UFI welcomes Juliette Cross Author of Soulfire. Thanks for Joining us!!
Why Urban Fantasy Turns Me On
Late at night, when I’ve put all work away and the kids to bed, I often lose
myself in my favorite indulgence—urban fantasy novels. To me, they’re like dark
chocolate, red wine, and a bubble bath all rolled into one.
So, what turns me on about this genre? Besides the inevitable tall, dark, and
deadly leading man, that is. I could say “escapism” or “entertainment,” but
those are truths that hold for all books. Even nonfiction carries us away from
our own reality into another one. Let us dig a layer deeper, shall we?
I decided to look up the definition of “urban fantasy.” According to the
wisdom of Wikipedia, it is “set in contemporary times and contains supernatural
elements. However, the stories can take place in historical, modern, or
futuristic periods…the prerequisite is that they must be primarily set in a
city.” Okay, but it’s more than that. In my humble opinion, urban fantasy is
true modern Gothic. In addition to the supernatural, there is an inevitable
element of darkness and romance in the landscape, writing style, characters, and
plot. This is also true of classic Gothic literature. My favorite novel ever
is Jane Eyre, which happens to be classic Gothic lit, with its windswept moors,
moonlit nights, and mysterious, brooding hero—Mr. Rochester. *Swoony sigh.* It’s
no wonder that I’m inevitably drawn to urban fantasy.
Another similarity between classic Gothic and urban fantasy is the strong
heroine and snarky banter between the love interests in the story. Aha! Now,
we’re getting somewhere. So, here’s why I love it so much. The setting of this
genre provides an exciting backdrop to feed my need for the dark and gritty.
The characters arouse that playful side as well as the intensity of new
romance. Since the leading men in this genre tend to be alphas to the core . . .
well, need I say more? They turn me into a puddle of goo in the best kind of
way. (Aka, Barrons from KMM’s Fever series and Raphael from
Singh’s Guildhunter series. Heart, be still!)
And the strong heroines, who tend to be flawed but badass, are surrounded by
evil though they fight for what is good and just. These are the places I most
long to escape to. Why? Because there is much darkness in real life. We need a sense of
humor to survive as well as a reminder that love (romantic and otherwise) can
defeat the evils of the world.
Thank you so much, Urban Fantasy Investigations, for having me today. It’s
been a pleasure!
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Juliette calls lush, moss-laden Louisiana home where the landscape curls into
her imagination, creating mystical settings for her stories.
She has a B.A. in creative writing from Louisiana State University, a M.Ed.
in gifted education, and was privileged to study under the award-winning author
Ernest J. Gaines in grad school.
Her love of mythology, legends, and art serve as constant inspiration for her
works. From the moment she read JANE EYRE as a teenager, she fell in love with
the Gothic romance--brooding characters, mysterious settings, persevering
heroines, and dark, sexy heroes.
Even then, she not only longed to read more novels set in Gothic worlds, she
wanted to create her own.
Find Juliette and her books
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Soulfire
Nightwing #1
Kensington
Amazon
Barnes
& Noble
In a world divided by prejudice and hatred, only love can bridge the chasm.
Tensions
are rising in the Gladium Province. The boundary between humans and
Morgons has begun to blur. While the human aristocracy strives to
maintain distance between their daughters and the dragon-hybrid race,
fate has other plans.
As the daughter of the corporate king,
Jessen Cade is duty-bound to honor her arranged marriage to a man she
detests. Feeling trapped by family duty and a loveless future, she longs
for more, straying to the Morgon side of the city.
Lucius
Nightwing is the eldest son of the powerful Morgon clan, and the
greatest enemy of Jessen’s father. When a bar-room brawl thrusts Jessen
into his arms, his dragon roars to the surface, craving to sate his
carnal hunger in the brown-eyed beauty. The beast in Lucius recognizes
her as his own, even if the man refuses to admit the truth.
Excerpt- Prologue
Thousands of years ago, Radomis, the dragon king of the North, took flight on
the last full moon of winter. Beating great, black wings, he soared away from
his mountainous kingdom, lured by some unknown force to the sultry lands in the
west where humans dwelled. Dragons and humans had always lived apart.
On this same night, Princess Morga honored the fertility rite of bathing
under the full moon the night before her wedding. As she stepped from the
natural steaming pool, rivulets of water glistened over milk-pale skin, ebony
hair slicked over her breasts and down her back. The dragon king saw her.
Instant desire ensnared his beastly heart. He descended.
Shifting into human form, a man of might and beauty, he murdered her guards
and handmaidens. Horrified, Morga could do nothing when the dragon king took her
in his arms, hard lust in cold eyes. The moment his tongue licked into her
mouth, she felt the burning of soulfire—the dragon elixir meant for his one and
only mate. Golden heat melted through blood and bone, filling her with euphoric
pleasure, bonding her to him forever.
Radomis took her on the ground among bloody bodies and moon-shadows, intent
to sate his hunger. One night would never be enough. Shifting into dragon form,
he carried her in his claws back to his kingdom. She would be his queen, trapped
in a gilded cage of opulence as the object of his endless desire.
From their union, a child was born—an abomination. A human body with dragon
wings and dragon strength. The boy, Larkos, was outcast among dragonkind,
including his father. Only Morga showed him any love.
When Larkos reached manhood, he wielded his rage with an avenging sword,
tracking and killing all of dragonkind. Even in beast form, his father could not
match him, finally falling to the forgotten son’s sword. What Larkos did not
know was that soulfire bonded his loving mother to the beast in such a way that
when his dragon-heart stopped beating, so did hers.
This is the tale I’d been told when my body began changing from child to
woman, a warning for young girls to beware of Morgon men.
“Never stray from your own kind, Jessen,” my mother would say, “or you could
end up like Princess Morga, a slave and outcast to be abhorred.”
The problem was, I’d never been a very obedient daughter. Never the one to do
exactly as I was told. And fairy tales have no meaning when the stars align and
Fortune spins her wheel, weaving her own story for your heart.
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I'm Tricia Skinner and I write Romantic Urban Fantasy. I'm a former journalist who discovered my inspiration to write fiction as an escape from 'real life.' My reading tastes are all over the place, but I?m mainly drawn to fantasy (and its subgenres), paranormal, sci-fi, and history. 
