What appealed to you about the idea if writing a Skywalker sister story? What made you want to do it, and make a romance with obi?
There’s just something that’s so interesting about writing about a Skywalker. They’re such a through-line for most of the Star Wars franchise, and I think it’s really fascinating to see how just a few people––from the same family––can have such a wide-spread impact on the galaxy at large. And her being Anakin’s sister just… it’s such an interesting character concept to me. Because in writing his sister, we get the perspective of his development into Vader from someone who’s known him for his entire life. Not from a mentor’s perspective, or from the perspective of a lover/wife, but that of a sister. Someone who wants the best for him, who would do most anything to see him succeed and see that he stays safe. The thought of being able to write that was such a draw. Because what I feel like the prequels kind of lack is the true depth of his transformation. How gradual and subtle that journey to Darth Vader was. It was slow enough and subtle enough that all those closest to him didn’t really notice something was wrong until it all exploded. And I wondered: would a sister notice things that others didn’t? Would he confide in her more than he did others, or would he try even harder to hide it to convince her that he’s okay? Not only that, but we get to view the softer, more caring side of Anakin that we only get glimpses of in the prequels; we got more of it in the Clone Wars, but god do I love seeing Anakin be soft and concerned about those that he loves.
And in thinking about making and developing Anakin’s sister, I thought it would be interesting to see how the same or similar circumstances would affect them. They’re siblings, and they have similar characteristics, but they are fundamentally different people. Where Anakin is brash, I saw his older sister being more measured and patient––probably partially because she had to look after him. So, where Anakin’s path led him to the Dark Side… would Elara’s? Would the way that she chose to go about things lead her down a different road? I LOVE parallels, and this seemed like a perfect parallel to use.
As for making it an Obi-Wan romance––for as much as we all love to say that he’s the epitome of a perfect Jedi, he’s such a lover. Something that the Clone Wars brought about confirming with Satine. He loves, and he loves whole and long, and probably passionately. But being raised and trained as a Jedi, where the Code frowns on such things, he has to learn to hide that. He’s a passionate man, if not quietly so. He’s steadfast in his beliefs. Then enter Elara: someone who is so lovely, passionate about both those she cares for and what she’s working for/towards. She challenges him. Because she’s a contradiction. She is, for all accounts and purposes, a lover and an empath. To have someone who has the same training, who for the most part has the same ideals, too, challenge him on love and passion? That just tickles me. And it’s been so much fun to write and develop the romance. Because these two love birds are SO stubborn, and I’ve loved writing their journey from tentative allies to would-be lovers. We’re now at a point in the story where I’m just ITCHING to keep writing, because we’re finally coming to a lot of stuff that’s just going to be so satisfying!