Hurting my characters

I am the first to admit I’m mean to my characters. Sometimes it’s off the page and in their backstory (Dai from Kiss of the Goblin Prince). Other times it’s on the page and the character must suffer.

In Dark Vow I killed the heroine's husband in chapter one and then made her face up to the lie her life had been.

In Dark Secrets I try to drive the hero, Haidyn, insane with magic, put his lost love on the arm of another man and then had him branded as a whore.

A weaker character would have curled up and said enough. But Haidyn sucked it up and proved he was hero worthy. It doesn’t matter how many times you get knocked down as long as you get back up. I’m sure that someone famous made that quote and I’ve just butchered it, but it’s something I keep in mind as I write. I want my character to keep fighting against the odds. I want them to grow despite everything that is against them.

It’s the resilience of human spirit that enjoy writing about.

Dark Secrets
Six years ago, Haidyn Mast left his home and his betrothed Anisa to follow his magical calling. Too weak to join the Arcane Guild and too ashamed to return home, he has made a life as a prostitute—to all outward appearances. In truth, he sells his mind but not his body, using magic to let his clients experience their most secret fantasies while his hands stay clean. Even the Lawman, the arbiter of justice in Reseda, is one of his clients, but Haidyn would rather not know the extent of that man's depravity.

Though successful, Haidyn is shunned as a whore and his lack of formal training is causing his power to grow out of control. He's ready to retire and leave the city, but when he sees his Anisa standing at the Lawman's side, he knows he must rescue her from the abusive enforcer. Risking his life and his sanity, he devises a plan, knowing that failure will mean death for him, and a lifetime of torment for her…