Besides the music, there are a couple of other things that sparked my interest when writing Embracing Calla.
Poppy originally was bad:
When I first came up with Poppy’s character I made her a narcissist. My main goal using Poppy was to make Benedict think it’s Poppy and not Luka because Calla always blames everything on her. So in Benedict’s perspective, Poppy is always the problem.
I had it where Luka and Poppy played games with each other on who could hurt Calla more. This was when I officially made Luka a narcissist. Scrapping the idea of Poppy having NPD and sticking with Luka being the puppet master was best for this novel.
As the reader, you figure this out rather quickly with the duel POV’s. You see what Calla’s going through and then you see what Benedict thinks Calla’s going through. Until Benedict finds out that Luka is the narcissist he, like Calla, is always blaming Poppy.
Poppy in Embracing Calla:
Calla also needed a “Sebastian” to Benedict’s real Sebastian and that was Poppy. As you read you’ll notice similarities between Calla and Benedict. They almost feel like they’re the same person. And I did that for a reason, for the full circle effect.
She blames everything on Poppy just like Benedict blames Sebastian. Poppy was made into the “bad guy” by Luka and Sebastian is just scapegoated. That’s the difference.
In conclusion:
Destined for book three is Poppy’s truth and her arc. I have a lot of thoughts and inspirations to make that book showcase Poppy for who she truly is. In Embracing Calla you’re just given a glimpse of Poppy.
