by Tarah Benner
For Bernie, marrying Simjay after only knowing him a short time felt right. Bernie is impulsive, romantic, and full of a natural confidence that everything will work out for the best. She and Simjay just had chemistry, and for me it seemed like a logical next step.
Lark was different. She too lost her mother in early adulthood, but the assault on the farm and the years Lark spent alone in San Judas before Bernie came along shaped her worldview in a few crucial ways. She is accustomed to being alone, and for years she had no one to rely on but herself. She has a history with men that makes her less trusting overall, and even though she wants someone to love, she values her freedom above everything else.
In my mind, Lark is not the type of person who will ever be ready for marriage, but hiking the Continental Divide with Soren is a big step for her. It will lay the groundwork for their future and determine whether their relationship has staying power.
Although Lark and Bernie represent two extremes on the commitment spectrum, I think their outcomes bring up issues that women sometimes grapple with as they get ready to take that next step in life. For some people, “happily ever after” doesn’t involve marriage at all. And with a character like Lark, I think it’s unrealistic to try to fit her into that traditional box when her life trajectory has been so unconventional.
Dauntless was a lot of fun for me to write because it allowed me to place the characters in some unusual circumstances. I got to see Lark and Portia thrown together in a kidnapping, how Axel would behave at a dinner party, and what it would be like for the entire gang to experience the birth of Portia’s daughters.
One issue I struggled with in the early edits was maintaining the characters’ tough, hardened demeanors. It was easy to imagine that Axel would have difficulty functioning in a civilized domestic setting, but allowing him to communicate his insecurities after the dinner with the Bakers was more of a challenge.
Unlike Soren and Simjay, Axel never had a chance to develop those interpersonal skills before he went to prison. He also had a much rougher start in life than most of the other characters, so he struggles throughout the series to relate to the group.
I enjoyed seeing him and the rest of the characters in a different light during the birthing scene. I tried to get each character involved and allow them to relate to the event in whatever way they knew how. Bernie brought her unconditional support and enthusiasm; Simjay brought his humor and smarts; and Axel brought his brute-force energy.
I wanted to convey that, even though they are criminals, each of them still reacts to incredible events just like everyone else. Axel is fully capable of love and loyalty, though he might have problems expressing himself. Simjay made a name for himself as the obnoxious scalawag in San Judas, but he is over-the-moon when he meets a girl who truly wants to be with him.
Humans, like any other species, are endlessly adaptable. We have the ability to shut ourselves down emotionally and put on a tough outer exterior when our survival depends on it, but we also have the ability to soften and heal when the situation changes. Allowing book four to span the seasons gave me the opportunity to explore different facets of the characters’ emotional journeys, from survival mode in the summer to relative normalcy in the spring. It was a difficult task to get it just right, but that’s one of the greatest challenges of the writing process.
Writing this series allowed me to explore the darker side of human nature, take the world to the brink of extinction, learn about real-life biotech experiments, and read about ancient crops that could actually save humanity.
If you enjoyed the Lawless journey as much as I did, please take a moment to leave a review. Reviews help other readers discover indie authors like me, and I really appreciate them.
If you liked the series, I hope you’ll join me for even more dystopian adventures. My next project is already in the works, and I have many more books that I know you’ll enjoy. (Try The Fringe for another action-packed post-apocalyptic thrill ride.)
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Thanks again for following me on this wild journey. I have the best job in the world, and I couldn’t do it without your support.
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As an early reader of Dauntless, you get “Where Are They Now?” — my personal notes on where the characters ended up after book four.
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Looking for your next great read?
Check out more books by Tarah Benner:
Recon
Exposure
Outbreak
Lockdown
Annihilation
Lawless
Lifeless
Ruthless
The Defectors
Enemy Inside
The Last Uprising
Bound in Blood
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