The Black Dagger Brotherhood_ An Insider's Guide - J. R. Ward [105]
You will see that I made no mention of the Omega—that was because he wasn’t clear to me. At least not until the drafting! Then I knew more than enough.
You’ll also note, particularly in the introductory section, that I talk about my having “given” Wrath a critical weakness or “constructed” a situation to bring a woman into his life. This was, of course, not how things went down at all—but I was understandably wary of telling editors that these vampires were in my head, telling me what to do! I figured it was a good idea to present the story as though I was at least nominally in control of the material. Even if the truth was anything but that.
And I never did use uta-shellan in the series. I just went with shellan.
Oh, and the anticipated word count? Waaaaaaaaaaaaay off on that one!
Last word: I’ve reproduced the file below right off my computer and it’s not going to be copyedited as part of the editorial process of this insider’s guide—what you see is exactly what went out to market, mistakes and all. The purpose is to show that I did my very best to make sure there were no errors, but there are and though that’s not desirable, it still sold. This is not to encourage laziness—but part and parcel of the whole no-one’s-perfect thing.
Dark Lover
By J.R. Ward
Single Title, approx. 100,000 words
OVERVIEW/THEMES
A well-constructed world of vampires can amplify the very best elements of romance: hot sex, high stakes, and soaring emotion can come together in a unique, contemporary setting. For this kind of book to work properly, the Rules of the World have to be firm and unyielding and these laws must be constructed to encourage acts of heroism and sacrifice for love. Contrasts are critical and have to play strongly through out the plot: strength vs. weakness; righteousness vs. evil; loyalty vs. betrayal; love vs. hatred; loss vs. communion; these essential forces must all be represented. The heroes need to be supermen facing foes of worthy stature. And the heroines need to have strong backbones and sharp intelligence.
And did I mention there has to be lots of fantastic sex over the course of steamy nights? Yeah, I guess that comes under the hot sex part.
In planning this book, I started with a warrior hero who needs to be healed by love. Wrath is a four hundred year old vampire, the last of his line, the only pure bred of his race left on earth. He has incredible physical strength, he’s menacing and sexy, and he’s blind. With respect to his disability, I thought it would be important to give him a critical weakness. His lack of sight forces him to rely on others and provides a good contrast to his otherwise physical invincibility. His poor vision does not hinder his ability to fight, however.
Wrath has been at war with members of a dark arts society of vampire hunters since he went through his transition. Vampires in this series are born without their race’s characteristic features: fangs, super strength, longevity, photophobia, and the need for blood don’t come to them until some time around their twenty-fifth birthday when they undergo an agonizing physical transformation. To survive, they don’t drink from humans, they need a vampire of the opposite sex.
Prior to his transition, Wrath was scrawny, prone to sickness, weak. As a result of his poor health and eyesight, he was unable to save his parents when they were attacked by the vampire hunters. This contrast between Wrath’s earlier feebleness and his current status of super-strength is at the crux of his internal conflict. His inability to protect those he loved is a failure he has never forgiven himself for. His vengeance and self-hatred have consumed his soul and shut out all avenues of love and caring.
Wrath is a menace to be sure, but he’s worthy of being liberated