I am hard at work on my third book in the Daimon Soldier series: Gusion Daimon Heart. This time, I tried outlining the plot and I was so happy about it. Then around Chapter 10, I threw the outline out. Sigh. I am a panster. Can’t change.

I write it’s all fantasy and paranormal BUT I am starting to see threads of my passion for reading Historical Romance emerge in this book.

It started with writing Tatianna, the female hero. She is a strong and powerful Ice Daimon, daughter of the traitor Rayme but a good and noble person who wants to change and improve life in the Daimon Realm. Her mother left Rayme when Tatianna was a baby so she never knew him. Her mother returned to run her family lands as an Earl and Tatianna was brought up to be a Shieldmaiden, protector of her people and resistor to the war. Yeah, feminine resistance is part of the plot.

Gusion, my male hero was the hand of Naberius and his attack dog. Gusion would lead the attack in battle and is a Berserker. So falling for Tatianna – it made sense. In no way, is Gusion a beta male, he is 100% alpha who falls in love with a powerful woman. He just sees their relationship the same way he interacts with his General. Right? Cause why would that be different? He doesn’t resent Naberius, he sees him as his brother and leader, and he sees Tatianna as his lover and leader. Of course, he is going to have to convince her.

Just dealing with this type of power dynamic is interesting. It raises the ante for the hero and how he reacts. Again, Tatianna is modeled on a Duke from a Regency novel, entitled, uber powerful, stunted from a relationship standpoint, slightly arrogant but fundamentally good (well in this story).

The social structure of the Daimon Realm is similar to the Regency era, a landed aristocracy and a powerful military. Unlike England, the Daimon Realm collapsed into a civil war between the Ice Daimons and Jotun Daimons. The Pale Daimons initially sided with the Ice Daimons but changed sides early in the war.  The seeds for the Daimon Civil War can be traced back to the Killings of the Daimon in Earth Realm and the withdrawal of Daimons to their Realm. It was a complete destabilization of the power structures in the Daimon Realm and the lack of leadership (they were all killed) allowed inter-racial hatred to flourish.  The withdrawal lasts a thousand years and only ends when Naberius is sent into exile/recovery to the Earth Realm.

Gusion is a handsome muscular ginger, slightly slutty, a surfer, and good times kind of guy who smiles a lot as a human and as Daimon, an unstoppable Berserker warrior. He opens a bar, gets into cosplay, hangs out with surfers and dates an exotic dancer although she dumps him. Gusion is a duality in every way. Daimon and human. Happy go, lucky relaxed dude, and berserker. A serial monogamist, happier in a relationship but can’t commit to a human because he can’t lie to a mate. The Daimon least affected by his experience in the Daimon wars and yet consumed with guilt because he doesn’t have any PSTD or issues.

I can’t tell you anything more because I tend to delete and change a lot, particularly about the ending….aiming to have the book available by May 2018.