Well, I just wrote out a beautiful long post all about how great it is to have a romantic sleuthing duo, and then the website crashed.
Did it save automatically it as a draft?
Yeah, no hope. RIP long post :(
So, in the interest of not letting that happen again, I'm going to take eeeeeverything I just wrote (and naturally, can't remember) and try to distil it into bullet points.
Ready? Here we go
Pros:
Can be very sweet. Lucas and Clara look after each other, and appreciate each other like you would not believe.
They know each other incredibly well, so their teamwork is second to none
Raises tension. If one is in danger, the other will move heaven and earth to make sure nothing bad happens - and God help anyone who gets in their way...
Having a M/F couple means they have more options. Need to track a woman who has just gone into the ladie's bathroom? That's a job for Clara. A villain at a men-only club? Guess Lucas is taking that one. Options, I like options
They each have skills that no one person would have
Have I mentioned that they're adorable? Because they're adorable
I love putting their relationship under pressure as that can be very useful from a storytelling perspective (they disagree)
It's fun to see them interact. Yes, I test their relationship sometimes, but mostly they get on well, which is quite nice really. I get that some people like the drama of a firey relationship, but me? I'm more interested in the mystery side of things. Just work together, k? No fighting amongst yourselves.
Cons
Keeping the persepctives balanced in a scene or story. It's easy to forget about one of the other for a while, and I can't count the number of times I've had to add scenes in because we've not heard from one of them for a while
It does kinda kill the sexual tension thing stone dead. We already know they're together, there's no "will they, won't they?" that is a great subplot in a mystery.
Keeping the balance of romantic interaction and friendship right. Lucas and Clara are a friends-first couple, which is great, they have an awesome foundation to build on, and that's exactly how it should be, but I worry whether I go too far on one side of the equasion or the other
Jealousy, specifically Lucas's. My own fault, I decided a rival for Clara's affection would be fun (and it is) but good grief, I'm looking forward to the point when Lucas and Tommy are friends. It's going to make my life a lot easier, if nothing else
Hmm... anything else?
Probably, but it's nearly quitting time and I'm hoping the website doesn't crash again before I get to post this, so adios, amigos!
Love, Saff xx
P.S. Speaking of amigos, my good friend Jodi May is joining my for my Author Interview post this month, and I can't wait for you to read it because it's fab!
P.P.S. Haven't met my dynamic duo yet? Click here to check out the series so far