We Should Get Jerseys ('Cause We Make a Good Team)

Ever heard that song? It's "Must Have Done Something Right" by Relient K. It's this absolutely dorky, absolutely adorable song about a girl who's changed the singer's life for the better, even though he has no idea how to tell her that. And it reminds me of Conlan and Matt. You know, if Conlan was dorky - which he isn't, because if Conlan has one thing going for him, it's composure. And badassery, but whatever.

Anyway, one thing I'm excited about in Skyborn is that I'll be able to focus a lot more on Matt and Conlan's relationship. Usually Cam and Hauke get a lot of the attention, because either it's told in first person by Cam or Matt and Conlan just don't have much time to spend together. You know, off saving the world, and all that. In Skyborn, I've got third person to work with, so I can follow who I please, and the whole beginning of the book is about Cam, Matt and Conlan living together. That, and frankly Hauke is getting the least stagetime because he is the last main character to show up.

I think one of the most fun things about writing Matt and Conlan is that most of the time it seems (key word: "seems") like they're not getting along. Matt teases Conlan incessantly, or otherwise yells at him, and Conlan is entirely unmoved either way, at best replying in a laid-back, witty manner that only gets Matt more riled up.

There's a scene I'm excited for where Matt is trying to whip a team of mechanics into shape, and Conlan arrives to be measured for the seat in the cockpit. Matt says some pretty scathing things about him only to shoot him a smirk a moment later and start teasing him about stripping so the crew (who are pretty much petrified at this point) can get accurate measurements. Conlan's replies basically amount to a couple of quips and a raised eyebrow, but it's clear both of them are having a good time.

Of course, sometimes (or, a lot of the time) Conlan's apparent lack of genuine emotion does get on Matt's nerves, so they still have some issues to deal with. She often feels like he just doesn't care about anything, so part of Skyborn will have to do with addressing how he actually feels and why he acts the way he does.