I shifted my radio over to the 80s yesterday, which is something I do about once a month or so, just to remember what it was like to feel the way the 80s feel, and much to my surprise and delight, I realized Rachel was in love.
This isn’t a conscious decision made by the author to shift things around and tweak to start a new love interest, this is me listening to music for twelve hours and realizing that just about every song being played, (All the way from You Give Love a Bad Name, to Whip it Good, to I Love Rock and Roll, to One Night in Bangkok, to Breakfast Club, to Down Under) was swinging back to Rachel and the “New Guy.”
All I can say it’s freaking about time.
-grin-
Kim Harrison 
So does that mean that trent’s chance of ending up with rachel is gone:'(???
Cant wait 4 pale demon!!!
Absolutely not, Lenny. It’s a long series. -grin-
These are definitely moments worth writing for: when a character surprises you in such a way.
So the new guy has already made you rewrite a chunk of your novel for him AND seduced Rachel. I suddenly can’t wait to meet him. *laughs*
Actually, Aheila, I had made the switch before love had ever occured to me, so it feels natural, not contrived.
I know what you mean – I remember a time when it seemed like there weren’t many songs on the radio about love anymore. Then not long later every song I’m hearing speaks to me about just that. That’s cool that stuff like that happens to your characters too. I’m so happy Rachel is in an emotional place where she can open the door to her heart again! Does that mean she’s ready to “talk” to you about it, or is it brewing under the surface still? You know…one of my favorite bits you’ve written is the idea of a “vamp track”, I hadn’t thought of it like this before, but would you say having music come alive in the context of love or heartache is one way in which music could have a vamp track? And if so, does that mean a vampire’s scion can hear the vamp track because of soul-related emotions which the undead vampire has lost? Or is it a matter of physical hearing – of being able to hear more frequencies and sounds at lower volumes. Also, who made those headphones for Trent?
Have a fab day watching Rachel fall in love. 😉
Hi Tiffany. I’d not thought about the vamp track as a subtitle for love or heartache, but yes, you could think of it that way.
Gah, Pale Demon not even out yet and you have me salivating for books after it! February cannot come fast enough. ><
I know, I know. Now imagine me sitting on exciting stuff for over a year, dying to show it to you guys but slowed to the pace of publishing. Which is probably good, actually, so I have time to write the next one. 😉
Does ‘new guy’ mean an actual new character, or new in a relationship sense?? Either way, I’m very curious!
He’s a new guy, Candace. Brand new, like a shiny toy.
I’m a fan for Trent so I cant wait for Feb. it can not come soon enough. I drove my boyfriend insane as I tried to hunt down the latest one. Now he going be so annoyed as I talk about I cant wait for Feb to come about.
80s music pretty cool I listen to it, some of the song are really fun to be goofy too, lol.
Cant wait for the book ^_^
You hit the 80s right on the head. Goofy, free, exuberant, not afraid to try something new. And very much alive.
I choose to think Trent is a New Guy, relationship wise, to Rachel. Heres hoping for tricky play on words equaling something most of us were dying for!
Hi Marissa, No, it’s not Trent, but what do you think Trent will do if Rachel is in love with someone else? If he really loves her, he’s not going to stand by and do nothing. Should be fun!
I am happy she will be in love. She deserves happiness too. I know you will find a way to keep Ivy happy too.
I do love AL (which I didn’t like at the beginning) In BMS, he was awesome! and in a crazy way he cares for her. They relationship could be explosive.
Trent – I get mad at him sometimes. But, it could make sense since they have known each other for a long time.
Pierce- not a fan yet
New Guy- Huh Another Demon? Since Rachel could have cute little dangerous babies, LOL
Thanks, Sheyla. They all deserve happiness, yes. I am a sucker for happy endings. Al is growing on me, too. Trent is changing, and Pierce isn’t (which makes him fun in a way) New guy is going to remain anonymous for a while. 😉
I love the books! Am new to the Drama, and you, my dear, are an awful tease.
Thanks, Yasmin. Sorry about the tease. I can’t help it. -grin-
This is VERY exciting! And again, it’ll be so cool to read about it and remember where it came from. Go, Rache!
😉 Thanks, Judi. It will be ages until you see this guy, but yes, it is fun to look back and see the beginnings.
I never worried about Rachel being in love, I figured it would happen again eventually but Ivy, her I worry about. She needs love and to be in love, big time.
Hi Colleen. Oh, I worried enough for both of us. Ivy, I know where she’s going because she plans everything, but Rachel? She’s flighty.
No, no, no… I love Pierce and I thought he is the one… I’ m big fan of him. Bad boy, but match for Rachel.
Hi Nefri. I like Pierce, too, but there is a selfish streak in him, and Rachel is very demanding. She needs space, she needs closeness, and she needs someone who is very, very giving.
Sniffle…I liked Pierce….but I guess 4 or 5 books from the end of the series would be too early for our poor Rach to get a HEA.
Sniffle AND sigh…
I liked Pierce, too, Janette, but Rachel didn’t. It’s kind of hard to explain.
Oh-no Rachel you’d better watch out, something may be wrong with the guy — just saying. Lol. I love that there is finally a love interest for Rachel. So is there anyone on the horizon for Jenks? Just a thought.
Hi Chasingmoonlight. -grin- Of course there is something wrong with this guy. He likes Rachel, doesn’t he? As for Jenks? Sigh.
Hello Ms. Harrison,
*sighs* It was bound to happen I guess. I’m happy for Rachel in essence. As you are for a friend who’s getting married to someone even if your not convinced it’s the right thing. I am a Rachel/Ivy fan. It’s what drew me to the books, it’s what made me search around feverishly from book shop to book shop till I had all of them. I read them for the sexual tension between the two because it was so wonderfully and realistically done. Every second, every moment they appeared together, you feel the electricity bouncing off of the pages and it became addictive.
You won me over naturally, even when I realized that things weren’t going to happen the way I wanted, you still had me hooked. Any other series I’d have put down in disappointment, but I still go back to the Hollows because you have allowed me to fall in love with your characters.
So, 🙂 Thank you for sharing this. I am happy for Rachel, but I hurt a little for Ivy.
Of course, the final book is not written yet. Perhaps.
Perhaps we can hope for a RIHEA. Sometimes you need to step far way from something to realize how much you need it in your life.
Have a great day Ms. Harrison, and happy writing.
Alyssa
That’s it, exactly, Alyssa. I don’t know what’s going to happen. Rachel has been in love a hundred times. It’s how she rolls. -grin-
Lots of posts on Rachael/Ivy reminds me of a Grey’s Anatomy episode where Meredith says to Christina something along the lines of “Derek is the love of my life and you are soul mate”.
Mmmmm, I haven’t seen but one episode of Grey’s Anatomy, but that sounds about right.
Yay for Rache! Here’s hoping something tragic doesn’t happen to New Guy…cuz that would suck big time.
Hi Kylie-san. Of course something tragic is going to happen! He likes Rachel, doesn’t he? It can’t help but get tragic. -laugh-
I don’t know… I’m suspicious of New Guy and I don’t even have any clue who he is. (I just now realized I have a weird protective streak for a fictional character.)
LOVED the cover for Blood Work! It kinda reminds me of the cover of my paperback copy of Dead Witch Walking. Not the post or anything, but the same general feeling I got looking at it, especially with the face hidden. Can’t wait for it to come out!
Er…that should be “pose”, not “post”. Stupid fingers.
I don’t think having a protective streak for a fictional character is weird at all. Although I have a sister that rolls her eyes when she walks in mid stream of a conservation and realizes the person I’m going on and on about isn’t “real”. 😉
That is sooo funny! ;c) I love it!
Hi Robin. I really feel bad for the people who overhear me and Guy talking when we’re out for coffee. Kim–“You know what? I think the guy who drove Rachel to the airport is a vampire.” Guy–“Maybe. He was certainly sexy enough.”
YAY for Rachael!! Although I have to admit to being in the Trent camp. Ooo but vsn Trent be insanely jealous of the “new guy”?! February seems so far away! I’m actually looking forward to all the yard work winding down for winter so I can start re-re-reading in preparation. I’m acutally looking forward to Feb more than Christmas!! :))
Hi Robin. Don’t give up on Trent. As you say, if he really loves her, he won’t sit by and just let her go. Not now! 😉 If, if, if . . .
I am happy for Rachel.. is this the new guy that you replaced the old new guy with?
Hi Chelikins. Yes, it is. Which is exactly what I meant when I said several days ago that with bravery, (cutting old guy out) come the spoils of war, (a love interest) I didn’t know it at the time, but Rachel was ready for love again, and it happened.
WOW! I am glad for Rachael but am having a hard time moving on from Kist… I like Trent for her…
BTW the cover for the GN looks awesome!!!!! i am glad Kist will be in this one!!!!
Don’t give up on Trent, Cathy. I haven’t! And thank you. I’m really liking the cover, too.
Hi Kim,
Are you writing book 10 now? – so Rachel falls in love in book 10 but there is at least 2 maybe 3 more books to go? Or does Rachel not know she is in love with “new guy” yet? (sometimes Rachel seems not so aware of her own emotions).
I have to say that I really like how it is some new. I simply cannot watch TV soaps since all the characters at some time or the other fall in love with every other single cast member – it is just not realistic.
Having said that though I wish it was Ivy. I loved the intensity of Ivy’s feeling for Rachel in the first 6 books. It was nice to have a character that does not flip flop in their emotions – now though to have her HEA, Ivy will need to move on from Rachel and if you can move on from emotions like that it makes them sort of less in a way?
I love your books and cant wait for February. have a good day
Kerry P,
I have to agree…I was pulling for more Rachel/Ivy intensity. I loved those scenes! The entire relationship between the two is great, very comfortable in a way. They know each other better than any other two people in the Hollows and accept the other ones ‘habits.’ They kinda complete each other in a way. One’s weakness is the others strengths. Oh well, we can only hope…(sigh):(
And as far as Ivy, she doesn’t love easily. Kisten and Rachel! But Kim is a genius and she will figure something out…she always does:)
Hi Kerry. Ah, don’t give up on Rachel and Ivy. Rachel being in love is going to push a few buttons in more than one person. It’s the straw that breaks the camels back, perhaps. -grin- Love Stinks. 😉
I’m waiting for Rachel to hook up with Al! I’m sure “new guy” will be cool and all, but I just LOVE the idea of Al getting all gushy and her planting a right hook on him (which of course he’d enjoy).
Anyway, I’m glad it’s not Pierce- that guy is baaaad news! (Yes, even more than Al).
Hi Maryellen. Al! I’m sure Al is going to love this new development.
Do you think the ‘New Guy’ will last though?
’80’s. Ugh. BIG HAIR. I spent that decade looking like a red chrysanthemum. Or an out of shape Rachel, as I think about it.
Hi Mud. EVERYONE had big hair, so you were not alone. -grin- Big hair. My hair refuses to perm now, and I blame it on the 80s.
…… 0_o I am basically salivating. And I like the way ‘new guy’ is in parenthesis. Leads me to believe that we may have already met this so called ‘new guy’ 😉 And you have great taste in music by the way. I may only be 26 years old…but I am woman enough to admit that 80’s music is muuuuch better than some of the crap my generation is kicking out- with a choice few exceptions of course.
Hi Sandra. Nope, new guy is new. Brand new. Brand spanking new. -grin- I like him.
That is so cool that you’re taking a real look at the 80s music. There was at that time, a huge surge of positive feeling, and you can see it there, in the music. Everything, and I mean everything, was possible.
Bringing up 80s music reminded me of something. Whenever I picture Ivy in my mind, I always think of Tania Coleridge.
She was the only good part of the music video for Father Figure by George Michael. Never much cared for his music otherwise. 🙂
Check it out on YouTube and see what you think if you get a chance.
I don’t think I’ve seen that video, Rick. I’ll try to check it out. Thanks!
See! I’m not the only one hearing 80’s Rock.
I hate to sound like an old man, but growing up in the 70’s/80’s there was a commonality with everyone when it came to popular culture, whether it was top-40 radio or television(3 networks). Even if we weren’t diehard fans of any one particular artist, we ALL knew the song! All those songs you mentioned—if i were to hear them, I would know the melody completely and most of the lyrics.
Didn’t you once say that the Demons were big into 80’s rock? 😎
OH! Sorry, I know what i wanted to ask: Is Ivy falling in love with someone new as well?
Hi Antonio. Yup, Demons like 80s music. It’s the only thing keeping them sane, I think. -laugh-
Ivy? Ivy is growing by leaps and bounds. She is learning her limits, and yes, she is learning she can fall in love, too.
I wonder if he’s an Innerlander, if her Mom approves, does her Mom even get to meet him, is Ivy conflicted, if he’s from the Hollows, has Jenks made up an inappropriate song yet, …
I know I’m just going to have to wait for the book, and I’m so looking forward to it!
Hi NiNi. Mom hasn’t met him yet, but when she does, I’m sure she will let us know what she thinks in no uncertain terms.
I’m so excited! It’s about time indeed.
Pierce grew on me as well Lesley. I hope he’s still around!
Hi Natasha. It is about time, yes. Pierce is still around, I’m sure. . . Pretty sure. -grin-
But what about Trent? I feel like there just might be something between him and Rachel.
Hi Jessica. Trent? You know what? If Trent loves Rachel, this might be just the thing to kick him into saying something. -grin- Rachel in love is not necessarily a good thing.
Yay! But….poor Pierce! 😦 After relistening to BMS, I was kinda rooting for them. Can’t wait to meet the new guy, he must be something else!
Now I’m worried about Pierce…I hope he’s still around! (I know he’s not the most popular character but he really grew on me the second/third time around.)
Hi Lesley. Pierce is still around. He’s heavy in PALE DEMON. And I still like him! You just never know until it’s over.
Yet another guy. Still no Ivy on Rachel action. Biiiiiiiiig sigh. But I really wonder what he will look like with you listening to 80s music while you think about him :-D.
Take care!! Sabrina
-grin- I’ve always liked the geeky guys.
New guy? He had better be worthy of her. She deserves some happiness by now. Especially after Kisten. Ahhh… Kisten. I miss him.
Hi Heather. Yes, he’d better, or someone might just have to smack him up. I miss Kisten, too, which is probably why Rachel hasn’t found love until now.
Oooh, now this should be interesting. It’s funny where characters just decide things on their own. Have fun writing.
~Suzi
Yes, it is, Suzanne. 😉
I love the 80s music, I have a wackload of it on my playlist.
Although I’m really glad that Rachel is in love, I just wish she was inlove with Ivy! I can’t wait to see how it plays out.
That’s just it, Jenn. Rachel in love doesn’t necessarily equal smooth sailing. It just might push someone into doing something. The next few books should be interesting.
A new guy?! How fantastic for Rachel!! And I am so glad its 80’s music that puts you in the mood. I was at a wedding this weekend (10-10-10!) and it was an 80’s party. Music, clothing…it was amazing. Danced all night. =)
Hi Krista. 80s music is good for dancing. I totally agree.