As a way of introducing Blood Inheritance I thought it would be fun to do a few character background pieces. There shouldn’t be any spoilers in here though, so you should be safe if you haven’t yet read the book.

Monica Carletto really deserves to be more than a secondary character. Without her, there would be no book, no tension, no story. Her role in the entire Lazarus Hunter series is central; her journey is inextricably bound with Elizabeth’s.

Throughout Blood Inheritance, she has plenty of scenes told from her point of view. I went with a third person multiple perspective for the series because I wanted characters who were rich enough to have a viewpoint that serves their own story, rather than just providing a counterpoint to the main character. Besides which, in the era of TV, I think people have become more comfortable with reading multiple points of view, as long as it doesn’t switch mid chapter.

In the ten years or so it has taken for me to shape this story into what I wanted it to be (then build up the necessary courage to share it with the world), Monica has changed very little. Her story arc was relatively clear to me from the start, perhaps even more so than Elizabeth’s. I wanted a woman who was strong-willed and capable, both in their professional and personal lives. With gender inequality still rife in even the most civilised nations, I wanted a woman who wouldn’t be out of place in the boardroom. But I also wanted her to be a ball-buster without being a bitch, and certainly without feeling like she needed to compromise on her femininity.

I’d love to give you more, but everything else would probably ruin a couple of surprises in the book!