Tuesday, April 03, 2012

FAQ: Elena & Raphael

I get certain questions multiple times a week (sometimes several times a day!), so I thought I'd answer some of them on the blog for easy reference.

Will there be another Elena/Raphael book?

Yes, absolutely. At this stage, I can't confirm in which book they'll take center stage again, but it won't be too far off.

Will Elena and Raphael be having a baby?

There is no baby in their near future. Quite aside from the fact that the angels have a lower birth rate, you have to remember that Elena has only been an angel for a number of months according to the timeline of the books. She needs time to grow and settle into her new life.

53 comments :

fishgirl182 said...

i love elena and raphael and can't wait for another book. i've never thought about the baby question but i think a little baby angel would be quite adorable.

maritza said...

I'd love to see a baby angel from those two but I think Elena needs time to become.... an archangel? ;D
Btw, will we ever see the archangel Alexander awaken?

sheena said...

What about Illium!!!! He has to be next after Jason!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Yes! I have been dying to read Illium's story! I would read a hundred Raphael / Elena stories!

Quibbler said...

I'd love to see Aodhan find someone who can help him heal, He's the one who intrigues me the most (He's the one I daydream about ;-P).
But on the other hand, I can't help wondering how Illium will react when he finds out that Honor is the reincarnation of Dmitris long lost wife. I can't help feeling that it might raise certain hopes?

Quibbler said...

Oops... sorry about the spoilers people. I realised just after I posted and I can't go back and edit it!

Sorry!

A.Weber said...

I kind of thought that maybe the fact that Elena had been recently Human might actually have helped her fertility, since humans obviously have little problem reproducing. It seemed to make sense to me. But I do love the Elena/ Raphael stories and I think that they need more time as a couple before children. But Raphael as a father would be even more priceless than Lucas. Actually I want Galen to be a father more than Raphael, especially after his comment to Jessamy that he would carry their child wherever they needed. They would be super awesome parents.

Anonymous said...

Ah...the baby question:-).

- You write your love stories so well Nalini that everybody want to see their relationships to progress.

As for me, I would love to see Hawke as a father. (I´ll be patient an wait until you´ll make it happen. - At least I hope you`ll give him his little troublemaker when it`s time).

nirbhava said...

More than Hawke I would love to see Judd as a father, it will be awesome to see him with a baby. And Riley & Mercy too. I am keen to know if they have a cub or a pup. I think Hawke & Sienna need more time to grow into their relationship before having a baby.

Annika said...

Ah yes, Galen and Jessamy would be awesome to see as parents! I actually wouldn't mind an unexpected pregnancy book for Aodhan, it would make for an emotional read for sure. Can angels have babies with humans? I can't remember what has been said about that..

Liz C said...

I'd like to see Aodhan's story next- I really like the glimpses we keep catching of him in the books. As to the baby question, I'd love to see Riley and Mercy or Clay and Tally have a baby -I really love these couples. I agree with Hawke and Sienna needing more time in their relationship but I do hope we see them with a baby, I think Hawke would be a fantastic father (although I think he'd probably take the protectiveness a little too far) :)

Schenni said...

I'm not so sure if I'm happy about the news that Elena and Raphael will get another book. It just means more drama in their relationship and I think they have gone through enough. It's not as if being an archangel/a new angel isn't hard enough...
I adored their three books and I loved it when they appeared in "Blade", but I would rather hear the stories of all the other fantastic characters, like Venom and Holly, for example (and they can have A LOT of scenes in those books!).
But that's just my opinion and I'm sure tons of readers are really looking forward to another book about Elena and Raphael.

Quibbler said...

Oh, Elena and Raphael definitely need another book (or more). Quite apart from anything else, we haven't got to the bottom of Elenas nightmares and what really happened that day, why her father is so anti-hunter, her mothers background etc. there's still a lot of ground to cover.
I can't wait!

Preet said...

Any Guild Hunter or Raphael's Seven book, makes me happy. And I do think Elena and Raphael have more in store, Quibbler is right regarding Elena's past.

The worst thing is the wait!

Anonymous said...

Thanks Nalini! For me, I think Raphael and Elena are the anchors of all the Guild Hunter books regardless of the leading characters and their stories - I think that is what makes the series so spectacular. I love the tapestry of all these characters woven together, existing in this world, and all their relationships - i.e. Raphael and his Seven, Elena and the Guild, Elena vs. her father, the Cadre with the evil Lijuan, and of course, the awakened Caliane. The connections are endless and strong. One word - AWESOME! Might I add, I have great hope for Aodhan's story! ;) Professional Romance Fans approve!
best,
Stephanie

Sherri L. said...

I agree with everyone. I started off with the psy/changeling series then decided to try a guild hunter book and read all of them so far. I can't wait to see what happens with all the couples in the future and see who ends up a couple. Venom and sorrow would make quite the interesting couple with both of them having the kind of eyes they do. I was also wondering if the picture Aodhan did for Raphael of Elena that he has in his bedroom at the tower is what the cover for Archangel's Consort was based on?

Unknown said...

Comment is filled with minor SPOILERS:

YAY! More Elena and Raphael! I'm so excited for that, I thought Archangel's Consort was their last... :'( I'm so happy it isn't!! I would advice for you to make them the center stage and not some weird Lijuan/Caliane/Uram problem. I hope there are more training scenes! I love those! (Wow, can't stop with the exclamation points!!)

Anonymous said...

I'm glad there going to be another R&E book, but I hope it's the last one where they at least come to a resolution with both their respective parents. After that I hope Nalini ends it there for them because out of all the couples they are at a level in their relationship where they can relax and Elena can keep learning and vis versa. I just don't want Nalini to keep going like other authors and keep creating drama that was non-existent before just to make more book, some authors don't understand that it turns readers off because it takes the charachters and makes them into something else and in the end just leaves a bad taste after all the good stuff . However, I can't wait for this book and I hope it leaves us with a good place to leave E&R.

Unknown said...

Thank you for answering my question! Darn I was hoping for a Elena/Raphael baby in the near future :(

Anonymous said...

i don't need babies.They are power couple,I love from because of i-like-you-in-a-dangerous-way :) when I think of GD series I think of them and I am glad to hear that they will be back,I don't want them to change,Elena is a kickass and Raphael is like...you know immortal archangel which is the epitome of any fantastic alpha.And they shouldn't disappear,never ever.

Anonymous said...

I so so so relieved Raphael and Elena are coming back. They are definitely my favourite couple in the series. Don't get me wrong I liked Archangel's Blade and the novellas a lot but they couldn't quite beat our favourite Archangel and Hunter. I hope they get many many more books.
As for the baby issue, it is an adorable image and the idea of Raphael as a father would be an absolutely ground breaking asset to the series but I agree it's a bit early to bring in something that big. If they do end up having a child it should be much later, maybe after all the seven have had their seperate romances and we know what really happened in Elena's mysterious past.

Anonymous said...

I’ll be very glad to see R&E back again. I think that’s what makes me like the Guild Hunter books more than Psy/Changeling. We got more of a chance to fall in love with the R&E before immediately moving onto someone else. It’s added so much more depth to them and the series as a whole. Honestly I would be content if you wrote the whole series just about them.

Dawn & Winnie Book Reviews said...

You said… in the Near future, that not a YES or a No, but you only have a couple of books left. A baby will be a pleasant surprise. Thanks for being such a great writer.

Anonymous said...

A baby, if vampires and humans can :) awww
I read some where Seraphena

Anonymous said...

A baby would be amazing, but let's give Elena a hundred years or so! If she had a baby, she'd have to live at the Refuge and avoid high risk activities for quite a while. I don't see her character leaving her child behind or taking the risk of depriving it of its mother. I think this would change the format of the series too much. It would be pleasant but weird and possibly boring.

I look forward to as many Rafael/Elena books as Nalini wants to write!

Rachael said...

I am despirately hoping for another R&E book! Love love love them! I will definitely be reading them all and pre-ordering as soon as possible. I hate when authors create such powerful and fantastic characters you fall in love with them but the authors stop writing their tales. I hope she writes several first and ends with their child. They will make an amazing series!
Fingers crossed!

Unknown said...

Baby would be great if possible

Anonymous said...

Hello nalini.. Please... let elena bare a child?? WE ARE SOOO LOVE THEM (ELENA and Raphael).. we want them to have some kiddies... PLEASE?? :(

Anonymous said...

More Elena and Raphael! I enjoy reading them the most!

Anonymous said...

Elena and Raphael should be the first to have children!!! They're love story is the most epic, and they'd be great parents when you decide to do that.

Anonymous said...

Can i ask a question? Will Elena gain powers or special ability?

Unknown said...

I would love to read more about R&E. I love the stories about the Seven and I can't wait for Illium's book to come out. But I feel that after the events in A.L. I can't wait to find out what they (R&E) have in store next. A baby would be awesome! Just a thought, I know that angels have low fertility rates, but wouldn't the fact that Elena was not born an angel make her less likely to have this problem?

Anonymous said...

Will Illium and Aodhan each get their own book? It would be wonderful to finally find out their backstories as well as how they fare now with during the Cascade, especially with Illium's power surge and Aodhan rejoining the world in a more active fashion.

Mishel said...

OMGGG!!!
i'M SO HAPPY
be honest, Raphael and Elena are the best couple. is the center of everything in the saga, so I would like, love, adore to see more of R and E.

Xoxo

Unknown said...

Please please write the rest of the seven Illium Aodhan Venom these dangerous beautiful loyal men need to tell their stories and get there happy ever after too only then can Elena and Raphael move on to the next stage and possibly the most difficult of all parenthood I love these books so much and really want to read more cant wait for the new one for both series bring it on

Unknown said...

Please please write the rest of the seven Illium Aodhan Venom these dangerous beautiful loyal men need to have their stories told and to get their happy ever after they have earned it only then can Elena and Raphael move on to the next stage and possibly most difficult parenthood love these books so much can't wait for the new ones pre ordered on Amazon already for both series waiting is so hard thank you for writing such brilliant stories

Anonymous said...

Loveeee Elena and Raphael sooo much.
please write more books about them.
Raphael and Elena are not like other couple. Their story don't seem to be near an end yet. Really really hope there will be more story about Raphael and Elena. They are my favourite couple.
Hope you will continue Guild Hunter series past 10 books. Really love this series and will love it if you would make more sotries revolving around Guild Hunter series.
Cant wait for the next book.
Will be so happy if Guild Hunter series can come out 2 books a year.
Love this series even much more than the other series because of Raphael and Elena. ^.^

Unknown said...

It seems there is still so many characters we still need to learn more about. We haven't heard about all of the seven, and now Elena's getting her own seven. I hope this series can keep going. I love living in this world.

Unknown said...

It seems there are still a lot of characters to write about in this series. Theres still a few from Raphael's seven and now Elena's getting her own seven. I hope the series gets a chance to tell their stories as well.

Unknown said...

Just finished Archangels Heart. Can't wait to read what's next for Raphael and Elena. This series has become one of my favorites and I hope to see many more books to come.

Unknown said...

Yes. Love the series. so we need you to stop everything else.. and write more.. who needs sleep and food anyway? Thank you so much for the lives that we get to see through your eyes..

Sympathy said...

Does anyone know if Raphael was form from a real person? Or is he just a fantasy? I'm totally keen on him. :$

Anonymous said...

I really want lee a to grow some unheard of and real dangerous powers!
P.s. Would really appreciate it if this was done real soon

Unknown said...

yo solo espero, que illium tenga una historia de esperaza y lealtad con una humana lo necesita, a veces creo que se siente solo, pero que pierda la amistad con aohad
desde Venezuela besos

Ooey said...

I love the Raphael and Elena, I just found them and skipped all the others to strictly read their story first. I'll go back and read the rest eventually since I now have quite awhile to wait for the next one, hopefully it's an R&E book or I may forget about the series entirely by the time the next one comes out. I read hundreds of books every year so that is an entirely possible scenario. I feel a bit let down, they've kept my attention so far, but I thought these were books about a heroine, not a hero. Elena has so far been nothing but a proverbial sidekick in comparison to the other characters. I am well aware of the astonishing accomplishments she has made in her progress in the short timeline of the books thus far, but the timeline seems to be creeping along at a snails pace. It's almost as if the author is using our real time to set the pace of the books, which means we would all be dead and gone by the time Elena actually gains any real power. I'm hoping after this last book that we were left hanging on, the transformation might actually speed up a bit. I am not much for the damsel in distress roles that Elena has played in most of the books so far, or her just handing over the weapons, like a sidekick, to Raphael so he can save the day. I mean really she is supposed to be an awesome hunter, she goes into a situation with Ransom to help and almost immediately she is taken down and Venom has to save her, I mean it is almost every single scene that she has to be saved by others. I am not getting a heroine vibe from her at all so far, I keep reading, hoping she will reach a crescendo eventually.

Khristine V. Wolf said...

It was so funny when Nisia talks with Elena about parasites and babies. I can't wait for the next book. Thanks so much! :D

Unknown said...

I LOVE THE GUILD HUNTER SERIES AND I HOPE IT WILL KEEP CONTINUING, I JUST READ ARCHANGELS WAR AND IT WAS AWESOME, I ALSO LIKED HOW NISIA INFORMED BOTH RAPHAEL AND ELENA THAT ELENA WAS NOW PHYSICALLY CAPABLE HAVING RAPHAELS BABY AND FREAKED HER OUT...PLEASE NALINI KEEP WRITING MORE BOOKS OF THE GUILD HUNTERS SERIES AFTER ARCHANGELS WAR...

Crissytina said...

I think maybe Aodhan and the new archangel would be a good pairing. What did the diamond angel go through that made him abhor any touch? R&E def need more books. One about Vivek, his backstory, does he ever heal completely, fall in love? I think Evie all grown up would be a major match for Illium, and maybe a few R&E novels unearthing the truth behind the Refuge Sleepers, and one about Cassandra and Qjn. Maybe one detailing Michaela's maternal fight to live and the Legions return, there are soooo many possibilities for awesome stories in the R&E universe. I fell in love with Nalini's GH series within the first few pages of the first one. I would be perfectly happy for Nalini to "milk" the GH universe for all it's worth. Whenever I fall in love with a universe and the author decides to end it, I always wonder what happened after with all the storylines/characters that never got their moment to shine. Their stories keep pinging my mind, even years after the fact. Prime example: Jennifer Roberson's Cheysuli Chronicles. I literally cried for days when it ended. Because we never got to experience what happened AFTER Cynric was born. We never got to hear his story.
Nalini is such a good author, and I hope she doesn't plan on closing the portal to GH universe for years to come. I don't see it as a deliberate "milking" of a series, rather as a willingness to allow these characters a chance to tell us their life, and is an integral ingredient of a universe shown to us by an extremely talented author. I am most definitely in favor of as many new GH universe novels as this sublime author is willing to gift us with.
I mean, what is the resolution betwn E and her father? What happens to the archangels in anshara? How did Cassandra and Qjn meet? What is the history betwn Alexander and the sexy Zanaya? Does E become friends with Celeste? What did Celeste have to do as Caliane's spy in Deseased archangel's court? Does Atlanta's angel ever meet the woman that will change him from the monster he is to what he potentially should have been? How does Keir raise Gavriel? Does he ever find out who his mother is or who his father was? Does E ever get to kill Riker? What antiquities does R's butler "rehome" and what are the reactions of the archangels/vampires/angels reactions when the "borrowing" is discovered? When the Legion comes back, what becoming/appearances will they take? What will they live through while becoming? Does the Hummingbird ever confront Illium's father? What will his reaction be? Does Neha ever forgive her sister? Raphael? Elena? Does she decend into Slumber? Does Caliane ever find love again? If R&E have a child, what will Raphael's reaction be if it's a girl? How do R&E react to their child being courted? Can Jeffery ever form a relationship with E's grandparents? Does the Guild rotation for the Slayer position work? Are there any Guild annals describing Jeffery's mother's life as a GH? What spy missions do Jason and his princess experience? Does Elena ever find out what Nassir really is? Soooo many questions are still to be answered, if Nalini decides to close the portal to GH universe, none of these questions will be answered. The GH universe is such a rich, vivid, fiercely VIBRANT tapestry, which is why I, atleast, crave more. The people so alive, so real, that I can't help but wonder and imagine how their lives, their pasts, their stories go. It would be a sincere tragedy if Nalini ended our time in GH universe before we find out.

Anonymous said...

Pour le prochain tome dans lequel Elena et Raphaël seront les personnages centraux j'aimerais bien qu'ils fassent tous les deux une escapade au Refuge parce que cela fait un moment qu'ils n'y sont pas allés.

Unknown said...

Where can I find the *newsletter free short story* titled "A Little Bakery"?
Thank you.

Anonymous said...

I love the Guild Hunter series and I hope book 15 won't be the last. Every character/couple deserves at least one more book (or two or three).

Anonymous said...

I am a huge fan of the Elena and Raphael books. I hope after Archangels Light, we have another book with them as the main characters. It has been longgggggggggggggggggggggggggg................. @Nalini Singh, thanks for these stories. They take us to another place. Cheers!!!

Anonymous said...

Will there be any more Elena and Raphael books? I love their story and would love to see it continue!