Cover Art by Alison Hunt
War of Nytefall: Lost is the second volume of the series. It introduces a character that people on the blog seemed to enjoy. Come to think of it, everyone seems to like my whacky, crazy, random characters. Not much love for the villain who came with her, but I guess kooky nuts wins over malicious nuts. Either way, this book threw everything for a loop, which is impressive for a world that has yet to settle.
The big event here is the introduction of Lost. This teenager is a Dawn Fang with a stuffed bunny that can move around while she talks to it. She’s unique because she is the first of the womb-born Dawn Fangs. Her existence reveals that Dawn Fangs are capable of breeding through sex instead of using Clyde’s blood or biting others. This throws the whole vampire world off-kilter again, especially for the one who discovers she is Lost’s mother. Since Dawn Fang babies are born dead and need a few minutes before they get a heartbeat, Lost was assumed a stillbirth and abandoned. Rather dark, but the first vampire birth wasn’t going to be rosy.
Of course, Lost growing up as a Dawn Fang with only a pair of mortal gnomes to raise her means she doesn’t know the rules. So, she isn’t careful with her powers and identity, but doesn’t stay in one place long enough for people to figure things up. So, Clyde’s demand that the mortals not learn about Dawn Fangs existing is at risk. Doesn’t help that she swears Xavier Tempest, Clyde’s friend turned enemy, is her father, so she’s openly asking about him. The girl really does come with a ton of problems, including her old army of fellow womb-borns and a dangerous assassin she had brainwashed for years to be her bodyguard. This is why the story is a race to see who can be the first to get to Lost, get her to stay in one place, and undo all of the damage before the mortals notice.
Lost is the book where I realized the civil war concept wasn’t going to work as anything more than a backdrop. War of Nytefall was clearly going to be about the characters and their personal goals. My original plan of having each book be a key battle between the Old Worlds and Dawn Fangs was falling apart. Seemed really boring, especially when I had created multiple characters whose would shine brighter outside of stories involving mission and battles. It didn’t help that Xavier and Clyde were supposed to go from trusted allies to bitter enemies, but that was dwindling already. I made both of them fairly honorable on some level, which would bite me in the ass after this book.
Would I change anything? The main thing I would change is the character of Eighty. This is the one leading Lost’s old army. I didn’t expect him to turn up until I wrote the scene and realized the group needed someone in charge. He grew in leaps and bounds since he required a personality. Didn’t take the time to really flush him out, so he’s built entirely from pantsing my way through his scenes. I do like how he came out, but I feel like I could have done better if I prepared for him. Maybe it wouldn’t be better. Still, I keep looking looking back at him and wondering.
Some fun questions:
- Do you think a story with plenty of action and comedy can broach a sensitive topic?
- Are phobias interesting character quirks or overused?
- Why do you think people like kooky crazy characters like Lost and Bob?
Legends of Windemere 
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I wonder if it’s easier for a comedy to shift serious than a drama to shift comedic. I’ve watch many Adam Sandler movies that became serious in the third act long enough for character development. Then comedy returned, but maybe not to the same extent.
I wonder if we see the same phobias because they’re the most common.
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It probably is easier. It’s interesting that so many of the comedians who starred in comedies are now doing (or have done) dramas. I think of Steve Carell and Adam Sandler especially.
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I completely agree with L. Marie on that first one. Phobias can be interesting if they are not ones of the over-used variety (fear of flying, heights, etc.) Kooky crazy characters add depth and interest to a story as long as they are not overdone and detract from the thrust of the story.
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Totally agree on the kooky characters adding depth if not overdone. Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde hit all the right notes with her character.
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I’m thinking of all the kooky characters in Woody Allen’s movies!
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We tend to have similar tastes, so I hope this cocktail of action and comedy works. Phobias are great. Like others have said, some have become low hanging fruit, but there are so many that can mold a character that haven’t been done to death. It’s possible readers like characters who don’t have social constipation. We have rules in our everyday life and some of these characters don’t seem to have them. My own whacky characters are my most popular ones.
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Social constipation is a new term, but a get it. Definitely a good point.
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I’m noticing a lot of people are saying phobias need to be unusual. So, no fear of heights, spiders, snakes, the dark, etc. Yet, I wonder if going for unusual causes a problem with relatability. People seem to be able to understand the more common ones without an explanation. The more unique a phobia, the harder it is to understand and the more explanation is required. For example, having fanariphobia (fear of traffic lights) is a real thing, but not one that an average reader will accept without major backstory.
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Hmm! 🤔 You might have a point, Charles. I, and I suspect others, we’re thinking of clichés. Is arachnophobia a cliché? Maybe not if people can relate to it.
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I have a mild case of arachnophobia. Whenever a character has it, I fully understand their reactions. Less common phobias are harder to get behind even though I understand the basic psychological response. So, it’s definitely easier to go with the common ones. Interesting that they’re called cliches too. With arachnophobia, 3-6% of the global population have it, so it’s very common. Acrophobia is over 6%. To me, this makes me think we’re more likely to see characters with these hurdles.
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My comment just upped and went!
Here we go again.
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I’ve never actually run into a person with a true fear of snakes. Even Indiana Jones simply didn’t like them. I wonder if that’s another issue with phobias. A lot of authors mistake ‘I do not like it’ with a true phobia, which is crippling fear.
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