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When the line between our world and fiction begin to blur, one must wonder, what is real and what is the stuff of dreams? Here, you will be introduced to a fan favorite scene from this book. Learn of heartfelt quotes from those in the novel. Explore the behind-the-scenes story behind its creation. Be entertained with artwork and memes related to this narrative. Like the mysterious man hidden in Kimberly's comic books, there is a multitude of Easter Eggs and secret knowledge that will be revealed along your journey on this page.
“To give her a proper name would limit her somehow, confine her perfection. The word sunset does not begin to encompass the beauty of what nature provides us each day.” – Logan
Fan Favorite
A scene selected from the book.
The final scene involving Rebecca is when she visits Logan as he is shattered emotionally after his dream of finally meeting his muse doesn't go according to the vision he had of that experience. She gets what she wanted, seeing him hurt. It reveals how hallow and empty her existence is.
When she's leaving and sees Kimberly, she realizes that Logan's muse does exist. She insults the other woman. Kimberly trips Rebecca, but he interjects. He tells her to not continue the confrontation. It shows that he is not clinging to the pain inflicted upon him by others in the past. He has chosen to move forward with the positive elements in his life.
“She is like air in my lungs. Without her I would suffocate. She is my heartbeat. My body would grow cold to the touch without her presence within me. She is the light of my day and the soft glow of the moon at night.” – Logan
Relevant Images
“If an angel leaves the blessed light of heaven to pursue vengeance upon the devil, all she does is bring a divine being into the darkness, possibly never to return, becoming just another lost soul. I would sooner take your place in an eternity of damnation then to see you face such a fate.” – Logan
Origin Story:
Artistic Inspiration
An original concept was a woman drawing a man she didn't know existed in the privacy of her home. A sister ridiculing her in thinking she was weird to draw this mystery man so often. One of many small elements that were later used as inspiration for the final concept.
Alex Ross, an artist well known for his lifelike versions of comic book characters greatly inspired Logan. His work on Marvels being highly influential to the author concerning the possibilities of artwork. It is because of his style of visuals related to comic book characters that helped create the basis of the plot. Alex has done series where he did the artwork for the cover while another artist created the content for the interior of the mini-series which is the core idea of this story.
Kimberly being a comic book artist was greatly inspired by the author's own interest in that form of storytelling. He has been interested in them since he was a kid. The idea of her including "the mystery man" was an ideal way to link the pair together. Being exposed to conventions and cosplay was also sources of ideas derived from the author's own life in that he's dressed up as Batman at Comicon.
There was consideration to end the story with them meeting, but the author wanted a more realistic reaction from Kimberly. Her questioning the fairy tale created a better sense of what it would be like to be exposed to a scenario like this. The ending is left ambiguous and left open to interpretation until you read the novel: Dryad's Dream.
Origin Story:
The Real World
A real-world event when the team behind a Batgirl redesign created a new approach to her appearance in 2014 inspired the core of the plot when it came to the events taking place within the fictional comic book industry, Tagonist Comics. They moved away from the spandex, form fitting costume to something more realistic. A leather jacket instead of a skintight top. A cape that visibly clasped onto the shoulders. Little details like this caught the attention of the author who was a cosplayer, someone who creates costumes of their favorite characters, could more easily recreate. That's when it hit him, what if an entire comic book company went for a redesign like that. He knew it would lead the two people together with her comic book involvement and his realistic drawings.
When the author first began writing the book, there was no connection to what was then the stand alone novel, Heart of Ice. He realized that Penelope was acting a lot like a female version of Mitch, from what would eventually develop into the Noble Souls Trilogy. That's when he had the idea that this book was set in that reality, and that the pair were siblings. It wasn't until the development of Queen's Court that he fully committed to this concept of Mitch and Penelope being brother and sister. The group from this novel make an appearance in the final book of the trilogy, Dearly Beloved, for those who want to revisit the cast.
The original draft was too short for what the author felt to be a full length novel. There was a leap from Logan disappearing to him coming back again. The scene at the convention with the woman dressed in a Sparkle uniform, the pair of women at the restaurant, and the idea of the artist disappearing into the comics, all of that came about in a later draft after originally completing the book.
“A touch of a single fingertip upon a woman’s skin should be treated with as much care and concern for perfection as a stroke of a paintbrush upon an empty canvas.” – Logan
Easter Eggs and Inspiration
Kimberly and Penelope work for a comic book company called Tagonist Productions. This is a reference to Tagonist Knights Publishing, the same company you are now visiting the website of. In an early draft it was "Paradox Productions" but after creating Tagonist Knights Publishing, the author made the change in the book in honor of this.
“The greatest wonders of this world began with faith in the impossible, a creation from the depths of one’s imagination, something truly beautiful from nothing.” – Logan
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