We are welcoming author Jami Gray to the blog today. She’s here to share a guest post and to talk about several of her books. Enjoy!
Who’s Wearing the Armor?
I love Urban Fantasy, all the dark edges and fantastic magic lurking in the shadows of the real world, and let’s not forget about the kick butt heroines that populate the genre. Yet no matter how wild the adventure or exciting the danger, I still need that touch of romance to help me connect with the characters.
Let’s make sure we’re on the same page before I continue. Romance doesn’t mean my leather wearing, weapons mistress of the dark is going to jump into bed with the first alpha male that knocks her on her butt. That’s sex…sometimes great sex…but still sex. For me, romance is the roller coaster ride my heroine takes as she realizes how much the disturbing male who is turning her life upside down, will come to mean to her. It’s all the steps, the arguments, the partnering up against the big bads, the quiet moments, the sparks of shared humor, all those little things that suddenly change the relationship into a partnership.
When I was initially submitting my first book, Shadow’s Edge, to agents and editors, you would be amazed at how many times my very nice rejection letters included the following “…great story, but there’s just not enough sex.” Ummm…okay?
I could have buckled down and let Raine and Gavin get down and dirty, but the problem was, it wasn’t the right time in their relationship. They were so busy tracking down tantalizing clues, dead bodies, mad scientists, and power hungry military peeps, that trying to find that right spot for some quality time in the bedroom, just wasn’t happening. As a writer, I feel it’s my job to stay true to my characters, so I held strong and was thrilled when Shadow’s Edge got picked up and my fabulous editor didn’t say a word about the lack of a hot and heavy scene.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of sexual tension in Shadow’s Edge, but I felt it was important to lay a solid base for the evolving relationship between my heroine and hero, Raine and Gavin. Considering how much is thrown their way, I didn’t need them falling apart before they even got started. So I let their partnership run its course naturally. Which meant the bedrock of their relationship helps save them both in the second book, Shadow’s Soul.
Don’t get me wrong, I love books, and I’ve read everything from erotica to suspense to fantasy to historical. I’ve found some of the best books I’ve read are the ones where the romance grows with the characters. It resonates with me when the self-sufficient, independent, can handle anything thrown her way heroine has that aha moment when she discovers how much more rich and rewarding her life becomes because she’s found a balance in her hero. Even her flaws (because no heroine should be perfect, that would be boring!) are altered—they become strengths instead of weaknesses, because instead of doing it on her own, there’s someone to share the burden with.
What’s even better is when the heroine turns into the knight in shining armor for her hero. I mean, how awesome is that? Considering how many times a story’s hero stands in front of the rampaging dragon, shielding his love from shredding claws, isn’t it nice when a heroine can step in and with a quick flick of her wrist, take down the snarling demon determined to drag him into hell?
The true power of a couple lies in the strength between the hero and the heroine, because if they were facing the world on their own, it wouldn’t be much of a story. Even if it takes a book or two to get to the deliciously steamy scenes, it’s well worth the wait. For me, it feels more real and has me believing that they’ll make it through anything—dirty socks on the floor, leaving the toilet seat up, and slathering werewolves prowling outside their door.
Bio:
Growing up on the Arizona-Mexico border, Jami Gray was adopted at the age of 14 and suddenly became the fifth eldest of 37 children. She graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s in Journalism and three minors-History, English, and Theater. Shortly after marrying her techie-geek hubby (who moonlighted as her best friend in high school) she completed a Masters in Organizational Management from University of Phoenix Oregon.
Now, years later, she’s back in the Southwest where she’s outnumbered in her own home by two Star Wars obsessed boys, one Star Wars obsessed husband, and an overly-friendly, 105-pound male lab. Writing is what saves her sanity.
Shadow’s Edge: Book 1 of the Kyn Kronicles is out now and Shadow’s Soul: Book 2 of the Kyn Kronicles hits shelves Summer 2012.
You can find me at:
Buy Link: www.BlackOpalBooks.com
Website: www.JamiGray.com
Blogs: www.7EvilDwarves.wordpress.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/
Blurb for Shadow’s Edge:
Everyone fears what hunts in the shadows—especially the monsters…
It takes a monster to hunt one, and for Raine McCord, forged in the maelstrom of magic and science, she’s the one for the job. In a world where the supernatural live in a shadowy existence with the mundane, a series of disappearances and deaths threatens the secrecy of her kind and indicates someone knows the monsters are alive and kicking. Partnering up with the sexy and tantalizing Gavin Durand proves to be a challenge as dangerous as the prey she hunts.
When the trail points back to the foundation which warped Raine’s magic as a child, her torturous past raises its ugly head. Gavin and Raine sift through a maze of lies, murder and betrayal to discover not only each other, but the emerging threat to them and the entire magical community.
Blurb for Shadow’s Soul:
Some nightmares are born of love…
Raine McCord has no problem taking down the monsters of the world, it’s one of the reasons she’s so good at her job. So playing bodyguard to Cheveyo, head Magi of the Northwest, as he consults with the Southwest Kyn should be an easy assignment. Unfortunately, simple task turns into a nightmare when Cheveyo is kidnapped and Raine is left for dead by one of the Kyn’s most feared beings, a Soul Stealer.
The Stealer’s attack leaves lasting wounds, undermining Raine’s confidence as a warrior and damaging her unruly magic. Her ability to heal her mind and spirit hinges on the one man who can touch her soul, Gavin Durand. Compelled to face the emotions raging between them, they must embrace not only their stormy relationship but their evolving magic to escape the twisted threads of murder and betrayal to find Cheveyo.
As Raine and Gavin come together and begin to unravel the complex web of secrets and hidden vendettas haunting the Southwest Kyn, they discover unsettling new truths that threaten their very existence.
Thanks so much for hosting me, Barb! I really enjoyed writing this and hope your readers get a kick out of this post.
For all you readers–share some of your favorite heroines in shining armor!
As a reader, sex for sex’s sake pulls me out of the story. I like when it comes naturally to the relationship. As an author, my characters happen to like jumping in bed, LOL 😉
Great post, Jami. Good for you for sticking to your guns. If they weren’t ready to have sex, they weren’t ready. Sexual tension is just as exciting to read as the sex.
In my stories the H and H don’t take a roll between the sheets until at least half way through.
Great post! I agree with you about romance versus sex. Any sex in a novel has to fit with the story and characters.
Great post Jami. I love the sexual tension, it makes the event even better. Its funny what publishers will request. I had one that said they wanted to contract my book but I had to remove all the swear words and the one sex scene. My heroine gets pregnant, is it suppose to be an immaculate conception? lol. Then another said it was a great suspense but had too much action. Didn’t get that one either. I love your excerpt and your book sounds amazing. One I’m definitely going to read.
Lynda