Leal and his "famous" vests

Quote directly from Thicker Than Blood

Leal's already shared his story in Shadows and Embers, but today I want to talk about what he loves the most: his vests. From the beginning you might have noticed Leal loves his vests and doesn't like them being damaged. He even has a variety of different colored vests.
But what's so important about a vest anyways?
Throughout the books each main (Dark magician) character has a certain item associated with them. This wasn't something I purposely planned at the beginning, but once I jumped deeper into the characters and their lives I realized these were the things that made them unique. Leal has his vests, Alaire has Vinur and the cross necklace, and the necklace is passed onto Celestria (to be her item). It wasn't planned, but here they are with their own items attached to them.
As we've learned in the books (and don't worry, no spoilers) Leal comes from a wealthy family. He's used to looking good and playing the role of a wealthy man's son. These vests are a part of his heritage and also remind us now and again of Leal's life in Neutadt. He might be a magician, but his feelings for his vests haven't changed. At times his reactions to the condition of his clothes has been comical (at least for me), but in all honesty I love the fact Leal cares about this seemingly simple item of clothing. It helped me add onto his character and look deeper into him, and now when I write about him I always imagine him with a vest. (And you know how handsome he can look in those vests....)
Probably my favorite vest out of Leal's closet is the light blue one that is often mentioned as his favorite in the books. I imagine the vest matching perfectly with his eye color, which is a beautiful light blue color to begin with.
Now I can already tell you right now the quote included at the top of this post is directly from Thicker Than Blood. I am very excited for Leal's return in the third book and for readers to learn more about the role he will play. If you've read the previous books I'll leave you to imagine. He certainly has grown on me.
What do you think of Leal's vests? Is it one of his features you love or find intriguing? What other characters and items might you want to hear about next? Be sure to leave a comment below and share.

Progress Update
Before I go I wanted to share an update about where I am in terms of preparing book #3 for publication. I tend to post a lot of pictures on my Instagram with updates, but I like including them now and again on here as well.
I am reading through the "mock" proof, correcting mistakes and answering any hanging questions. Once I start reading it's easy to actually stay focused on the task at hand, but I will admit there's still a lot of work ahead of me. I expect to finish in time as according to my outlined plans. Ideally I would love to release the book in early August, and if I finish anything before then I will not hesitate to release the book earlier than planned.
There was a minor issue in regards to the book cover for TTB which was recently fixed, so I can rest at ease. (Don't worry cover reveal participants, you will be receiving the update later this week.) The cover reveal is only 4 days away, and I can't believe we're finally almost there. Thank you to everyone for their patience and also help in making this event possible and enjoyable.
Lindsey R. Sablowski

The wait is almost over -only 4 more days! Thicker Than Blood’s official cover is being revealed July 5th -an all day event. Don’t forget to sign up.

Excited for the release of Thicker Than Blood this August? Add the book to your “want to read” list on Goodreads today.