Andrew Q. Gordon

The insanely talented Hailey Turner has stopped by the World of Make Believe today to tell us about the very best kind of trouble in New York City (though, I imagine Patrick Collins would argue the “best” part because the poor mage could use a freakin’ break, but we can’t get enough)!

Thanks so much for stopping by, Hailey!

Trouble Is His Middle Name

My Soulbound series is a gay urban fantasy with a strong romantic sub-plot set in a modern-day New York City where magic is known, gods walk the earth, and there’s a decent chance your neighbor is a witch. The series is steeped in mythology, and I throw in quite a bit of mayhem as well, because who doesn’t like a little action with their magic?

Living in a world like that, trouble can creep up in various ways. If you make a deal with a devil, bargains with fae, and promises with vampires, you better not break your word. When it comes to debts of all kinds, my protagonist definitely has some experience with them.

Patrick Collins is an ex-combat mage, current special agent of the Supernatural Operations Agency, and a magnet for trouble. How much trouble does he get into? Well, let’s just say if they handed out awards for trouble, Patrick would get first place because he is the best at finding it. Honestly, if he had a middle name, trouble would be it.

Patrick’s tendency to be magnetic north for trouble stems from a past that doesn’t lend itself well to stability. Orphaned at a young age, raised in a boarding school environment for magic users, and then joining the military as soon as he was of legal age to do so means Patrick was without a family for a good chunk of his formative years. One of the things family teaches you—or should teach you—is how to trust.

Patrick isn’t big on trust. He’s more your typical solo protagonist archetype who will get the job done himself. Which is fine—except that usually means he’s going to come away from a case bruised and bleeding, because give up isn’t in Patrick’s vocabulary.

That’s where trouble usually finds him, when he’s trying to help somebody in need. Patrick can be a dick, but his self-sacrificing tendencies (aka finding trouble) is a trait I hope dulls his sharp edges a little for a reader. In the second book of the series, Patrick is learning to not go it alone, mostly because Jonothon de Vere won’t let him, but it is still a work in progress.

Jono crashed into Patrick’s life on the whims of the gods, but the pair of them are fighting to forge their own path forward. Being at the mercy of gods means they find a lot of trouble, or trouble finds them. Some of it is self-made, and some of it is inevitable. Either way, Patrick can’t outrun it, because finding trouble is what he does best.

Having a character be best at something isn’t always a good thing, as Patrick will attest to. No one likes to read about a perfect character, and honestly, I wouldn’t want to write one! I like a little grit to sink my teeth into as a writer, and I think readers appreciate it more when a character has to work hard to fix a problem, even if it’s a self-made one.

Which is why, given the choice, I made Patrick the best at finding trouble, because trouble almost always makes for an interesting story.

About Hailey Turner

Hailey Turner is big city girl who spoils her cats rotten and has a demanding day job that she loves, but not as much as she loves writing. She’s been writing since she was a young child and enjoys reading almost as much as creating a new story. Hailey loves stories with lots of action, gritty relationships, and an eventual HEA that satisfies the heart.

Where To Find Hailey Turner

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