound headquarters in undisclosed location in Boston

Croton Dam in New York

Playlist

Who Will Love Me Now
by Sunscreem

The Undertaker
by Puscifer

Apologize
by OneRepublic

Dance with the Devil
by Breaking Benjamin

Savin’ Me
by Nickelback

Make Me Believe
by Godsmack

Story Background

Midnight Awakening
came out in late November, 2007, to lovely reviews and further appearances on national bestseller lists. I had a contract to write the next three books in the series, and based on the success of the first three that year—and the amazing response from readers in just a few months’ time—I had the feeling that Random House was probably going to allow me to run with the series even beyond books four through six.

To avoid writing myself into another corner with my next overarching plotline, as I began working on
Midnight Rising
, I decided to sketch out basic story premises for all of the main characters I knew I wanted to write. And I also came up with the Big Finale for the series (which, by some miracle, played out in
Darker After Midnight
, Book 10, right down to the final scene, just as I’d planned it).

But back to
Midnight Rising
. Poor Rio! When I nearly blew him to pieces in
Kiss of Midnight
and killed off his duplicitous Breedmate, Eva, I had no idea I’d need to put him back together again and find him a suitable heroine. But as I was writing Tegan and Elise’s book, I already had my eye on the sexy Spaniard, and had begun trailing breadcrumbs that would lead to a hidden cave in the Czech mountains—the place where Rio’s second chance at a happy ending was to begin.

One of my first hurdles with Rio was his name. What kind of name is that, anyway, for a hundred-something-year-old vampire? Frankly, things went so quickly on the initial publication side with these books, I hadn’t done much homework on the characters beyond the first three heroes of my “trilogy.” So, in addition to plotting for the overall action thread of the series, I also went back to the drawing board and fleshed out character profiles for the rest of the cast going forward.

For Rio, coming up with his true name, Eleuterio de la Noche Atanacio (or, loosely translated from Spanish, “he who is free and of the night everlasting”) inspired his entire background and the dark circumstances of his youth. It also gave me the answer to what Rio’s unique Breed ability was—his
“manos del diablo,”
(devil’s hands), which allowed him to kill with a touch.

I don’t recall how Rio’s heroine in
Midnight Rising
, tabloid reporter Dylan Alexander, came to me initially. I knew he needed someone fiery and forthright, someone whose own personal goals—to find a juicy story that would hopefully save her loathed, but necessary, job—came into direct conflict with his. And at the time that Dylan stumbles upon Rio, his primary goal is to be left alone to die in peace.

Of course, Dylan didn’t merely stumble upon Rio’s hiding place; she was led there by Eva in ghost form. I felt bad for the way things ended between Eva and Rio. I knew Eva wasn’t a horrible person, just a selfish one who let her possessiveness become a disease, one that made her do something so reprehensible, there was no turning back. But I wanted to redeem her, even if only in some small way. Using her as the conduit for bringing Rio out of the dark place he’d retreated to after Eva’s betrayal felt right to me. I like things that come full circle, and letting Eva atone for what she did by guiding Dylan into his life—and later, for allowing Eva to assist Rio in saving Dylan when she was in mortal danger—is one of my favorite parts of
Midnight Rising
.

In addition to the emotional, romantic side of this book, we also get our first glimpse at the new villain of the series—Dragos. I wanted him to come on scene in a big way, demonstrating right up front that if Marek seemed dangerous, this guy was diabolical. Hiding behind assumed names and secret alliances that wormed deep into the highest ranks of the Enforcement Agency, Dragos was going to give the Order a real run for their money.

Midnight Rising
came out in April, 2008. John and I were driving home to Michigan to visit my parents when my editor called late in the afternoon, as we were approaching Buffalo, New York (yes, I remember where I was!). The
New York Times
bestseller list had just come in.
Midnight Rising
had debuted at #6!

Rio and Dylan’s story stayed on the
New York Times
list for another four weeks. It spent two weeks on the
USA Today
bestseller list, and was my first appearance on the
Publishers Weekly
bestseller list. Later,
Midnight Rising’s
German translation,
Gebieterin Der Dunkelheit
, would be my first bestselling title there, debuting on
Der Spiegel
.

Veil of Midnight

BOOK 5

Romantic Leads

Nikolai

Renata

Plot Summary

A mission to stop an assassin that’s targeting Breed elders calls warrior Nikolai to Montreal, where he crosses paths with—and finds an unlikely ally in—the one woman capable of bringing him to his knees.

Primary Story Locations

Various locations in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Sergei Yakut's lodge outside Montreal

One of Dragos's labs outside Montreal

Order's compound headquarters in undisclosed location in Boston

Playlist

Bring Me to Life
by Evanescence

Ghostflowers
by Otep

Time of Dying
by Three Days Grace

REV 22:20
by Puscifer

The Bird and The Worm
by The Used

Woman
by Wolfmother

Closer
by Nine Inch Nails

Personal Jesus
by Marilyn Manson

Story Background

I can still recall the surge of excitement I felt when I was jotting down the preliminary concept for
Veil of Midnight
. I’d never written a truly kickass heroine before—one who dressed in black leather and spike-heeled boots, and who bristled with as many deadly weapons as any one of my vampire alpha heroes of the Order. So much the better, that this Breedmate was also gifted with an extrasensory ability that could take down even the most lethal Gen One Breed.