WHAT IS IT WITH THOSE BAD BOYS?

Why are good girls always drawn to bad boys? I know I personally gave my mom grey hair during my “bad decade” as a roadie for a band called Nasty Habit. You know the saying “he’s the one your mama warned you about”? Watch the movie “Dirty Dancing” w/Baby (Jennifer Gray) falling for Johnny (Patrick Swayze)—see what I mean? The smoldering eyes, the cocky grin, the “I dare you” attitude…

Is it the whole opposites-attract/grass-is-always-greener thing? Is it the lure of the forbidden? The yearning to escape the same-old-same-old? Whatever it is, it’s one of the most popular sorts of pairing-up in romantic fiction. The-princess-and-the-pirate and such. He’s just a work in progress waiting for the right woman to redeem him. A message of hope? Reinforcing the love-conquers-all theme? 

I am currently finishing up Moonwitched, the LAST book in the ‘Guardians of Light” series, Book 7. Seven books are enough for a single series, I think. So I started thinking about their children forming a “Daughters of the Guardians” trilogy—Braeca, Piroska and Elyria. Those will be the titles, I think. So I started plotting out Braeca’s story.

Braeca is Finora’s daughter (LYCAN TIDES). She’s your typical oldest-daughter. Uber-responsible mini-mom, who’s taken care of her little brother Ioain since she was six and he was two. (Hey, she held off a dragon with a busted lamp—nobody messes with her baby brother!) She’s a warrior-scout and a weather-witch, now with FOUR little brothers and sisters—everything she does is for kin & clan. She’s never done anything wild or crazy or irresponsible in her life. So who does she need to rock her world and shake things up a bit—or a lot?

Geeze-Louise, what HAVEN’T I done in seven books already? Something new…something unexpected…the ultimate bad boy…

AHA!

Enter Flyn, a dark elf prince. (Check out the AWESOME pic I found on DeviantArt.com—http://mavrosh.deviantart.com/art/The-Dark-Elf-Portrait-285961487) A very morally-gray warrior-mage from a patriarchal, autocratic society where the strong rule the weak and women are seen and not heard. Braeca is a revelation to him. His society is utterly different from hers—HER clans are matriarchal and democratic, and anyone trying to silence a woman would definitely be singing in a higher key. Permanently. 

Opposites attract? You got it. The ultimate alpha bad-boy with smoldering silver-mercury eyes meets a practical lass who doesn’t take any crap from any man. These two are going to be smoking hot—and I now have the story line all plotted out. Political intrigue, betrayal, family infighting, lies and deception, well-meaning family interference, bitter rivalries… (I am SO not a pantser—I always need a map!)

So the Guardians look to have a strong legacy to carry on in their Daughters.

I’m curious—who’s got a bad boy tale or two of their own to tell?