One of the things I’ve always loved about books is mystery. Not the detective with the magnifying glass, but just things that are left unspoken.

Before writing, reading has always been a chance to flex my creative muscles, and to help spin the web of stories that the author has written. A lot of people are like this, filling in the ‘gaps’ with fanfiction or speculation or discussion. It’s exciting, to come up with theories and explanations that the authors left out – intentionally or not.

In our writing, that’s always been one of our guiding stars. We want to make people think, to guess, to come up with their own explanations at times. We really want to encourage people discussing and debating the things that happen in our books, to hang on waiting to see if and when we prove them right or wrong.

There are some stories that leave nothing to the imagination. Every villain has a speech about why they did what they did. Every hero has a clear voice, clear intentions, and they always act in that manner. Every mystery is wrapped up in the final chapter and leaves everyone dusting off their hands with a ‘That’s the end of that chapter!’ look on their face.

Truthfully, I never liked those books as much. They could be really fun reads, but what happens after finishing a book is the most important thing for me. Do I lie awake, wondering what happened? Am I excited to talk to my friends about it? Do I absolutely need them to read it so we can toss around theories?

Though the story follows its plot to conclusion, these are a lot of the things that we’ve heard said about The Warlord’s Concubine, our newest Paranormal Romance book. People have been really intrigued and surprised by the ending, and they want more. More of the characters, more of the world.

It’s a feeling that I’ve always loved, and to be able to make others feel the same is just amazing. To have people really start discussing the finer points of the story, of the background, of the characters and lore is beyond compare. People being passionate about something we wrote, something that we’re passionate about, something that tugged on my heartstrings is just a wonderful feeling of togetherness.

The Warlord’s Concubine follows a middle aged handmaiden that seems weak, and subservient, but her love and devotion leads her to power that men envy and fear. The Warlord is mysterious, but his needs are certain. The two characters find something in each other that even they weren’t expecting.

It develops from a typical Master/slave relationship to something so much greater. Something built on respect and trust.

For my partner and I, it was a joy to be able to give these characters, who weren’t heroes, who sometimes were a bit murky about their intentions, a voice. We are so glad it’s resonating with readers, and we look forward to hearing your discussions!