You write about…umm, Bad Boys?
Yeah, I get that all the time. In my non-writing life, I'm a divorce lawyer. It may seem an odd choice for someone who writes about happy (or at least satisfying) endings. I'd argue the connection is perfectly logical. All day long I deal with people wanting to end marriages. They're fighting about – well, everything. Romance novels are, for me, the ultimate escape. A little bit of positive thinking in a real world that doesn’t always value ideas like commitment, devotion, caring, mutual respect and love.
The lawyers I regularly have cases against know about the writing. I'm not hiding. I use my name. The real is-it-a-secret-or-can-I-say-something game comes with clients. Inevitably, the client (or the client's spouse) googles me. There they find my website and book information. At some point during some conversation or email or meeting, the client will drop a reference to the writing. Then the questions start. Some are “normal” questions, like: where do you find the time; where do you get your ideas; what does your family think; how much money is in that; and how did you get started.
Sometimes the conversation gets around to the Bad Boy issue. If you’re not sure what I'm talking about (or why I keep capitalizing the phrase Bad Boy), I'll explain. Kensington's sexy romance imprint is called Brava. Within Brava there is a series of books that include the Bad Boy name in the title. Most of these titles are not related, but some are. For example, my novella debut Hardhats and Silk Stockings came out in April in an anthology called When Good Things Happen To Bad Boys. The novellas by Lori Foster and Erin McCarthy related to earlier novellas they had written. However, none of our novellas related to each other. This is the norm: three authors writing three independent novellas. Some, like my August release Viva Las Bad Boys! include three novellas all by one author which are loosely (or not so loosely) connected. Sylvia Day's February Brava debut Bad Boys Ahoy is another example.
Now, I thought I'd try to answer a few of those Bad Boys questions here:
1. What is a Bad Boy? Anyone says “bad boy” and I think of Sawyer on the TV show Lost. He's attractive, rough around the edges, has a not-so-nice past, likes to be in control and underneath it all is decent and loyal but hides behind a commanding exterior.
2. But does “Bad” always mean bad? No. He doesn’t have to be an ex-con or renegade or a guy who always wears faded jeans and a white t-shirt ('though I do love that look). Bad can mean naughty. It can be a guy acting outside his usual style to catch a girl or meet some other end. Bad Boy means many things. The bottom line is an alpha male.
3. Still not getting it? Okay, it's the way Kensington Brava markets anthologies. The books have a look and a feel. A certain vibe. Pick up a few and give them a try!
Ann – thanks for letting me drop in and chat!
HelenKay