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...
Side characters can make or break a fantasy romance. The best ones add depth, humor, tension, and emotional stakes. They make your world feel lived-in and real. They give readers more people to love. But side characters are tricky. Make them too bland and readers...
Morally gray characters are everywhere in fantasy romance right now—and for good reason. Readers love characters who aren’t purely good or evil, who make questionable choices, who exist in the messy middle where most of us actually live. But writing morally gray...
Chemistry is what makes readers root for your couple. It’s that undeniable pull between characters that makes you lean forward, turning pages faster, desperate to see them finally get together. But chemistry is also one of the hardest things to write. You...
The “alpha hero” is one of romance’s most popular—and most controversial—archetypes. When done right, alpha heroes are confident, protective, take-charge characters who make readers swoon. When done wrong, they’re controlling, domineering, and...