The Midnight Breed Series Companion

by Lara Adrian

  Are there gay members of the Breed? Because they seem to give me the impression that they are in love affairs quite human and for a man it is not unnatural to love a man.

  —Patircia P., Grimma, Germany

  Yes, of course, it seems only reasonable that there would be some Breed males who are emotionally and sexually attracted to other males, or bisexual. And I imagine the same to be true of Breedmates and Atlanteans as well. My personal feeling is that love is love, and only the heart can decide who it belongs to.

  Do you ever get writer’s block and if so how do you push through that block?

  —Sabrina R., Newark, NJ USA

  I’ve learned over time that if I’m struggling with a chapter or scene, usually it’s because I’m not writing close enough to the character(s) and/or the conflict. Sometimes I’m in the wrong character’s point of view, and I have to recast the scene from another character’s perspective instead—the best choice is always the character with the most at stake. Sometimes the characters and conflict of the scene are fine, but there’s something else that just doesn’t feel right, or isn’t portrayed cinematically enough to bring the moment to life on the page. In that case, I might change the location of the scene, or alter the point at which the scene opens, or try to capture what it was about the scene that excited me the most as I was plotting it and strive to maximize the impact of that element.

  With all Minions he created, why didn't Dragos turn Rogue?

  —Tori R., Port Saint Lucie, FL USA

  Dragos was a very controlling, exacting man. And he was patient. My God, decades of planning went into his operation—centuries, if you go back to the moment he and his father first placed the Ancient into hibernation in that mountain cave. Dragos would have been extremely judicious when it came to ingesting blood to create a Minion. He would have known his limits and been careful to avoid going over the edge into addiction. But that’s a great question!

  Will Mathias Rowan ever get his own story?

  —Janae G., Rock Springs, WY USA

  I have an idea for a novella for Mathias, and we’ll also see more of him as the series continues.

  Will we be seeing more Dragos bred "assassins" like Hunter? Men bred for evil, but who turn their back on their training and fight for the Order.

  —Renee S., Woodstock, IL USA

  Possibly. And I’ve also had ideas in the back of my mind for a while now about some of the Gen One assassin “lost boys” who were not so deeply indoctrinated into the program like Hunter was, being an adult assassin, but who would have been closer to Nathan’s age at the time they were released from Dragos’s control. I might find a place for them in the series somehow. We’ll see!

  My question is why you gave Lucan a last name (Thorne), but none of the other Order members have one. I would love to know the last names to them and how they got them.

  —Tami S., Hamilton, OH USA

  Because Lucan is 900 years old, his surname of Thorne is a name he acquired along the way, more so than a true family name. Surnames were uncommon in the Middle Ages and earlier, so many of the oldest members of the Breed would not have had them, but would have chosen a surname later on to help them blend in with the human world. Dante’s occasional use of the surname Malebranche (“evil claws”) is a made-up name he’s adopted in reference to his favorite daggers.

  Surnames are more common among the modern Darkhaven populations of the Breed. In cases where a last name hasn’t been given to a more contemporary character in the series, it’s either because they don’t have one, or because a surname didn’t make itself known to me as I was creating the character.

  Have there been any discussions about turning The Midnight Breed Series into a movie or television series?

  —Teresa A., Knoxville, TN USA

  Very early on, we had a nibble from a cable television channel that specializes in family dramas and women’s films. To no one’s surprise, they decided the Midnight Breed series was not right for them! *g* I’m asked by readers quite often if/when I might adapt the series for film or TV—in fact, it’s the second most frequent question I hear, right after demands for Gideon and Savannah’s story.

  The simple answer is, it’s not up to me. Adapting a book or series of books for live action drama is very expensive, and it takes the right studio with the right people on board to do it well. If a great team came along with a solid vision for the series, I would love to see the Order brought to life on cable or film.

  How did you come up with the design of the Breedmate mark?

  —Teodora K., Lukovit Bulgaria

  The Breedmate mark just “appeared” as I was writing the scene in Kiss of Midnight where Lucan is looming over Gabrielle while she sleeps and nearly bites her. Sometimes little gifts like this happen, and you learn to accept them and figure out what they mean later. For the red teardrop-and-crescent-moon birthmark that all Breedmates are born with, the meaning seemed pretty clear to me right away. It represents the fertility cycle (Breedmates, and Atlanteans, being fertile only during the period of a waxing or waning crescent moon) and the power and sanctity of blood (the teardrop shape is actually a blood drop).

  Can a Breed ever end up with more than one power?

  —Jennifer K., Hampton, NH USA

  Not unless the author screws something up (which happens, much to my chagrin). Breed talents are always inherited from Breedmate mothers. However, with the introduction of the Chase twins, Carys and Aric, being born of a Gen One Breed mother and a Breed father, things could get interesting!

  Is Hunter also related to Nathan and Tavia?

  —Carrie B., Las Vegas, NV USA

  Yes. They all share paternal genes from the Ancient who’d been kept in Dragos’s breeding lab.

  (Translated) I am a fan of Lara Adrian from the first book and look forward to reading many more. My question is, will there be more story for Rio and Dylan?

  —Desiree D., Madrid, Spain

  I’m so glad you’re enjoying my books, Desiree—thank you! I don’t have plans to revisit or expand on any of the couples whose stories have already been told, but you will see more of Rio and Dylan and the entire cast of characters as the series continues. I try to keep all of the main characters present in some way, so long as it makes sense that they would be involved in the ongoing storyline of the series.

  Will all Breedmates find their vampire match they are destined for? Do the vampires instinctively know how to find their Breedmate or does it just happen?

  —Karen G., Levittown, PA USA

  Soul mates and fated mates aren’t part of the Midnight Breed series. I try to pair up couples so that in the end it feels like they’ve always belonged together and are absolutely perfect for each other, but within the story world of the series, there really isn’t a destined mate for each Breed male or Breedmate. They meet and fall in love much like we do—by chance, by accident, by sheer good fortune, and sometimes they do it kicking and screaming the whole way.

  Will you ever do signings in bookstores outside the US?

  —Debra G., Cork, Munster, Ireland

  Ironically, the only places I have done book tours are outside the United States! I’ve been to Germany and Italy so far, and just recently had to turn down an offer to come to France for a convention and book signing tour due to conflicts in scheduling (hopefully I’ll be invited again another time). My international publishers have been amazingly supportive in this regard, and I hope to do more overseas book tours in the near future. The United Kingdom is one place I would very much love to visit!

  Will you ever come to CT for a book signing? I would like to meet you. No author I like comes to CT for some reason.

  —Nathasha G., Bristol, CT USA

  Thank you, Nathasha! I would love to come to Connecticut for a book signing (and to all the rest of the states where readers have been asking me to come for years, as well). Unfortunately, my US publisher doesn’t send me on book tours, even though I’ve made it clear that I would love th
e chance to meet readers in person. The lack of support in this area is frustrating, but the only way I’ve been able to meet with US readers is by attending conferences that host public book fairs, and by organizing events on my own, or with the help of book clubs who put together signings for me at their local bookstores. And in 2012, I decided to host my own reader conference, LAMB-Con, in Boston. It was a great time, and I really enjoyed hanging out with readers from all over the country for an entire weekend, not just a couple of hours at a signing.

  I hope to do more events in the United States, like LAMB-Con and other types of gatherings, but please understand that my options are limited due to expense and opportunity. To get notified of any of my upcoming events and appearances, be sure to sign up for my newsletter at www.LaraAdrian.com.

  How did you come up with the name Tavia for the character? My name is Tavia, so it was so cool to read your book and pretend it was me.

  —Tavia H., White Plains, NY USA

  Hi, Tavia! You have a beautiful name—one of my personal favorites. The meaning behind Tavia’s name in the series is explained in her book, Darker After Midnight. She was originally named Octavia by Dragos, because she was the eighth successful live Gen One female birth in his breeding lab.

  Do you intend to have only vampires in your series, or will you incorporate other creatures; such as werewolves/shape shifters. Newly discovered, of course.

  —Jaynee H., Kelseyville, CA USA

  The only supernatural beings you’ll see in the series are the Ancients, the Breed and the Atlanteans. To add anything else into the mix so far after the fact would only seem tacked on and inauthentic, I think. I prefer to keep the series lore as faithful to its beginnings as I can, and if I have the urge to write something that includes other supernatural beings or paranormal elements (and I do!) then I’d rather begin something completely new.

  This series is so amazing. Do you have any other series brewing in the back ground? Starting another?

  —Olivia T., Griffith, IN USA

  Thank you, Olivia! I do have plans for other series, actually. I’ve been thinking about one particular paranormal romance idea (dragons!) for quite some time now, and I’d like to write some non-paranormal thrillers and romantic suspense stories as well. So, yes—more to come!

  What message do you hope fans get from your books?

  —Lysette L., Moorpark, AL USA

  At the core of all my romance novels, even those outside the Midnight Breed series, is the message that we all belong somewhere, that we are uniquely special and important, and that home and family is wherever your heart is happiest. Find that place, even if you have to walk through fire to get there. And when it comes to love, don’t settle for anything less than the one person who will cherish and protect your heart like the precious gift it is.

  Carys (Chase) is a female and Breed. How will this affect her ability to procreate? Meaning, since she is Breed will she be able to bond with a Breed male?

  —Sheri B., Tampa, FL USA

  Carys, one of a small number of Breed females, is able to share a blood bond with a Breed male. Although the Ancients do not bond, the Breed (their offspring) do because they have Breedmate genes somewhere down the ancestral line. In Carys’s case, her mother Tavia is a genetically altered Gen One Breed. Unlike a Breedmate, Carys, being Breed, would not require a blood bond in order to have near-immortal longevity or to strengthen her ESP talent.

  Will one of the warriors have their heart owned by a human woman? Is this a possibility?

  —Larissa M., Londrina, Brazil

  Of course, it would certainly be possible for one of the Breed to fall in love with a human woman. For instance, I think Brock would love Jenna and want her as his mate even without the alien DNA that’s turned her into something more than mortal. But I don’t think I’ll write a book featuring a pairing between a true mortal and one of the warriors of the Order, because the sadness of knowing he’ll lose his human mate to old age and death would always be a specter casting a dark shadow over the romance. I think a love story between a mortal and an immortal is lovely, but it’s also inherently tragic and not something I have planned for the series.

  If you were to be remembered for one thing, what would you like it to be?

  —Sarah P., Tomah, WI USA

  Wow, tough question! It’s going to sound totally sappy, but I don’t care. If I am to be remembered for only one thing, I hope it’s kindness. Life is too short, too hard and too damned precious to live it with anything less than an open, loving heart.

  How did you learn to write about sex, and how do you know when to fit it into the action?

  —Heidi S., Munich, Germany

  LOL! Years of practice and meticulous research, Heidi. *g* No, the secret to writing about sex is checking your inhibitions at the door and tuning out the fact that one day many thousands of eyes (including your parents and in-laws, God help them) will be reading every sweaty, moaning word. It’s really hard to write a good sex scene if you’re worried about what Aunt Mary will think when the hero does that to the heroine, or vice versa. So, ignore the future spectators and let it all hang out (ahem).

  As for when to fit the “action” into the “action,” it’s really a matter of sensibility and good judgment. For instance, dropping a sex scene into the middle of a gunfight probably isn’t a great choice. Nor, I would argue, is segueing from a near-rape of the heroine by bad guys into a hot love scene and neck-bite by a horny alpha vampire hero. A good sex scene needs to be erotic and exciting, but it also needs to make sense within the fabric of the story.

  Which of all the stories was the most difficult one to write?

  —Isabel P., Munich, Germany

  Each story presents its own challenges, and there are times during the writing of every book that I want to pull my hair out or dissolve into a fit of tears. Fortunately, those moments never last very long! But there was one particular book that was more problematic for me than any other—not because of a difficult story or characters, but because of something that was happening to me health-wise at the time and I didn’t realize it.

  When I was writing Ashes of Midnight, I developed a sudden, acute food allergy problem. I’d never been allergic to anything but penicillin, and even then, it was never a big deal that made any foods off limits to me. Well, thinking I was eating healthy while on deadline, I began having a particular salad about three times a week. This salad had a variety of delicious things on it, including gorgonzola cheese…which, in case you aren’t aware (as I wasn’t) gorgonzola cheese is full of penicillin! I got very sick progressively over a period of several weeks, and had no idea why. Migraine headaches every day. Hives in my hairline and scalp. Severely bloodshot eyes and weird, sporadic facial swelling. Oh, I was a mess! And I started having trouble concentrating, feeling kind of disconnected and lethargic.

  I turned in the manuscript for the book and my editor called me a few days later with a couple pages of revisions and questions about various things in the book. This might not seem alarming, but I hardly ever have revisions (I’m a perfectionist, and I hate letting go of any book unless it’s the absolute best I can make it). I struggled through the reworking of the book, even the minor stuff seemed to take me forever to get right, but I still wasn’t connecting the dots that something was going wrong with my health. It ended up taking a massive allergic reaction and a 3am trip to the emergency room before I understood I’d been slowly poisoning myself for more than a month! And by then I was so messed up, it’s literally taken five years and a daily allergy pill the whole time to get myself somewhat back on track. The real bummer is, I’m still very allergic to any food containing mold or fungus, and that will likely never return to normal. No more cheese or mushrooms of any kind! :::cries:::

  This may be a weird question. But since the Breed get their food, do they use the bathroom like humans do? Feel weird asking, but it came to me one day and I'm just curious.

  —Ashley P., Newark, DE USA

>   It’s a very logical question, actually! Members of the Breed do not consume food except in very minute amounts and only in those rarest instances when they’re pressed to give the appearance of being human. So, although their bodies are equipped with the same basic plumbing as humans, their main diet 99.9% of the time is fresh blood.

  The Breedmates, however, are total foodies. They eat for pleasure, not sustenance, since their mates’ blood is all they need nutritionally speaking. And so it stands to reason that the Order’s compound and the Darkhavens would have bathrooms. But you won’t see me writing about bathroom habits, because…well, eww. I prefer to stick to the fantasy stuff, and leave the rest to the reader’s imagination!