The First Cygnian

The first Cygnian who appeared on the pages of my stories was not a member of Kral’s prism. The Cygnians have, in fact, been in the background of The Department of Homeworld Security since book four, Tied up in Customs. I can’t believe it was all the way back then when these characters became a glimmer in my imagination.

At the time of Tied up in Customs, Sorca is chief of security on the Arbiter. I knew that she was a Cygnian-Sadirian hybrid created in a Coalition lab. I knew that she was important to the High Council (and OMG, when we get to that storyline… *shudder*).

While writing her book, I only had a vague idea of how important she’d become. I loved the dynamic between her and Eric, and that they ended up married because of a cultural misunderstanding. I also loved that the misunderstanding was “marriage by combat” basically.

The Department of Homeworld Security books are meant to be very light-hearted. I specifically would try to put in funny moments. Sorca’s book was one of the first times I outright balled while writing. There’s a moment in Tied up in Customs when Sorca thinks she’s about to die. She looks up at Eric and says, “I wanted to remember you.” I seriously can’t type that without tearing up.

It was a turning point in the series for me. I realized I wanted these stories to be more than feel-good, sci-fi comedy romps (with lots and lots of heat). There was a deeper story that I needed to uncover.

The story arcs for The Department of Homeworld Security have definitely run deeper than even I expected, and I love that I’m able to explore them more fully in the Cygnian 7 series. These books are definitely darker than the original Homeworld novellas, but the love, light, and laughter that is in the heart of all my stories beats strongly in these as well.

Thank you for coming along on this journey with me! Buckle up, because we have an entire universe to explore. 💙

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