When I began writing RED/BLUE, I knew the world was going to be a dangerous place. Civilization would collapse, people would become suspicious of one another, and survival would depend on decisions that might have been unthinkable only days earlier.
But I also knew something else. The end of the world wasn't going to mean the end of love.
Enter Rylan and Dillon Daily.
These two became my first LGBTQ supercouple, although I suspect Dillon would have something sarcastic to say about being called that.
They're husbands, but they aren't one of those fictional couples who agree on everything and spend their days gazing lovingly into each other's eyes. Rylan has a tendency to volunteer for dangerous assignments, while Dillon has a tendency to remind him, sometimes rather loudly, that he's an idiot for doing so.
They argue. They tease. They make each other laugh. And beneath all that bickering is a devotion that has survived more than its share of trouble, even before the world went to hell.
One of my favorite things about their relationship is a little tradition they share called cuff up. It began with Rylan's marriage proposal and became their private way of reaffirming what they mean to each other. A simple tap of their wedding rings can say more than an entire conversation.
I wanted Rylan and Dillon to have a history before the first page of RED/BLUE. They had already built a life together, weathered disagreements, and learned that loving someone doesn't mean surrendering who you are.
Then the world fell apart.
And suddenly, all those ordinary things that make a marriage—arguments, inside jokes, worrying when someone is late coming home—became extraordinary.
Because when every trip outside might be your last, telling someone you love them takes on a whole different meaning.
Rylan and Dillon brought humor, tenderness, and a good deal of marital aggravation into a story filled with fear and uncertainty.
They also reminded me of something I wanted readers to feel throughout RED/BLUE.
Even when the world is coming apart, people still need someone worth holding on to. And perhaps just as importantly, they need to remember who they are together. After all, why should a little thing like the end of civilization—and monsters lurking around every crumbling corner—change the way you love, laugh, or occasionally drive your husband crazy?
