Inspirations

    So first off Nell wasn’t really supposed to have kids. I meant for Nell to stand strong in her beliefs that the world is overpopulated and she could be everyone’s auntie. And honestly, Henry was fine with it. He was a man focused on his wife, thanking the universe that he got that love and requiring nothing else. 

    And then—as every woman should be able to—Nell reconsidered. But it was only supposed to be one. One little Poppy and she would be the sweet mini me who would bring them joy. Any other kids they might have would be adopted. I even have Henry mention his “girls” in No Love Lost so we know they had at least one more, but in my head she was adopted. 

    So it was over. Done. The Flanders family was complete. 

    Until this woman came along…

    Enter the writer Lucy Smoke. If you haven’t checked out Lucy or her even darker alter ego, Lucinda Dark, you really should. She’s fun and compulsively readable and totally responsible for Kala Taggart’s nemesis. 

    It’s a little while back—I want to say it was last year, but time is weird at my age—and I’ve become friends with Lucy. We’ve met a conferences and signings, and she’s such a joy to be around. I think it’s fun that the dark girlies are almost always the bubbliest, friendliest women to be around. She’s in DFW for a retreat and asks if we can meet for lunch. I say of course and we have a lovely late-afternoon meal at a Saltgrass. She has a friend with her and it so nice to sit and talk. 

    But at some point, she leans forward and tells me she thinks Nell should have another kid and her name should be Lucy, but everyone calls her Lucifer because unlike Poppy, who has her mom’s light, she’s really John Bishop’s kid and she doesn’t get along with Kala because they’re very similar. 

    I want to say I thought about it. That I considered it and gave it time.

    Nah. I had that sucker in my head the minute the words left her mouth. 

    My only problem? I already had a Lucy in the Bliss series. Lucy Carson. She has her own book, Far From Bliss, where she finally gets her men, Ty and Michael. 

    So how could I have another Lucy? Because the name is obviously important. Lucy to Lucifer is perfect, but more than that I wanted to name this incredibly complex character after the woman who suggested her. 

    All I needed was a reason for Nell to name her baby after Lucy. And I threw in Brooke for fun. Well, it’s probably not fun for Nell. Or Lucy. Honestly, or Brooke. It’s pretty traumatic, though they all come through. And yes, I’m being very coy since that book doesn’t come out until November. 

    I’m in this weird but kind of cool space where one series, Masters and Mercenaries: New Recruits, is years ahead of Bliss. So our first mention of adult Lucy is in No More Spies when Cooper and Kala meet with Henry before heading into the woods. 

    But it’s really in Spy With Me that she arrives—and that’s all I’ll say because Spoilers. 

    I’m having a blast writing this daughter of John Bishop/Henry Flanders and how a dark soul handles all the light of Bliss, and I’d like to thank the author who gave her to me. 

    Wishing you bliss, Lucy Smoke.