Lynetta asked Cara McKenna:

Raina rubbed me the wrong way; however, once she explained how caring for her father and being abandoned by her mother affected her, i understood Miah was not the man for her. Her break up with Miah was a hard pill to swallow as I believe love is a game changer. If men are dogs, Raina is definitely a bitch. How did you create Raina's character?

Cara McKenna The same way I created the men's! With the exception of Miah (who grew up with the privilege of two functional, hard-working, loving parents and financial stability) the Desert Dogs are all fairly messed up (and of course Miah gets messed up along the way, as we'll all witness in book four). They all have major flaws, but also good qualities that hopefully balance them out. So while Vince is a cocky, pushy prick with felony assault convictions, he's also really loyal to his friends and family. And though Casey's been a self-serving, reckless con man and a coward for a long time, he's also smart and very loving. And of course Alex, while an admirable and dedicated lawman, was crippled by his alcoholism. So I tried to create Raina with the same mix of bad and good in her. She gave up a lot to cover for and later care for her semi-functionally alcoholic father, and she can be cagey and hard and slow to trust, and a bit pushy, and independent to a fault. But on the plus side, she knows her mind, and she's good to people when they're in trouble. I can't remember who says it in the series, maybe Nita, but Fortuity is no place to raise a softhearted child. It's rough and hard, and it turns out rough, hard people, and I didn't want Raina to be an exception, just because she was the heroine of a romance novel. I hope that helps! Thanks for a great question.

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