Unchained started as Sterling Chains, (a name I kept for the series title) a single, standalone contemporary romance novel with mystery that I’d started eight years earlier and never finished.

Jack was always Jack, always a cocky lawyer, but Tatum went through a few different names and versions when I revisited the piece until she became a budding succubus that blossomed in part from my love of the series Lost Girl.

Interestingly it was the character of Malcolm Howard’s introduction into the story (originally only a person of interest) that shifted it from a contemporary romance to a paranormal story. Malcolm connects the story to my first novel, The Ring of Souls. He never appears in that novel but he’s mentioned as the wizard Malyk and his brother Cai appears in both stories.

So it is no surprise, that even though Jack is the love interest, that Malcolm is a pretty important character, since he was the character that turned the genre on its side for me. And of course he’s an actor, a nod to my love for the profession and my former days working in professional theater.

Jack is a product of my love for legal dramas. Law and Order was my grandfather’s favorite show and I grew up loving detective and lawyer stories.

I wrote Jack before I saw a single episode of Suits (I was late to the party)and when I saw Harvey Specter I felt like I already knew him because he had such a similar vibe to Jack.

But oh the twist here . . .after watching all seasons of Suits I stumbled across an interview of the actors Gabriel Macht (who played Harvey) and Sarah Rafferty (who played opposite him as Donna) talking about the summer that they met at Williamstown Theater Festival and my jaw dropped when I realized I was employed there that same year.

Gabe?? That blonde kid my roommate had a crush on at Williamstown? THAT Gabe? And Sarah? Suddenly I remembered them from that summer when I worked in the costume shop and they were part of an acting interns ensemble and we all lived in the same dorm complex in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

And yes, I have pictures from the program to prove it haha.

So even though I’d never seen Suits before I wrote Jack, somewhere in my mind I must have remembered Gabe’s energy (he’s not like Harvey in real life although I do remember him as charming) and formed a character similar to the one he is famous for.

Another one of life’s twists.

Unexpected Turns

A snow storm, a museum, a hot Alpha, oh my