Let me tell you about the character who hijacked my brain for five years and then refused to let me write her wrong.

Her name is Kateri, and she’s not the heroine I expected to create.

The Shift From “Me” to “Her”

For five years, I had this recurring dream. At first, I was the one in it—living the story, experiencing everything. But as I fell asleep each night and let my imagination wander, something shifted.

I stopped inserting myself into the scenario. Instead, I started imagining someone else. Someone who was kind of like me in some ways, but also completely her own person.

That’s when Kateri showed up and demanded to exist.

I didn’t consciously decide to create her. She just… arrived. Fully formed opinions about who she was, what she would and wouldn’t do, how she’d react to things. I’d try to push the story one direction, and she’d basically go, “Nope, that’s not who I am,” and do something else entirely.

It was frustrating. It was also kind of amazing.

Because she wasn’t a self-insert anymore. She was her. And I just had to keep up.

The Girl Who Wants to Disappear (But Won’t Back Down)

Here’s what makes Kateri different from a lot of fantasy romance heroines:

She’s not naturally confident.

She’s the girl who describes herself as “the typical wallflower.” She wants to blend in, to be invisible, to avoid being the center of attention. She ducks her head in crowds. She’d rather observe than participate.

But—and this is crucial—that doesn’t mean she’s weak.

When it matters, when someone crosses a line or when her people need her, Kateri will absolutely stand up and fight. She just doesn’t enjoy the spotlight while doing it.

She’s an introvert with a spine.

I loved writing that combination because it felt real to me. Not everyone who’s strong is loud about it. Not everyone who’s brave wants to be noticed. Some people are quiet until the moment they need to be loud—and then they’re terrifying.

That’s Kateri.

She’ll spend half a scene trying to be invisible, and then she’ll make a deadpan joke about using a poncho as a body bag, and suddenly everyone’s staring at her like “wait, what?”

The Character Who Insisted on Being Herself

One of the weirdest parts of writing Kateri was how much she fought me on certain things.

I’d plan out how a scene should go, and she’d just… not do it. Not because I was being lazy or wasn’t thinking it through, but because the choice I wanted her to make wasn’t her.

She has very strong opinions about who she is.

For example, early in the book, she makes a decision about a relationship that even surprised me when I wrote it. I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say Kateri doesn’t waste time on things that aren’t serving her—even when it would be easier or safer to just go along with it.

I remember typing that scene and thinking, “Wait, you’re really doing this? Right now? This early?”

And she basically responded, “Yes. Because I’m done.”

So I let her do it. Because that’s who she is.

Someone I’d Actually Want to Be Friends With

This is going to sound weird, but I genuinely like Kateri.

Not in a “she’s my creation so of course I like her” way, but in a “if she were a real person, I’d want to go to lunch with her” way.

She’s funny in this dry, sarcastic way that sneaks up on you. She’s fiercely loyal to her sisters. She’s strategic and clever without being manipulative. She notices things other people miss. And when she’s scared—which is often—she doesn’t pretend she’s not. She just keeps moving forward anyway.

That made giving her flaws really hard.

I’m not kidding. I liked her so much that when I had to give her realistic character flaws—because characters need flaws to be believable—it felt mean.

I’d write something where she made a mistake or let her fear hold her back, and I’d feel bad about it. Like I was being unfair to a friend.

Which is ridiculous, obviously. She’s fictional. But it also meant I cared about her as a person, not just as a plot device. And I think that comes through in the writing.

The Bits of Me (And the Bits That Are All Her)

People always ask: “How much of Kateri is you?”

The honest answer: Some. But not as much as you’d think.

What she took from me:

• The introversion and social anxiety
• The dry humor that slips out at inappropriate times
• The fierce protectiveness over people she loves
• The overthinking everything

What’s purely her:

• Her boldness when pushed too far (I’m much more conflict-avoidant)
• Her impulsiveness (I plan everything to death)
• Her physical courage (I would absolutely not survive Phobia)
• The way she processes fear by getting angry instead of shutting down

She’s like a version of me who made different choices, who has skills I don’t have, who reacts to pressure in ways I never would.

She’s the friend I’d want in a crisis. The person who’d say the thing everyone’s thinking but no one wants to say out loud. The one who looks quiet and unassuming until suddenly she’s the most capable person in the room.

Why Readers Will Love Her (I Hope)

Here’s what I think makes Kateri someone readers will connect with:

She’s Relatable

Not everyone wants to read about the naturally confident, outgoing heroine who commands every room she walks into. Sometimes you want to read about the girl who’s uncomfortable at parties, who’d rather hide in the corner, who feels anxious in crowds.

But who will also absolutely stand up to the terrifying supernatural creature when he crosses a line.

That’s Kateri.

She’s Strategic, Not Reckless

Kateri doesn’t charge into danger because she’s fearless. She assesses situations, makes plans, thinks through consequences. When she takes risks, it’s calculated.

She uses her brain as much as her powers. And when she does something impulsive, there’s usually a good reason—even if she can’t fully articulate it yet.

She’s Loyal to Her Core

Her sisters are everything to her. The found family she’s built means more than her own safety, her own comfort, her own desires.

That loyalty drives so many of her choices, even the ones that scare her.

She Has a Sense of Humor About Everything

Even when she’s terrified, Kateri’s dry wit sneaks through. It’s a defense mechanism, sure, but it’s also just who she is.

The body bag/poncho comment is one of my favorite moments because it’s so perfectly her. She’s scared out of her mind, trapped in a nightmare situation, and she still can’t help making that deadpan joke.

She Grows Without Losing Herself

Over the course of the book, Kateri becomes more confident, more willing to take up space, more comfortable with her own power.

But she doesn’t become a different person. She’s still introverted. She still prefers to observe. She’s just learned when and how to step into the spotlight when it matters.

That growth feels earned because she doesn’t have to completely change her personality to become strong. She already was strong—she just had to recognize it.

The Moments That Define Her

Without spoiling anything, here are some of my favorite Kateri moments:

When she stands up to someone important early in the book. I won’t say who or when, but it’s a moment where she could’ve stayed quiet, could’ve gone along with something that wasn’t right. Instead, she makes a choice that changes everything. It scared me when I wrote it because it was so early, but it was so her.

Every time her sarcasm slips out. Especially when she’s trying to be invisible and her mouth just… doesn’t cooperate. Those moments always made me laugh while writing.

The way she uses water. Kateri’s power is subtle and strategic. She doesn’t throw massive displays of magic around—she uses water in clever, unexpected ways that show how her mind works.

Her protectiveness over her sisters. The lengths she’ll go to, the risks she’ll take, the lines she’ll cross. That fierce loyalty defines so much of who she is.

When she’s genuinely terrified but keeps going anyway. Bravery isn’t the absence of fear. It’s being scared and doing the thing anyway. Kateri embodies that.

What I Hope Readers See

When readers meet Kateri, I hope they see someone who feels real.

Someone who’s not perfect. Who makes mistakes. Who gets scared and doesn’t always handle it well. Who sometimes lets fear make her decisions, even though she knows she shouldn’t.

But also someone who’s genuinely good. Who loves fiercely. Who’s smarter than she gives herself credit for. Who will stand up when it counts, even when her legs are shaking.

I hope introverted readers see themselves in her and feel seen.

I hope readers who’ve felt invisible recognize that quiet strength in her.

I hope everyone roots for her—not because she’s flawless, but because she’s trying. Because she keeps showing up even when it’s hard. Because she’s the kind of person you’d want in your corner.

She Demanded to Be Herself, and I Let Her

Looking back at those five years of dreaming and the two years of actually writing her story, I’m grateful Kateri insisted on being who she is.

I could’ve forced her into a more typical heroine mold. Made her more outgoing, more naturally confident, more traditionally “strong.”

But that wouldn’t have been true to who she demanded to be. And honestly? The story’s better because she fought me on it.

She’s not the heroine I planned to write.

She’s better.

She’s the girl who wants to disappear but won’t back down. The wallflower with a spine. The strategic thinker who sometimes acts on impulse. The sarcastic introvert who’s fiercely loyal to the people she loves.

She’s Kateri. And I can’t wait for readers to meet her.