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I know I keep saying this over and over, but I am so, so excited that I get to share another story with you! Especially since Lotte is a character that's incredibly close to my heart... And with an inception story I sometimes have a hard time believing myself. Some of you know it already, but since the majority don't, let me recap it for you :)
My husband and I were joking during the 2014 FIFA World Cup match between Germany and Brazil that every goal the Germans gave would be our fictional child. Honestly, I don't even remember how that idea came to us, that's the only murky part, but we kept naming every new kid.
Germany was leading 7-0 when the Brazilians scored a goal in the last minute. I was devastated, gutted, because I wasn't ready to off one of our fictional offspring I'd grown attached to. So Boris suggested that maybe we should switch the rules: instead losing one of the Germans, as was the previously agreed upon “punishment” (again, who the hell agreed to that? Me obviously, but I must have been out of my mind), we would transform it into an adoption.
That was how Pablo came into existence.
The six before him were Hans, Greta, Ludvig, Jens, Jürgen, and Lotte.
Sounds familiar?
At that point, I hadn't begun writing The Dark Ones yet, but my husband and I had assigned traits to each of the kids that were basically a sounding board for characters. They stayed with me for a long time, and I knew right from the start that the twins would play a role in the story that had barely started to develop at the back of my mind.
Of course, once I actually delved into the world of Slavic mythology, werewolves, and all the other creatures that could exist within Kolovrat, I realized that I couldn't stop with a single series. Much to my relief.
Still, I kept the idea of Lotte to myself, even after she made a quick appearance in Chased.
Somehow, I wanted her story to grow within me while I worked on other projects, wanted to have her present in my mind at least for a while longer, this incredible werewolf that chose a career in tennis over conforming to the expectations of the were society.
So when the time finally came to put the words to paper, Lotte’s tale flowed out of me as if some sort of damn broke inside.
I loved every moment I spent in her company, every new turn of events that marked her life, and I hope you will too.
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