Those deaths were some of the hardest lines I’ve ever had to write. I am very fond of Abby, and killing her was excruciating. But the truth is that I didn’t know what to do with them. I’d played with the idea of having them move overseas to be tigers together, but that felt odd in the context of my otherwise-gritty books, almost like a fairytale ending for a couple whose lives were decidedly not fairytale-like. I hate it when other authors do that.
So when I decided to spare Reid, I looked at the other characters, because someone had to die in the finale. Jillian was never going to die. Obviously I wasn’t going to kill Marco, whom I based on my real-life younger brother. Ember was going to live if Reid did. I couldn’t kill the narrator. Reuben had been through enough, and I’d never do that to Gabriela.
That left the star-crossed lovers. Even the brave and beautiful die in war.
I think, one day, Gregory will pull his head out of his butt and show up on Jillian’s doorstep with his hat in his hands. I don’t know what will make him see the light; perhaps his sister’s constant presence on television, or maybe a dishy tell-all written by a former superhero will finally make things click. Maybe Dean will find him and talk some sense into his head.
Seriously though, I think Mercury is my favorite installment of the series. It was so cool to have Benjamin’s POV for a whole novel, and I loved the scene from Marco’s POV. As always, your characters are so compelling and believable and the pacing and tension are just perfect. There were a lot of twists, but they kept up the excitement rather than feeling contrived. I’m kind of sad it’s over, but what a great conclusion! I’m looking forward to your next series. 😀
Thank you so much!!! I’m doing a huge overhaul on the first few chapters of The Sea of Lost Souls today, and then I’m chugging ahead into brand new material later this week. My first big change: I’m switching narrators.
Wide Spread Interests 