Cordelia Kingsbridge's Blog, page 11

So I read your original stories when you posted online, and Boston Verse and your published works and loved all of them. But obviously Cant Hide From Me and SoS have disinctly different flavours to the things you used to post online (except maybe for Contr

Well, Can’t Hide From Me was originally posted
online, as From the Ashes. ;-)

But I do
understand what you mean. Simply put, CHFM and the Seven of Spades series are more marketable than the other works I’d
written in the past. And yes, that was a deliberate decision – fortunately, one
that cooperated quite well with my muse.

Around the
time that I finished Hearthkeeper (the
fourth book that I posted online, for those readers who are more recent
arrivals), I was beginning to feel more confident that I’d developed to the
point where professional publishing would be a feasible option for me. I’d actually
had the basic idea for FTA/CHFM for years before that, but had been intimidated
by the demands of writing a true law enforcement-based mystery.

Now I felt
like I had the skill to handle that genre, and I also knew that a contemporary
suspense title with no dub-con/non-con elements would be a much easier sell to
a publisher than anything else I’d written. So I started writing and posting
FTA online with the full intention of eventually revising and submitting it for
professional publication. I think I talked about those plans at the time, but
it was so long ago that I honestly don’t remember!

During the
professional editing process for CHFM, I was considering what my next project
would be. I wanted to stick with contemporary suspense, both because I felt the
genre spoke well to my strengths as a writer, and because I knew it was a genre
that tends to sell. I also decided that I wanted to write a series, again for a
mix of personal and professional reasons: I believed that I’d enjoy the
opportunity to become deeply invested in a cast of characters and their world
over the course of several books. (And I was right – I love series writing!) But I also believed that a series would be a
great launchpad for my career – as long as the first book was good enough –
because it’d create more excitement and buzz than the same number of
independent releases would.

A little
after that, I got the initial idea for the SoS series, and the rest is history.

Basically, I’ve
been fortunate in that the things I’ve been inspired to write have also made
for good business decisions. I’d never force myself to write something I wasn’t
100% invested in and excited about. You can always tell when an author does
that, and the work suffers for it. But because writing is a career that I
depend on for my livelihood, as opposed to a hobby that I do for the fun of it,
I also can’t just write whatever I want without considering how it might sell.
Being a professional author means finding the sweet spot between those two
demands!

Hey Cordelia! I saw a question another anon sent to you, asking if Vaughn ever considered having a kid- & I wasn't shocked to hear he didn't. Which left me wondering- if, hypothetically, Desi said he wanted children (I know that he would never want childre

Vaughn doesn’t want children, but he doesn’t not want children, if that makes sense. Like, it’s not something he’s actively opposed to; he’s just not interested.

So if Desi were to say he wanted children in this hypothetical scenario (which you’re right would never happen!), Vaughn would be fine with that. He just wouldn’t spend any time with the kids, or allow the kids to prevent Desi from being available to him whenever he wanted. As long as it didn’t inconvenience him, he wouldn’t care.

That’s actually a good barometer for how far Vaughn would go in fulfilling Desi’s requests - as long as it’s feasible, and the benefit to Vaughn outweighs the inconvenience, there’s not much Vaughn wouldn’t do if Desi asked.

what exactly is it about desi that Vaughn finds so appealing? I love desi - but it just makes me wonder what is it about him that Vaughn finds so attractive? would desi ever be able to change Vaughn's opinion of him enough to escape from him?

Vaughn’s
fixation on Desi is due to the confluence of several independent factors,
rather than any one detail in particular. Some of those things we know from
Vaughn telling Desi about them, others are things Vaughn has left more or less
unexplained, and some are things even Vaughn isn’t consciously aware of.

The way
Vaughn’s explained it to Desi, his interest is due to the simple fact that he
finds Desi fascinating – a rarity for a psychopath who’s perpetually bored.
That in itself might have been enough to spark and sustain his obsession for a
while.

Vaughn’s
fascination derives primarily from the contrasts in Desi’s personality. From
their very first meeting during the job interview, Vaughn was intrigued that
this sweet, kind of shy young man had been ballsy enough to apply for a job he definitely
wasn’t qualified for, and then was able to passionately argue for why he
deserved it. And while Vaughn doesn’t care much about other people in general,
he does appreciate intelligence and competence, especially when they makes his
life easier. So when Desi proved to be an exemplary employee, that was another
plus.

Vaughn knew
instinctively that Desi was submissive by nature, and he liked that Desi never
sacrificed his intelligence or inner strength for that aspect of his
personality. (Which is something no sub should ever have to do, BTW, but many have unfortunately been taught
differently.) Vaughn enjoys the fantasy of having a sub who’s obedient and
submissive without being some kind of bland doormat.

Another
factor is that Desi’s background makes him particularly vulnerable to emotional
abuse and manipulation. A childhood like Desi’s – bouncing in and out of foster
care while his very young mother struggled with substance dependence – can make
its mark in a few different ways. In Desi’s case, he developed a desperation
for approval, affection, and love, especially from anyone he views as an
authority figure. He’s constantly striving for perfection, and he’s eager to
please in a way that puts him at risk for exploitation. Desi has spent his
whole life searching for a home where he feels safe and appreciated.

As Desi now
knows, Vaughn hired a PI to investigate him after their interview. That
comprehensive knowledge of Desi’s background, combined with what Vaughn had
observed personally, added up to a clear picture: Desi would be
extra-susceptible to manipulative techniques like gaslighting, guilt-baiting,
and emotional blackmail. Toss in severe financial need (due to Wanda’s cancer),
and Desi made a much more vulnerable target than most people would, which in
turn made him even more interesting to a predator like Vaughn.

One of the
factors that Vaughn isn’t so much consciously aware of is how much Desi
resembles his boarding school roommate. Vaughn knows there’s a physical
resemblance there – he told Desi as much during their drinking game – but he
isn’t aware of the depth to which that’s affected him.

Vaughn has
always thought of that roommate (whom he emotionally abused in much the same
way he’s doing to Desi now) as “the one who got away”. So there’s a part of him
that’s attempting to relive that former relationship by staking a claim on
Desi. I actually have some ideas about how Desi could meet the roommate in the
future!

As for Desi
escaping, the problem there is that now he knows the truth about who Vaughn is.
So even if Vaughn got bored with him, Vaughn couldn’t just let him walk away. I
think Desi knows this on some level and is terrified by the implications.

Character Q&A

The Riley/Andres Character Q&A is happening now over on Patreon! For the next 24 hours, you can ask the Boston ‘Verse protagonists anything that’s on your mind. Check it out!

If you haven’t read the Boston ‘Verse, you can find the entire series for free on Archive of Our Own. It’s been on a long hiatus while I was focusing on the SoS series, but I’m working on the next installment now!

Does Vaughn plan on having a child one day? I’ve always assumed people of his high stature in life value having an “heir” to their empire, passing down the torch to the next, etc. Has Vaughn given any thought to this or does he have zero interest? The idea

No, Vaughn doesn’t want children. A person in his position usually would, for the reasons you’ve mentioned, but Vaughn has the ego of a true psychopath. He doesn’t care what happens to his business or his fortune after he dies, or about continuing his family line, or anything like that. As far as Vaughn is concerned, when he ceases to exist, so will the rest of the world.

That’s fortunate, because I agree that the idea of Vaughn anywhere near a child is horrible! The only sticking point he’d run into is that he makes a concerted effort to present himself as a “normal” person, so he’d probably catch some flak from society for not having kids. But he’s still pretty young - and a man - so he hasn’t encountered that situation yet.

Was Vaughn joking about killing Brunner or nah?

Vaughn was mostly joking. He’s never killed anyone; he’s never even been in a fistfight. He’s not the kind of psychopath who finds violence appealing for its own sake, so he’s never had a reason to risk the serious consequences.

But of course, he also wouldn’t have any moral qualms against murder if he had a strong enough motivation. If Brunner had actually assaulted Desi, for example, Vaughn would probably have killed him. Or, more likely, he would have paid somebody else to do it while establishing himself a very solid alibi, because it’s never a great idea to kill someone after a dozen witnesses saw you arguing in a public place!

Thank you for the question, and I’m really glad you’re enjoying the Assistant Verse. I’ve never written anything quite like this before; it’s always so much fun!

Was Vaughn joking about killing Brunner or nah?

Vaughn was mostly joking. He’s never killed anyone; he’s never even been in a fistfight. He’s not the kind of psychopath who finds violence appealing for its own sake, so he’s never had a reason to risk the serious consequences.

But of course, he also wouldn’t have any moral qualms against murder if he had a strong enough motivation. If Brunner had actually assaulted Desi, for example, Vaughn would probably have killed him. Or, more likely, he would have paid somebody else to do it while establishing himself a very solid alibi, because it’s never a great idea to kill someone after a dozen witnesses saw you arguing in a public place!

Thank you for the question, and I’m really glad you’re enjoying the Assistant Verse. I’ve never written anything quite like this before; it’s always so much fun!

Was Vaughn joking about killing Brunner or nah?

Vaughn was mostly joking. He’s never killed anyone; he’s never even been in a fistfight. He’s not the kind of psychopath who finds violence appealing for its own sake, so he’s never had a reason to risk the serious consequences.

But of course, he also wouldn’t have any moral qualms against murder if he had a strong enough motivation. If Brunner had actually assaulted Desi, for example, Vaughn would probably have killed him. Or, more likely, he would have paid somebody else to do it while establishing himself a very solid alibi, because it’s never a great idea to kill someone after a dozen witnesses saw you arguing in a public place!

Thank you for the question, and I’m really glad you’re enjoying the Assistant Verse. I’ve never written anything quite like this before; it’s always so much fun!

Was Vaughn joking about killing Brunner or nah?

Vaughn was mostly joking. He’s never killed anyone; he’s never even been in a fistfight. He’s not the kind of psychopath who finds violence appealing for its own sake, so he’s never had a reason to risk the serious consequences.

But of course, he also wouldn’t have any moral qualms against murder if he had a strong enough motivation. If Brunner had actually assaulted Desi, for example, Vaughn would probably have killed him. Or, more likely, he would have paid somebody else to do it while establishing himself a very solid alibi, because it’s never a great idea to kill someone after a dozen witnesses saw you arguing in a public place!

Thank you for the question, and I’m really glad you’re enjoying the Assistant Verse. I’ve never written anything quite like this before; it’s always so much fun!

Was Vaughn joking about killing Brunner or nah?

Vaughn was mostly joking. He’s never killed anyone; he’s never even been in a fistfight. He’s not the kind of psychopath who finds violence appealing for its own sake, so he’s never had a reason to risk the serious consequences.

But of course, he also wouldn’t have any moral qualms against murder if he had a strong enough motivation. If Brunner had actually assaulted Desi, for example, Vaughn would probably have killed him. Or, more likely, he would have paid somebody else to do it while establishing himself a very solid alibi, because it’s never a great idea to kill someone after a dozen witnesses saw you arguing in a public place!

Thank you for the question, and I’m really glad you’re enjoying the Assistant Verse. I’ve never written anything quite like this before; it’s always so much fun!