So...why call the blog Marked?

I know, this should have been the first blog entry, right? 

William and Thomas, as part of their punishment, are Marked. This is basically a painfully applied tattoo with the Immortal symbol for whatever Deadly Sin they committed. I won't say the sin here, but you can probably narrow it down. Anyway, this Mark tells all other Immortals that the twins have been VERY bad and should been treated as the complete psychopaths that they are. It is like the Scarlet Letter; everyone knows you seriously sinned, and everyone can avoid you if they wish.

Thankfully, it doesn't stay on forever. If the twins stay on the straight and narrow, and avoid killing anyone in a blind rage, then the Mark can be removed. For them, it has to stay on for most of the story, which equals a few centuries. Only the Elders can apply and remove the Mark. 

The Mark has meaning for the twins as well; it serves as a mark of shame and a reminder of the consequences of losing control. They convince themselves that, as long as they are Marked, they cannot go to Heaven if they die (there are only two ways to kill Immortals; cut their head off or disintegrate them). This Mark becomes a motivator for them, to do all they can to get it removed. 

The Elders

All societies have leaders, people who have absolute rule or simply the last word. For the Immortals, there are four leaders representing the Immortal clans. They are purposely a range of cultures, races, and viewpoints. They pass final judgement if needed and give final approval on laws. William and Thomas get to know most of them fairly well. I'll briefly introduce them.

Vladimir: this is the Dark One Elder, and he is by far the most visible of the Elders. He is the voice of the Dark Ones, hails from present day Russia, and is the oldest Elder. Vladimir is a character that has lasted through all 15 years of brainstorming, because he is classic, smooth, witty and wise. He becomes one of the twins' father figures.

Saynan: She is from modern day Japan, and is the ShadowWalker Elder (you won't hear much about the ShadowWalkers in this novel). She is also the only female Elder in history. While she puts on a cool exterior, Saynan is very passionate about issues of ethics and equality. She becomes something of a mother figure to the twins.

Claudis: He is a Moor, and the NightWolf Elder. It is often assumed that he is gruff and unyielding, and while he has his moments, he is loyal to what he believes in. Claudis likes to play devil's advocate in meetings and debates, but he does it to get others to think about their choices.

Romain: Hails from present day Spain. Romain is the leader of a widely scattered  and hunted clan, the Felians. He is gone from Great Hall often, off to track down his brethren. As a result, he is not in this story much. He appears to be a mix Claudis' no-nonsense attitude and Saynan's compassion.

Where the twins walk...

In the brainstorming days and months, I envisioned my twins seeing the world, traveling to foreign lands, and getting into misfit-like situations all along the way. Then I realized how that would ruin their entire story; their confinement and lack of control over their lives is part of their struggle. Their roaming is confined to about three different parts of the world for this story:

1. Germany: This just makes sense. It is their home, and no matter what happens, they always return back to where they began. They live in southeastern Germany and witness the country's growing pains, its highest and darkest moments. Through it all, they never stop calling themselves Germans. 

2. Ireland: This is where they serve out their time for their crimes, at Great Hall in Northern Ireland. The twins mature the most here; they make lifelong friends, learn to control their instincts, and strengthen their already tight bond. This is also the setting for some of the funnier moments of the story.

3. Washington DC: William and Thomas are assigned to a school in the United States' capital, much to their surprise. This transfer is the most important location change in the novel because it sets the stage for the climax of the story and also answers a few important questions concerning the twins' family.

Elizabeth (Lizzie) and the Vampires

Let us first get one simple fact of the Immortal Ones universe down: Dark Ones and Vampires are not the same, and neither group will let you forget that. Both benefit from drinking blood, both can have animalistic behaviors; but while Dark Ones usually consume blood only to prolong their life or to heal quicker, Vampires drink blood because they can and they like it. They enjoy embracing their animal instincts and hunting the much weaker human beings. 

Even to this, Vampires are not completely evil (pure evil pops up much later in this series). They are a bit self-serving and brutal, yes, but their unofficial spokeswoman (or spokesvamp...or something) Elizabeth  wishes to see her kind put in the same regard as Dark Ones. There is a bit of an unspoken hierarchy in the Immortal world, and the concerns of Vampires and Werewolves (their counterparts are the Night Wolves) aren't too high on the totem pole of power. Elizabeth hopes to change that...by any means.

Elizabeth's plan developed purely by accident on my part. I knew she would grow into an important role, I just didn't know how important. This was another example of a character I created taking my pen and running with it. She is not as fleshed out as the twins (whom she meets early in the story), but her blinding ambition and sense of destiny was all that was needed to begin the process of turning her into a force to be reckoned with. Trust me, Forbidden Children is just the tip of the iceberg for her.

Father and Sons

The subject of the boys' father is one that I wasn't planning to expand on, but as usual, the characters had other plans. Their father, who goes by the name Mykal for now, left when the twins were about 9 years old. While Mykal sent money and material goods back to his family regularly through couriers, he never came back to the small house in western Germany.

This lack of a father figure becomes obvious as the twins push through their years at Great Hall. During that time, they acquire at least three father figures to substitute the one they lost. Also, William's neediness balloons to almost frightening levels that Thomas has to constantly deflate. During this time, the twins are facing their inner demons, including the one screaming that their father never loved them.

Fast forward a few centuries. The twins suddenly have research at their fingertips, and they use it to track down their father, hoping to confront him. Naturally, the fateful meeting does not go as William and Thomas planned.

As far as how their relationship (if any at all) pans out, I will only say that the meeting between the twins and Mykal is a needed and respectful one. 

Immortal Love

I knew from the get-go that this story was not going to be a love story. For one, I don't like a story that has a ton of potential wasted because it is trying too hard to be romantic. Second, my basic thoughts on love go completely against the typical grain of the romantic novel. So for Forbidden Children, I decided to switch things up a bit. 

You can't live for 400 years and never fall for anyone (at least, I don't think you can). And the twins aren't really monsters, they're boys (and young men...or older men...or really old men). Herein laid my problem: there was a lot I wanted William and Thomas to accomplish; heck,  there was a lot they wanted to accomplish. Still, like a typical momma, I also wanted them to settle down and get married and have baby blood-lovers running around. The question I had to ask was this: Was this what they really want? Was love even what they needed?

For this major reason, this book is not another Twilight. Twilight was, at its base, a forbidden love story. Forbidden Children is the total opposite of that. The twins are not tortured by their existance because they do not have mates, they are tortured because they have not yet found their place. As anyone who read Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man knows, a male is not going to seriously look for a lifetime partner unless their house is in order. William and Thomas are getting their houses in order. 

The Handlers

While they are first dispatched by the Elders of the Immortals to kill the twins, the NightWolves that eventually become The Handlers grow a friendship with their targets. For now, their working names are Georg (no, I didn't forget the "e") and Gustav. That will probably change simply because they are inspired by actual people, and those are the actual guys' names. Actually, all four of my main guys are based on actual, internationally known people. Yeah, names will change. Anyway, these two are a good 200 years older than the twins, have wives and (eventually) children of their own. They are both very good at their job and are an assassin team. Each brings something to the table: Georg is the lead tracker, able to find the most elusive target using all of his senses. Gustav is the muscle; while they are both excellent fighters, Gustav is the more fierce of the two. Both have a low tolerance for nonsense, a penchant for finding the best beer in the region, and a desire to serve their Elder.

Georg and Gustav agree to look after William and Thomas because they have faith in the twins and sense that there is potential greatness in them. Like the twins, Georg and Gustav get a kick out of going against the grain in a logical manner and do so often. Still, the Handlers are highly respected in their Clan and never lose their influence with the NightWolf Elder, Claudis. In fact, Claudis eventually turns to their way of thinking when it comes to the twins.

These two focused but outgoing NightWolves round out the leading "Boys Club" of the first two novels.