Ardent fans of The Black Dagger Brotherhood have been waiting impatiently for the story of Rehvenge, half-vampire and half-sympath, an outlaw among outlaws. And New York Times best-selling author J.R. Ward doesn’t disappoint in Lover Avenged, her first hardcover. Ward returns to her romance roots while pushing the envelope on the suspense side in this tale of good vs. evil.  Not surprisingly, the drug dealing bar owner named Rehvenge, with a history of shady dealings and bad blood, becomes a certifiable Hero in the telling.

As always in this wildly popular paranormal series, there are secrets to be revealed and tantalizing glimpses of books to come. Rehvenge’s story is everything this reader had hoped for—and then some. Sit down, fasten your seatbelt and get ready for a non-stop roller-coaster ride of thrills and chills.

The world of The Black Dagger Brotherhood is firmly grounded and exceedingly well developed. Did you imagine the particulars of the vampire society in Caldwell, New Jersey, before you began writing the books, or did the details evolve as you wrote the individual stories?
First of all, thank you for the opportunity to talk about the Brothers! As for the world… well, to be honest, the whole Brotherhood universe just presented itself as is. The way it works for me is that the stories and the places and the people in the books just flood into my brain and the writing for me is recording what I'm shown. Certainly, there has been evolution, however, as the repercussions of what happens resonate throughout the BDB world.

There is a clear sense of right and wrong in the Brotherhood books and a strong sense of honor exhibited by the Brothers and their mates. Did you purposely choose stories that allowed you to explore the concept of a Homeric battle of good vs evil, (i.e. The Brothers vs. the Omega?)
Again, I truly feel as though I make no choices and have no part in the stories. They come to me as movies do, already composed. For example, there are things that I wish or want to have happen, but the instant I try and muscle the stories around in any way, I get writer's block. So I've learned to sit back and watch it happen and record things as faithfully as I can. I will say that for me, the honor that is exhibited by the Brothers and their mates is one of the most satisfying parts of the books—because I get to write about people I respect.

Though each of the books in the series is a complete story on its own, there are plot threads that develop from book to book. Do you have a chart on a wall somewhere that plots this development or some other system that allows you to juggle the many details?
I don't—for the most part, it's all in my head! But I do have a fantastic research assistant who I use as a resource if I want to double check to make sure I'm recalling things correctly.

The world of the books is very urban. What drew you to this gritty urban setting? And to paranormal characters?
I've always been a huge Dracula fan and a big Stephen King reader. So horror and mystery and suspense is kind of in my hard wiring. As for the urban stuff, I love pop culture and fashion and cities so again that's all something I'm drawn to. But the stories and where they're set picked me, they really did!

This series achieved a landslide of early acclaim from readers. What do you think it is about the Brotherhood books specifically that caused the instant buzz and fierce reader loyalty? Were you surprised by the level of reader engagement?
I have been totally and completely blown away by the reader support (and very grateful.) The thing was, when I started out, I kind of made an agreement in my head that I would write these stories exactly as I saw them and that I would do it for me, as kind of a private thing. I had to set that stone so that I wouldn't try and force rules or conventions on the pictures in my head. As a result, I think the BDB books read raw and a little fierce in places and clearly people like that- although again, I'm just baffled and very very appreciative of everyone's support.

What’s a typical writing day like for you?
I'm very disciplined. I'm up and at the computer at eight a.m. and I work until one and then go for my run. Then it's back to work until dinner—although usually on business stuff. After dinner, it's more time at the computer writing. I write seven days a week, 365 days a year, no excuses, no whining, just planting my butt and getting it done. When I'm on deadlines, I'll increase the hours to up to 18 a day. The thing is, though, this is what I love to do. So not writing is harder than writing, if that makes any sense?

How does your family feel about your superstar status in the writing community?
Oh my gosh they don't care in the slightest! (And geez, you're making me blush!) My family knows me as the boxers and t-shirt wearing space cadet who puts aluminum foil in the refrigerator by mistake and talks to the dog. They love me for me and know that writing makes me happy and that's why they like what I do. It's never about bragging rights for them, although they are proud of me . . . (okay, I’m getting a little teary . . . next question!)

Rumor has it that you’re planning a new paranormal series. Can you tell us a bit about it?
I'm all about fallen angels and Harley Davidson motorcycles at the moment—not bad for a job, huh! The new series focuses on the seven deadly sins and a reluctant hero who has to influence people's lives so that they end up in a better a place than where they begin. It's paranormal romance and loads of fun—I'm just finishing up the first book as we speak!

What type of books/stories do you see yourself writing in 10 years?
Frankly, I'd like to still be doing the Brotherhood books- I can't see letting them go. There's just so much to explore in that world and I love the people. I also have another paranormal series in addition to the angels I'd like to get to write . . . and I would love to finish a contemporary romance series I've started. More than anything though, I hope to still be writing for a living. That's up to fate and the readers, however—all I can do is get up everyday and sit at my computer and be grateful that I'm living out my dream of being an author, you know?

Describe your book in one sentence.
Fortunately, I am an experienced Twitterer and can do this. I think. I hope.

A hot demon assassin meets a punk ballerina and together they kick butt.

Name one book you think everyone should read.
Uh, the California State driver’s manual? Because if you come here, I want you to be a better driver than we Californians are.

What book are you embarrassed NOT to have read?
I’m well beyond the embarrassment stage in my Have Not Read list. I knocked off a lot of them while I was in grad school where I realized it’s not possible to read all the books you’re supposed to have read. So, I freely and without embarrassment admit to the holes in my Life List of books. But here’s one: The Old Man and the Sea. (Except I’m not embarrassed by that. Possibly a bit sheepish, but not embarrassed.)

What was the proudest moment of your career so far?
So far, it’s being a RITA finalist for two books in 2010 (my historical Scandal and my paranormal My Forbidden Desire). It took a while to sink in, but it was, and remains, a personal validation that my writing probably doesn’t suck too badly.

If you weren't a writer, how would you earn a living?
The way I earn most of my living now. I’m a SQL Server database administrator in my day job.

What's your favorite movie based on a book?
Oh, unfair that you restrict me to one movie! I will cheat and say, Harry Potter.

If you had to be stranded on a desert island with one fictional character, who would you want it to be?
At first the answer to this seemed obvious: MacGyver, because we wouldn’t be stranded for very long since he would quickly build a submersible canoe from coconuts, woodshavings, a rubberband and some kelp. However, an alternate answer occurs: Eric Northman from the Sookie Stackhouse series. He can fly and I would immediately trade a small amount of blood and dry but witty jokes for a ride.

With 40 New York Times bestsellers and 60 million copies of her books in print worldwide, romance author Jude Deveraux is a force to be reckoned with. She took time out of her busy schedule to talk with BookPage about inspiration, her writing process and whom she’d like to be stranded with on a desert island.

You are the best-selling author of both historical and contemporary romances. Where do you find your inspiration? How do you decide what type of novel you want to write next?
Everything I do, hear, see—I think, how can I use that in a book? Sometimes an event will inspire me, sometimes a personality trait will make me think of building a character around it. I often think, I’d like to write a book about . . . fill in the blank. As for time period, that’s chosen by the idea. When I find something I want to write about, it always has a time period attached to it. I read something about a man going into the wilds of Florida to paint the flora and fauna. That interested me so I thought I’d use it in a book. That it was to be historical was a given. It turned out to be The Scent of Jasmine.

What kind of research do you do for your historical novels? How do you keep all the characters in your Edilean Series straight? There are so many!
Whenever I do an historical, I usually spend about a month doing specific research on whatever is the basis for the novel. I buy several books about the subject and read them with note cards in my hands. I use a genealogy software to keep my Edilean characters straight. Since I’m not good with numbers, it’s difficult for me to figure out the dates of when people were born and had babies. But the software checks me on my dates and tells me when I have a couple of 10-year-olds as parents. I realized right away that unless my characters were to marry cousins I had to bring in newcomers. It’s nice for me to know about things like who owns the local grocery, whose ancestor was devious and whose was a hero.

In Scarlet Nights, an undercover investigator climbs through the trapdoor of Sara Shaw’s apartment—and sparks begin to fly. If you could choose any hero to show up at your house, who would it be?
Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton. He was a Victorian explorer. I’ve read umpteen bios about him and am deeply in love with him. Just the mention of his name makes my heart flutter. That he lived over 100 years ago has never seemed to matter to me. A wonderful, intelligent, heroic man!

Do you have a favorite couple from literature, movies or life?
I like all the real-life couples I meet who have been married 30-some years and still like each other. I envy them so very much!

If you had to be stranded on a desert island with one fictional character, who would you want it to be?
I’m tempted to say, “A boat builder,” but that’s too easy. I recently wrote a book called The End of Summer, and the hero of it, Dr. Tristan Aldredge, is the nicest, sweetest man I’ve ever written about. I usually start out with people who have been hurt in some way. Working through their problems gives me a plot. But Tristan was just plain sweet. He inspired love in people wherever he went. It didn’t hurt that he was so beautiful that women drew in their breath when they saw him, but that was beside the point. Dr. Tris was funny, creative and gentle. I could stand to spend some time with him in real life.

What’s next for you?
I have a bit more to write on the second book of a trilogy set in Edilean. When these are finished, I’m going to start a new series. Funny things have happened with these three books. The father of my first heroine was just supposed to move the story forward, but Joe Layton turned out to be bigger than life. I’ve taken him into Book Two and given him someone to love. I had the hero for Book Three planned from the beginning, but the brother of the heroine of Book Two is so angry that I may give him Sophie to straighten him out. I would love to give the titles to these books but I don’t have any. I can write a book much, much easier than I can come up with a title. If any of you have title ideas, please go onto my website and tell me. If I use it, I’ll dedicate the book to you.

Author of more than 15 books, Colleen Gleason chatted with us to introduce the next installment of her Regency Draculia series, The Vampire Narcise. Fraught with betrayal and passion, her newest historical vampire novel is dangerous and fiery — just what her fans hope for! It’s no wonder why it’s our top June romance pick, chosen by fellow romance author Christie Ridgway.

Gleason gave us a sneak-peek of what’s to come, plus a little bit about favorite books and sexiest characters.

Describe your book in one sentence:
The Regency Draculia series can best be described as Jane Austen meets J. R. Ward, or Jane Austen’s version of Twilightfor grown-ups.

Of all the characters you’ve ever written, which is your favorite?
That’s such a tricky question to answer because it depends on the day. But probably the majority of the time, the answer has to be Max Pesaro (of the Gardella Vampire Chronicles). But a close second is Dimitri, the Earl of Corvindale (of The Vampire Dimitri).

What is the best thing about writing?
Being able to indulge my imagination and go on a journey with the voices in my head.

What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
You can’t fix a blank page. Write something and fix it later.

What books inspire you?
In general, a well-written book will always inspire me to work on my own. Ones that have influenced me in particular include mysteries by Elizabeth Peters (because she is a mistress of subtlety) and The Writer’s Journey.

If you had to be stranded on a desert island with one fictional character, who would it be?
Dang. That’s almost as bad as asking me who my favorite character is that I’ve ever written. I guess I’d have to say Iron Man because…well, because he looks like Robert Downey Jr. And because I figure he’d be able to get us off the island! (When I was ready.)

What’s next?
I’m looking forward to doing more of the Regency Draculia, picking up the stories of some characters introduced in the first three books. Also, I’m working on the fifth book in the contemporary/futuristic paranormal romance series I write as Joss Ware, as well as the second book in the Marina Alexander adventure series (the first one is Siberian Treasure).

The October 2011 Romance of the Month tells the story of a love that transcends space and time. Reviewer Christie Ridgway picked The Rose Garden for its “understated sensuality,” aching romance and complex emotional dilemmas.

We chatted with author Susanna Kearsley about great books and what it means to be a writer.

Describe your book in one sentence.
The Rose Garden is the story of a woman who returns to the old house in Cornwall where she spent her childhood summers, and finds herself sharing the rooms—and becoming involved—with a man living there nearly 300 years before her own time.

If you had to be stranded on a desert island with one fictional character, who would you want it to be?
Barney Snaith, from Lucy Maud Montgomery’s The Blue Castle. I’ve always had a thing for Barney, and he has a thing for living on uninhabited islands.

If you could travel back in time to any decade in history, what would you choose and why?
If I could, I’d head directly for the first decade of the 19^th century, for a purely self-serving reason: for years now my father and I have been trying to pin down the birthplace and birthdate of one of my ancestors who keeps eluding us, so like a good amateur genealogist I’d go back to London and follow his father and mother around till their son was born!

What are the sexiest scenes to write?
For me, the scene where the heroine first becomes aware of the hero, really aware of him, because there’s such a jumble of sensation and emotion in those moments. And also the first time they kiss, because, well, there’s just something incredibly sexy about the first kiss.

What was your favorite book as a child?
Beautiful Joe, by Marshall Saunders, a late-Victorian “autobiographical” novel of a dog’s life that I loved with a passion, because of my own love of dogs (and all animals, really).

What are you reading now?
Just at the moment I’m finishing an advance copy of a book called The Haunting of Maddy Clare, by debut author Simone St. James. It’s a chilling romantic suspense story set in the 1920s, and Deanna Raybourn and I were actually just talking on Twitter this morning about how unique it is, sort of like Peter Straub meets Shirley Jackson meets Dorothy L. Sayers. It’s very good.

If you weren’t a writer, how would you earn a living?
See now, this is a tricky question, because being a writer and earning a living at being a writer are two different things. I’ve always been a writer, from the time I was a child—it’s just the way my brain was formed and how I process things: I shape them into stories. Before I could earn my living by just writing, I was a museum curator and a waitress, in that order, and I suppose that if my ability to pay the bills with my writing ever disappeared, I’d do both again, in the opposite order: waitressing first, because it got me out in the company of people and gave me flexible hours and was a job I could leave at the workplace when I took that apron off, and museum work second, because I truly loved that hands-on connection to the past and the chance to preserve something special for future generations to enjoy. But published or not, I would still be a writer.

There’s a special place in romance columnist Christie Ridgway’s heart for the love stories of Navy SEALs, so when one is chosen as Romance of the Month, it’s the crème de la SEAL crème.

Suzanne Brockmann’s Born to Darkness, the first book in a new paranormal romantic suspense series, is the April 2012 Romance of the Month. The tension between an ex-SEAL and a super-human hottie is “sexy and suspenseful” and “will draw readers into a world of frightening evil and heroic action.”

Brockmann chatted with BookPage about movies, writing and attractive Vulcans.

Describe your book in one sentence.
In a story set several decades in a very dark future, a group of people—including a blacklisted former Navy SEAL and an angry young woman with super-human powers—embark on the rescue of a kidnapped little girl.

What are the hottest scenes to write?
For me, it’s all about the dramady. Combining suspenseful scenes with both comedy and dramatic tension—those are the scenes that I really love writing.

Of all the characters you’ve ever written, which is your favorite?
Those honors go to Robin Chadwick, a young actor who won the heart of my other favorite character, a kickass, openly gay FBI agent named Jules Cassidy. I’ve got a new Jules & Robin short story called Beginnings and Ends coming out in all e-formats on June 1st!

What is your favorite movie based on a book?
Well, I really, really enjoyed The Hunger Games, but I’d have to say that The Princess Bride still holds my book-to-movie translation award. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that both book and movie were written by the incredible William Goldman.

How do you conquer writer’s block?
Writer’s block? What’s that?

If you were stranded on a desert island with one fictional character, who would you want it to be?
Mr. Spock. (And I’ll take him as played by either Leonard Nimoy or Zachary Quinto. Both versions rock.)

What are you working on next?
Right now, I’m finishing up a collection of short stories featuring characters from my Troubleshooters universe, called Headed for Trouble. It’ll be out in paperback and all e-formats from Ballantine books in early 2013.

It’s been said that the mind is the sexiest part of the human body, and that’s never truer than in Jayne Ann Krentz’s Dark Legacy series. The second in the series, Dream Eyes finds psychic counselor Gwen Frazier and psychic investigator Judson Coppersmith drawn into a tricky web of deception and murder—and drawn helplessly to each other.

An “imaginative and exciting” psychic romance, Dream Eyes is our Top Pick in Romance for January 2013, so we chatted a bit with author Jayne Ann Krentz about writing and sexy scenes.

Describe your book in one sentence.
I can’t do this! I’m no good at the one-line pitch thing. Okay, okay, Dream Eyes is contemporary romantic suspense with a psychic twist. And there’s a cat in it. How’s that?

What do you love most about writing?
That great feeling I get when I can see the whole vision of the book and finally know where I’m going. Unfortunately, I don’t usually get that feeling until I’m on the last chapter—sometimes not until I’m on the last page. It’s a very inefficient approach to my craft.

What’s the most romantic scene you’ve ever written?
I’m rather fond of the scene in Dream Eyes when the heroine, Gwen, walks into Judson Coppersmith’s deeply troubled dreamscape.

If you could read only one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
The one I would immediately start writing in my head. That way I could keep changing the story around to make it new and different. I would be in control so I wouldn’t ever finish the book.

What’s the proudest moment of your career?
What makes me proud is knowing that my family is seriously proud of me. Their support and enthusiasm for my career means more than they will ever know.

If you had psychic powers, what would you do with them?
Figure out how to describe my books in a single sentence.

What’s next?
The Mystery Woman, a Ladies of Lantern Street novel written under my Amanda Quick pen name. More romantic suspense with a psychic twist, but this one is set in the Victorian era. There is no cat, but there is an Egyptian mummy.

In this month's 7 Questions interview, we talk to Christine Feehan, author of Shadow Rider, the first book in her new paranormal romance series about a family with a magical ability to secretly travel through the shadows. Feehan, a number one New York Times bestselling author of more than 40 novels, lives in Northern California with her husband. 

Describe your latest novel in one sentence.
A man from a powerful family who moves within the shadows to exact justice finds a woman with a secret of her own.

What inspired this new series?
My mind plays around with mafia-like stories, and I read a lot of true crime. I wanted to come up with a story that would give me a powerful family and a small community. Over the last three years, the characters evolved into the Shadow Riders series.

Did you do any special research for this book?
Yes, I had to spend a lot of time researching Italy. I tried to get a feel for their shops, language, etc. to build my own community here in the United States that reflects those roots. I spent time researching longtime family feuds in Italy and researching Little Italy in Chicago, and I had to research mafia families both here and in Italy.

What’s your favorite trait of Stefano Ferraro?
The way he loves his family.

What do you think the biggest misconception about romance is?
I think it’s that many believe they’re not heavily researched, well-crafted stories that have everything from mystery and thrills to comedy and drama. The difference is there is always an HEA. [Editor’s Note: HEA means “happily ever after” in romance parlance!]

Do you think you’ll ever publish anything outside of the paranormal romance genre?
I never say never. Shadow Rider is the closest to this point.

What’s next for you?
I am looking forward to my next Sea Haven series after my last Bound book. I will be writing a motorcycle series set in the town of Sea Haven, which readers know from my Drake Sisters series and my Sisters of the Heart series.

(Author photo by Samantha Goodacre)

With Wolf Under Fire, Paige Tyler kicks off a new series in her paranormal universe of werewolf heroes and the people who love them. We talked to Tyler about the concept for the STAT: Special Threat Assessment Team series and why she and her husband plan out all her books at P.F. Chang’s.

Where did the idea for this spinoff come from? Have you known for a few books now that you wanted to set another series in this world, or did the idea come after you finished Wolf Rebel, the last book in your SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team series?
The STAT: Special Threat Assessment Team series spinoff actually has roots all the way back to book three in the SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team series, In the Company of Wolves. Caleb Lynch, our favorite out-of-control omega werewolf, made his first appearance in that book and his character screamed out for his own story. Unfortunately, with his criminal background, he didn’t fit in with the basic premise of the SWAT Series (i.e. law enforcement) so he was sort of stuck for a while . . . years actually. And no, he wasn’t happy about that!

It wasn’t until the release of book nine in the SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team series, Wolf Instinct that we started thinking seriously about the spinoff. This book introduced not only another scene-stealing side character—Jake Huang—but also the broader supernatural world, revealing that there are other things besides werewolves that go bump in the night.

Take those two characters, a wide-open supernatural world, an international perspective and a tag line of “Mission Impossible . . . with werewolves” and you have the basis of STAT: Special Threat Assessment Team in one neat package.

Is there any paranormal creature you haven’t depicted that you’d really like to have in your books someday?
That’s easy. I’ve always wanted to write a story with a gargoyle. There’s something so powerful and tragic about a creature forced to sit on the top of a building, watching life pass them by. Just writing that little part has a dozen ideas spinning though my head that I’d love to jump on . . . if there were enough hours in the day.

“I’ve never written alpha-holes. Can’t do it. Don’t want to.”

I really enjoyed how Jake had some typical alpha traits, but was also very emotionally intelligent and respectful of Jes’ abilities and boundaries. What led you to make him a less traditional alpha male?
I’ve never written alpha-holes. Can’t do it. Don’t want to. The stories I write are as much about strong, capable women as they are about the strong, capable men they fall in love with. There’s no room in my world—or my stories—for anything less.

What do you love about romantic suspense? Would you ever consider writing in another genre?
I’ve always been attracted to the danger and action of the suspense side of the house. Having your characters in tense, life-threatening situations brings out a ton of raw emotions and words that can be fun to explore. It also brings obvious conflict to the story, both internal and external, while providing a plot vehicle to carry the story in between those moments that the hero and heroine are developing their connection. And yeah, blowing up stuff is a lot of fun.

What was the first paranormal romance you remember reading and loving?
How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks! It came out around 2005, and while I had read some paranormal romance before then, none had really struck me quite the same way. In my experience before that book, supernatural protagonists (mostly vampires) were a rather broody lot. Woe is me, I live in a dark home, drinking blood, I’m so unhappy, etc., etc. Not that I mind that particular trope (especially when it comes to Angel from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”!) but it started getting a bit old. Then I find Kerrelyn’s book about a vamp who loses a fang biting something he shouldn’t have and the human dentist (who hates the sight of blood) he goes to for help. The story was so different than anything I’d read before and showed me that paranormal creatures are people, too, looking for love, laughs and happiness. It changed the whole way I approached the genre and has had a tremendous effect on how we write our paranormal stories.

I imagine this book required a lot of research, from the various international locales the team visits to the equipment they use. What aspect do you most enjoy researching? And is there anything that is particularly annoying to research, but necessary?
Yes, tons of research! All I can say is thank God for Google and the rest of the internet. I depend on hubby a lot for the weapons and equipment, but we both get wrapped up in exploring the locales for the adventures the team gets involved in. I really love looking at that kind of stuff—old cities, hotels, iconic buildings and landscapes—and imagining having a chance to see it for real someday.

Research can take on its own life sometimes, taking the story in a direction you didn’t even consider. That happened when hubby found a GoPro video someone had taken of themselves riding a motorcycle through the Blackwall Tunnel in London. The footage was so mesmerizing we ended up changing the story to have the hero and heroine ride a motorcycle in the same tunnel.

Of course, this can also be the annoying part. Research can be a tremendous time suck! You think you’re going to spend a few minutes finding some details on a restaurant your characters go to eat and the next thing you know, you look up and realize you spent four hours of your day flipping through images of food you’re never going to actually eat! The internet is a very dangerous place . . . you can get trapped in there!

You and your husband, who is also your writing partner, go to P.F. Chang’s to plot out your story arcs. How did that tradition get started, and do you have a favorite dish?
That’s a great question! We’d eaten at P.F. Chang’s a few times over the years and really liked it, but up until about 2011 or so, it was merely a restaurant we ate at occasionally. Then we were at the Lori Foster Get Together in West Chester, Ohio, that year and ended up going to dinner at Chang’s with a few other authors from the conference. After receiving some advice on what kind of stories we should be writing and what New York was looking for, hubby and I ended going back to Chang’s the next day for lunch by ourselves. We ordered Chang’s Spicy Chicken and spent hours brainstorming ideas for our next book, which ultimately became Her Perfect Mate from our X-OPS series, our first traditionally published print book. We discovered we did our best brainstorming over a plate of Spicy Chicken and brown rice, liberally coated with hot mustard. Now we drive about 30 minutes a couple times a month to the nearest PF Chang’s so we can plot out our stories and we always order the same meal. Yes, it’s become a crutch—and maybe a vice—but it works so well, we don’t want to mess with it.

And yes, we tried to contact PF Chang’s about becoming the official author of the restaurant chain in return for free food. Shockingly, they’ve never returned our inquiries!

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of Wolf Under Fire.

A lovely aspect of this book is how organically and naturally the team begins to feel like a family. What are your favorite found families in fiction?
Hubby and I spent 12 years roaming around the globe while he was in the Army. He was in the Bomb Squad, a small team environment that’s completely different than most people envision when they think of the military. Basically, everywhere we went was like a little family. It was that exposure, and how these small teams interact and take care of each other, that comes out in my stories.

As far as found families, there are more than a few. The whole Hogwarts world of Harry Potter is one, of course, then there are the Monster High characters, and most recently the four teens from The Last Kids on Earth. If you haven’t already figured it out, I tend to read a lot of teen and young adult stuff. They all seem to have a lot of family stuff that I love.

What’s next for you?
Well, Seal on a Mission, the next book in the SEALs of Coronado series, releases Aug. 18, then Wolf Untamed, the next book in the SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team series, releases Nov. 24. We’re also currently writing the next book in the STAT: Special Threat Assessment Team series, and after that, the next books in the SEALs of Coronado series, SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team series and STAT: Special Threat Assessment Team series!

Author photo by Pure 7 Studios.

Most paranormal romance series take place in our world, or in a place extremely similar to it. But few are as invested in the most pressing issues of our time than Suleikha Snyder’s Third Shift series, which begins with Big Bad Wolf. In Snyder’s alternate version of America, the existence of supernatural beings was revealed to the general public in 2016, leading to mass panic, the creation of a surveillance state and the registration of said supernatural beings. Even worse, the government’s totalitarian bent has amplified homophobia, racism and sexism.

We talked to Snyder about putting her unique stamp on the shifter romance, scene-stealing vampires and more.

You're perhaps best known for your contemporary romances. What led you to switch genres? 
Big Bad Wolf is my first longform paranormal romance. I've dabbled in the subgenre in some of my indie-published short stories, which readers can find in my Prem Numbers collection. Suffice it to say, diving in headfirst to a full-length series and having to build out a whole world was pretty daunting. But I always want to challenge myself!

I don't see it as switching genres so much as hopping around. I will no doubt jump back to contemporaries after this because I want to keep growing and learning as an author. And writing shifter romances has taught me a lot about continuity and just keeping the little details straight. What are the rules of this world? How do wolf shifters heal? Can vampires eat or drink? These are all things you learn to hash out as you pen a paranormal.

"I fully admit that I talked about imprinting mostly so I could make duck jokes."

Your paranormal world is clearly inspired by the political climate of the last few years. How long has this world been in your head? Did it change at all over the years? Why was it important to you to create an alternate reality that so clearly mirrors our own?
I've had some version of this world in my head since 2013 or so! But the shift in the political climate since 2015–2016 definitely kicked it all into high gear and informed how I moved forward with the stories. It became all the more vital for me to use the supernatural community as a metaphor for the challenges all marginalized people face. Not that I left it solely up to my shifters and vampires to carry that. My cast features Americans of all sorts—Asian, Black, Latinx—and characters represent the LGBTQ+ spectrum as well. My goal is to show that an "alternate reality" is often the actual reality that we've lived with our entire lives.

Big Bad Wolf doesn't confine itself to the main couple's POV in the way a traditional romance novel would; you tell parts of this story from other characters’ perspectives as well. What did that choice open up for you as a writer? When did you realize you would need to break from the stereotypical romance structure to tell this story?
I didn't even really think about breaking away from typical romance structure. This is just how I write. I think a lot of that comes from watching serial dramas my whole life. I'm a soap opera fan, both primetime and daytime, and love procedural shows and comic book movies. And most of those forms weave in multiple narratives to show you a full picture of what's happening. "Let's go see what's happening in the villain's camp." "Oh, here's some comic relief." And I love a good ensemble cast, so this was an opportunity for me to create one!

Were there any supernatural creatures you wanted to include and decided not to? Any that you'd still like to incorporate further down the line?
There are no supernatural beings that I deliberately left out. I like to leave myself room to do anything, try anything. But you will see more characters from South Asian mythology as the series continues. It's really important to me to pull from my own background and our rich cultural mine. I grew up with vampires and werewolves because of Western pop culture, but I also had the stories of nagas, yakshas, apsaras and djinn. So readers will get to experience some of that in the next two books.

One of the things I loved about this book is how you play with already established shifter romance tropes, such as imprinting/fated mates. Joe and Neha's attraction to one another both is and isn't the sort of paradigm-changing, life-altering force we would find in similar romances. Can you talk a bit about how you developed your own take on the imprinting trope?
I fully admit that I talked about imprinting mostly so I could make duck jokes. Sometimes I just do things for the quick laugh. But on a larger level, I'm not a huge proponent of the fated mate trope, because I grapple with what that means for free will. So I kind of dug into that with Joe and Neha. Sure, they're pulled toward each other and that might be because he's a shifter . . . but what does that mean about their ability to choose one another?

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our starred review of Big Bad Wolf.

The Third Shift team feels immediately present and dynamic on the page. How did you build out all those characters and their relationships, and did any aspect of that surprise you?
I am a character person. Plot is so much harder. I could create friends and lovers and family members and have them all banter and spar all day long. So creating all these fun personalities was totally my wheelhouse—especially, again, coming from it as a soap viewer. I love relationships of all kinds. The close friendship between Third Shift founders Elijah Richter and Jackson Tate and their recruits is sort of the spine of the series. And then I just add romance wherever I can! One thing that surprised me was what develops between Nate, Finn and Grace. I had very different intentions for those characters, and their spark snuck up on me. The follow-through in Pretty Little Lion might very much surprise readers as well!

Speaking of Finn, he is the definition of a scene stealer—was he as fun to write as he was to read?
Oh my gosh, yes! I think people who follow me on social media know that I can't resist puns and innuendos, so I just leaned into that with Finn. I laughed aloud so many times while writing his dialogue. And please don't EVER do a drinking game to his eyebrow movements. I don't want to be responsible for what happens. With that said, readers will learn more about Finn in book two, Pretty Little Lion, and see another side to this quip-heavy flirt.

There's a really powerful moment near the end of the book when Neha talks about how, despite the darkness of her reality, she finds hope because she expects better from the world. How and where do you find hope?
Hope is the core of why we read and write romance, isn't it? That's where I find it most often. In that “Happily Ever After” at the end. So having Neha talk about hope and expecting better from the world helped me with my own sense of that. Fighting fiercely for who and what you love is what keeps us going in the end.

What's next for you?
I'm finishing up revisions on Third Shift book two, Pretty Little Lion, and after that it's on to book three! Tentatively titled Coldhearted Snakes, it will tie up the arc begun in Big Bad Wolf. And then I might find another subgenre to play in!

Author photo by Elizabeth McQuern Photography