Lance Rizzello is a character in Blood Trade.  I loved writing Lance because in a book filled with evil vampires, he’s completely human and more evil than any of them.  Lance is a dirty cop, working part time as an enforcer for the mob, and working all the time for himself.  Everything is about power and obligation with Lance.  Who owes him a favor?  Who does he owe?  Everybody is afraid of him, from the baddest pimps and drug dealers to Xochitl, and with good reason.

I almost never change a character name after I start writing, but Lance went through a series of first and last names.  First I changed his name because it was the same as a character in a movie (that I hadn’t seen), and then I changed because it was too close to a character in a story a friend was writing.  Then I changed it because it wasn’t right.  In the end though, I don’t think Lance’s name is that important.  He’s a strong enough character no matter what his name is.