Today I am so pleased to welcome Lexi Ander to Joyfully Jay. Lexi has come to talk to us about her book Dreams of the Forgotten. She has also brought along some amazing giveaways! Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

Twin Flames, Destiny, and Death

Thank you for stopping by. Today is the first day of the Dreams of the Forgotten blog tour, and I thought I would start it off talking about what I had planned to happen in Dreams of the Forgotten verses what actually happened.

**I should probably say now that if you haven’t read the first two books of this series, you’ll want to think twice before reading through the blog post. (Just skip on down and enter the giveaway.) I will be talking about Twin Flames and Songs of the Earth in correlation to Dreams of the Forgotten.

Whew! Now that the warning is out of the way, let’s talk! In the first two books a couple of facts are set up.

One, all Lycans have a Twin Flame who they may or may not meet in their present life, and if they don’t, it’s okay because they are reincarnated, and have a chance to find them in the next life.

Two, Tristan and Ushna are not Twin Flames. Between betrayal and tragedy, they both lost their Basherts.

Three, Tristan is pretty sure he’s permanently severed his connection with his Twin Flame. Ushna’s Twin Flame is an innocent, and they will find each other in the next life whereas Tristan will wander the coming incarnations alone.

Coming into Dreams of the Forgotten, these main features of the story were in mind. At the end of the series, Tristan and Ushna could win the day, but really, was Tristan going to have his “Happily Ever After”? The answer was, no. He would spend a great life with Ushna then when the cycle of life would repeat. Ushna would be reborn with his Twin Flame, and Tristan would be alone. Even though that aspect wouldn’t be in the book, it’s a fact that isn’t hard to miss when reading the series.

I wanted Tristan to get his HEA with Ushna and there was only a limited number of ways to accomplish that. I could break the bond between Ushna and his Flame, Brian, or find Tristan another love interest at the end of the series, or Brian could, in an act of selfless love, sacrifice himself so that Ushna and Tristan could be together.

Considering breaking Ushna and Brian’s bond didn’t fit with the story, and since Brian had already died tragically, this just seemed like a jerk thing to do. I already had this image of Brian’s character in my head, it didn’t fit with how he’d already been developed, and the act wouldn’t mesh with the overall plot. So that was easily discarded.

Finding Tristan another love interest when he and Ushna spent five books as in love as they are—well, it didn’t fit with the story. The hate mail because I broke Tristan and Ushna up at the end of the series would probably implode my email inbox. It would be too hard to sell, and because I couldn’t believe it, readers definitely wouldn’t.

So that left… Death. Well, there was another option but I didn’t want to go there, and I’ll explain why in a second. Character death isn’t something to play around about. If an author has to kill off a character then it cannot be for a senseless reason. There must be meaning, and in my opinion, the sacrifice should be emotionally moving. But Brian was only the name of a boy who’d already died once when he was eleven years old. No one really knew him. So I started Dreams of the Forgotten off determined to introduce Brian to the readers so they knew who he was and understood what he would be giving up for the sake of an epic love.

Half way through the story, and I stalled because I fell in love with Brian. There was a third option I could take but like I said, I was hesitant. Some consider a ménage as taboo and aren’t comfortable reading it. Not only that, it would change almost everything about what came afterwards, and the structure I had already formed in my mind for the next three books would evolve into something very different.

It would also change the overall plot arch:

One, where Tristan and Ushna started and why.

Two, that they needed to change to accomplish…

Three, where they have the knowledge, strength and power to overcome the odds.

I waffled back and forth until I had lunch with an awesome group of friends, and they asked me how things were going. The vote was unanimous for no death, going with the one option I was reluctant to put on the table: Incorporating Brian into the love story. As leery as I was about turning Sumeria’s Sons into a ménage, I was relieved to not have to kill Brian. A huge weight was lifted. Now I had to work and change things around to allow it to happen, which was a lot of work but the changes made the overall story much better. Hopefully, others will agree. ^_^

Thank you for stopping by. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway. I hope you have a wonderful day and thank you for reading!!

You can get a copy now: http://www.lessthanthreepress.com/books/index.php?main_page=product_bookx_info&cPath=116&products_id=876 


Blurb

Dreams of the Forgotten by Lexi AnderFor Tristan and Ushna, nothing comes easy and with each passing day the challenges grow and the dangers multiply. The safe home they are building for their family and tribe is threatened from all sides, and the peace they seek is being torn apart by enemies and internal strife. Tristan dares not reveal his condition to any but those closest to him, all the while he’s plagued by dreams he cannot remember upon waking…

And over all of it hangs the knowledge that his time with Ushna is running out. Because Ushna already has a Flame awaiting rebirth, and though Tristan would die to protect that bond, he constantly struggles against his beast who demands they bind Ushna to their side.

Order a copy today!


Bio

The AuthorLexi has always been an avid reader, and at a young age started reading (secretly) her mother’s romances (the ones she was told not to touch). She was the only teenager she knew of who would be grounded from reading. Later, with a pencil and a note book, she wrote her own stories and shared them with friends because she loved to see their reactions. A Texas transplant, Lexi now kicks her boots up in the Midwest with her Yankee husband and her eighty-pound puppies named after vacuum cleaners.

Where to find the author:


Giveaway

Lexi has brought some amazeballs prizes to give away on her tour. There will be five winners and here are the prizes:

1. $20 Amazon Gift card, $20 All Romance Gift card, hard copy of Dreams of the Forgotten, swag (pens, bookmarks, and such)
2. $20 All Romance Gift card, hard copy of Dreams of the Forgotten, swag (pens, bookmarks, and such)
3. hard copy of Dreams of the Forgotten, swag (pens, bookmarks)
4. e-book copy of Dreams of the Forgotten
5. e-book copy of Dreams of the Forgotten

Just fill out the Rafflecopter form (or follow the link) below to enter!

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