When I originally came up with the idea for my Hathor Legacy series, I had the characters in mind long before I started writing the first book. While in the process of developing the story, the characters changed along with my original vision for the series.
For instance, in one of the earlier versions, Jonathan was a shady nightclub owner who was forced to come to Hathor by the corporation. He was to take part in an investigation of other club owners.
But as I began to refine the story, I found that I really didn’t have a compelling reason for Jon to come to Hathor. Why would the corporation choose him? What could he contribute? How would he and Nadira get together romantically?
I realized that if he had a stronger reason to go to the planet, it would increase the stakes for him. So, he evolved into a CEO’s son who goes to Hathor to locate his missing father.
In the completed version of the first book, Hathor Legacy: Outcast, when Jon arrives, he’s brought face-to-face with Nadira. She’s responsible for investigating his father’s disappearance (and a robbery at his father’s mine). Of course she dislikes him when they first meet, but she’s attracted in spite of herself.
In the process of Jonathan working with Nadira to find his father, he’s exposed to the inner workings of the Guardians. As he learns about the culture on Hathor, the reader does too.
It was also important to make him the type of person Nadira would grow to care about, especially after her initial dislike of him. Though Jonathan could be arrogant and overly confident, his impulsive behavior helped move the story along.
At times her conservative approach was at odds with his tendency to charge ahead without thinking. But that created tension between them and added conflict to the story.
Their initial love scene in book one was due in part to their being in close proximity, and magnified by the psychic connection Nadira created between them. But as the story progressed, they learned to trust and care deeply about each other.
In early versions, Nadira had a brother who was killed during an investigation. But as her character underwent several changes, she became an only child whose parents were taken out of life at an early age.
So, her extreme independence and guarded personality were due to her experiences in her early life. Those qualities made her a very efficient Guardian, but also made it hard for her to trust others. When she eventually let Jon into her life, it was a breakthrough for her.
In book two, Hathor Legacy: Burn, Nadira and Jonathan are a team, though they’re still working out their relationship.
In this book, Jon is the one who thinks before he acts, and Nadira is the one more likely to rush into danger. So they’ve managed to influence each other enough to take on each other’s traits.
Through the events that unfold in the story, their partnership is very strong and so is their psychic connection. Nadira and Jonathan are a team and are aligned mentally and emotionally.
This post originally appeared on Long and Short Reviews.