To those of you who don’t know who I am, my name is Lauren Dawes and I am the author of the Dark Series published by Momentum. Fellow Momentum author Sophie Masson has asked me to be a guest on her blog, and gave me free rein over the topic.
I’ve decided to give you all a little insight into the process I went through in writing the first book in the Dark Series, and also introduce you to a couple of my characters.
Let’s start with why I decided to write this series. First of all, I love Norse mythology. When I was younger, I was fascinated with runes, to the point where I tried to teach myself the runic alphabet and use it on a daily basis. Alas, like my soirée into teaching myself Greek, it only lasted about a week. By the way, the book titled “Learn Greek in 25 years” is completely accurate. In any case, that is where my love for all things Norse has stemmed from.
In December 2012, when the idea for “Dark Deceit” struck, I hastily scribbled down some rough notes about a potential plot and characters. I started off with the basics: protagonists and antagonists. Korvain, one of the protagonists, is the last of the pure-blooded Mares. ‘Mares’ are dark elves and were considered to be horribly evil creatures by the Vikings. According to Norse mythology, dark elves used to sit on a person’s chest while they slept at night, slowly pouring bad dreams into their heads. They gave these ‘spirits’ the name ‘nightmare’. Instead of using that idea, I changed it so my Mares became assassins because of their inherent perceived ‘darkness’.
The other protagonist sharing the limelight with Korvain is Bryn. Odin’s first Valkyrie now runs a successful nightclub in Boston and lives with her other sisters. The Valkyries left Odin’s service, and have been on their own since the 1920s after the All-Father committed an unforgiveable act. Bryn is still the leader of the group, and takes the job of protecting the other Valkyries very seriously.
Once I had my characters set, I had to think about the world I wanted them to live in. I chose Boston as the setting for the Dark Series after I visited the city while on my honeymoon in 2012. I fell in love with the history, and I knew that it would be the perfect city to set my books in. In “Dark Deceit” it’s explained that an event called “The Fall” was the beginning of the end for the gods and goddesses. The Nine Worlds—the worlds for the Aesir and Vanir gods, the light and dark elves, the dwarves and giants—disappeared. The humans had simply forgotten them, and so these beings settled on Midgard (Earth) and have been living side-by-side with the humans for nearly a thousand years.
The hardest part of writing the book was plotting the story. I didn’t have all the answers right away with it. The plot developed with time, and after many revisions. I actually almost threw in the towel completely with this book when I couldn’t quite get past some initial plotting hurdles.
Thankfully, I saw it through, and have ended up with a series that definitely does justice to my love of Norse gods. “Dark Deceit” firmly sits in the realm of dark urban fantasy. The fight scenes are graphic and bloody, and my characters are gritty and raw. I wanted them to be both loved and hated, and I think I’ve achieved that.
If “Dark Deceit” sounds like a book you’d like to read, you can get it on all major platforms. And if you’d like some more information about either books, check out my website: http://www.authorlaurendawes.com

Dark Deceit Blurb:
The time of Odin is over. The Aesir gods now live among the humans in their bustling modern cities. Their brutal dominion over the other gods and their eradication of the entire dark elf race may have ended, but their actions have not been forgotten.
Korvain is one of the last full-blooded dark elves, and is feared like no other. His ruthlessness and cold heart are legendary, but when he is given the task of killing one of the most fabled goddesses of all time, he is left with an undeniable desire to make her his own. Failure in his task means only one thing: death. Will he follow his orders, or will he follow his heart? Bryn’s whole world crumbled when she left Odin’s service to protect the other valkyries. Now living with the humans, she is the only thing standing between them and total destruction. But her beliefs are about to be shaken to the core when she meets Korvain—a volatile, completely irresistible dark elf who threatens to take away more than just her innocence …

Dark Desire Blurb:
The time of Odin is over. The Aesir gods now live among the humans in their bustling modern cities. Their brutal dominion over the other gods and their eradication of the entire dark elf race may have ended, but their actions have not been forgotten.
With the death of Adrian still haunting Taer’s every waking breath, she dreams of getting revenge on the dark elf responsible for her brother’s murder. But when the one person she’s depending on to train her in the art of weaponry refuses to help, she has no other choice but to get instruction from the most unlikely of people. Driven by an undeniable desire, Taer finds herself learning more than just how to fight.

About Lauren Dawes:
Born in South Africa and raised in Sydney, Lauren Dawes is an urban fantasy/paranormal romance writer and the author of the Dark Series.
In 2009, she quit her full-time Teaching English as a Second Language job to finally begin writing “that book”, letting her over-active imagination pour out onto the digital pages much to everyone’s horror. The catch phrase “I didn’t know you had such a dark imagination” only fuelled her to write more, where her love for Norse mythology and gods finally got the spotlight.
She currently lives with her husband and daughter in whatever city they happen to be posted to, and her cat, Oscar, who has inspired more than one character quirk or scene in her books.
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