Edge of Dawn (Midnight Breed) - Softcover

Essay by Lara Adrian

In Edge of Dawn, I’m taking the Midnight Breed series in a new direction, one I’ve been planning for a long time. Not so much a spinoff or a reboot, Edge of Dawn is the evolution of the series. It’s also a good starting point for new readers who may not be familiar with the books that came before it. In the first ten books of the series, the existence of vampires (the Breed, as they’re known here) has been undiscovered for many centuries. Now, in Edge of Dawn, the Breed has been outed to mankind in the worst way, exposed as blood-thirsting monsters to be feared and, if possible, destroyed. A tentative, tenuous peace has been found in the twenty years since, but there are those on both sides of the conflict who would like nothing more than to see that fragile truce dissolve into war.

As a writer, I love romances that are set against a backdrop of deep external conflict and emotional drama. Add to that a pairing between two strong characters with their own unresolved history—better yet, an undiscovered betrayal--and I’m in storytelling heaven! InEdge of Dawn, long-time Midnight Breed readers will be reintroduced to Mira, a little girl in the first arc of the series, who is now the formidable captain of her own team of Breed warriors. As the book opens, Mira’s young heart has been crushed by the war that claimed the only man she’s ever loved. But she soon finds out the only thing that cuts deeper than a blade raised in combat is the sharp edge of a lie from someone she trusted above all others. . . .

When I first began writing the Midnight Breed series eight years ago, I never dreamed it would go from the germ of an idea to an eleven-book (and counting!) best-selling series. If I’d had any inclination of what I was getting myself into creatively, I’m not sure I’d have had the guts to attempt it.

You see, I’m a plotting writer. I like to know where I’m heading, and where I need to end up, before I write the first page. Sure, I allow for serendipity and surprises that spring organically from my characters and their interaction in the story. As a writer, you have to allow for those moments, or run the risk of crafting tightly woven stories with no heart or soul. Sometimes--in fiction and in real life--you need to take a leap of faith and see where you land.

Taking a long-running, popular series in a new direction (not so new that fans won't recognize it) was a little scary, but at the same time, I've never had more fun with the series than I'm having now. There's still plenty of page-time with the familiar cast of characters from the Order, but in Edge of Dawn you'll be getting to know the next generation of warriors--all grown up--and their soon-to-be mates. You'll also meet some all-new characters I hope you'll love, and a few I think you'll probably love to hate.

I hope you enjoy Edge of Dawn and the rest of the books in the Midnight Breed series.