One of the reasons I wrote the Redcliffe novels LGBT fantasy book series was to explore the themes of love, relationships, friends and family.

As I have grown and matured over the years, I received a lot of hard lessons in love, and not just the romantic kind. Today on the #atozchallenge I will discuss the importance of friends and family, in the context of the supernatural adventures that I describe in the Redcliffe novels.

#AtoZChallenge Day 6: Family and Friends

In the beginning of Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel), Jessica Stone introduces her story by explaining that she never understood the importance of love. She is an orphan with no known surviving family, and she was raised in a foster home during her teenage years. When she was eighteen she set out on her own, working full time and renting an apartment, which is about the time she met Elizabeth. The women hit it off, despite Jessica’s reluctance to make friends and trust another person.

By the time they moved to Redcliffe, Jessica and Liz were like sisters. They know everything about each other, right down to the little behavioural quirks that each woman displays. They are fiercely protective of each other, and when Jessica meets Detective Jack Mason and subsequently enters into a rather turbulent relationship, Elizabeth finds it difficult to keep her distance and not become overbearing in her efforts to protect her fragile friend.

Then we have the Mason brothers. Jack and Danny also have a turbulent relationship, but this one is based around their difference of species. Jack is a vampire. Danny is a werewolf. The men are identical twin brothers, and always protect each other above all else. Although Danny has an intimate relationship with his wolf lieutenants Simon Bunce and Sally Frost, Jack has tried hard not to become emotionally involved with anyone; human, vampire or other. This all changes when he meets Jessica Stone. The two of them try hard to resist their feelings, while indulging in their obvious lust for each other. Of course, it doesn’t work out, and so follows the trauma and excitement of falling in love.

Friends with secrets

Jack has one person that he considers a close friend beside his brother. This is local businessman Marcus Scott, a vampire. Jack and Marcus met many years ago, and Marcus taught Jack a lot about being a vampire after his maker abandoned him during World War One. Marcus moved to Redcliffe for various reasons, not least to provide support for his friends when Danny became alpha of the Redcliffe pack and Jack needed his help. A vampire can be ruthless and detached from the human world, but when they do allow emotion into their consciousness, they become fiercely attached to the recipient of that emotion. What results is passion, power and drama, all demonstrated in Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel) and Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel).

Now I invite you to check out my fellow #atozchallenge bloggers. You will find some weird and wonderful articles, and we can all make new friends. See you tomorrow for the next letter in our #atozchallenge.

Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here.