Joining me this week in The Loft is author Daryl Devoré, who is re-launching a hot rock star romance series. Given Daryl's flair for sizzling romance with sexy heroes and strong heroines, I am sure this series won't disappoint. When not stoking romantic fires, Daryl embarks on adventures. She has touched a moon rock, a mammoth, and a meteorite, explored the ocean in a submarine, flown high over Niagra Falls, and used the ladies room in a royal palace. She lives in an old farmhouse in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two cats.
S: Good morning, Daryl. It's always a pleasure when you join me in The Loft.
What do people get wrong about romance?
D: I could probably fill a book on this topic. In almost every book, TV show, and movie you watch, there is some romance. But it is not the focus of the story. A sci-fi movie – the aliens are attacking earth and in the middle of all the chaos, the sexy engineer falls for the hot head of security. The romance plays along--subtly--and the aliens are defeated. The audience is happy because not only is the world safe, but they know the 2 lovers can now live happily ever after. Now, the plot to a romantic sci-fi story is pretty much the exact thing, but at one point one of the parties to the romance finds out their life is in danger, so the other must rescue them, thus securing the romance. So, the romance is focused on a bit more. The aliens are still defeated, and the couple still gets to have their happily ever after. Romance is condemned for being silly. But it is in almost every book we read, every movie we watch, every TV series we binge, and every song we listen to. People need to get over condemning romance. It is what makes the world a fun place to live.
S: And as you point out, it is almost always present. My lawyer friends got pretty snooty when they learned I had started writing romance. More than 20 books, later, I think they finally get it. Humans love love. It's ever-present in our lives. You can bury it under a stack of law books, but hey, it's not going anywhere.
If you had to do it all over again, would you still choose to write books?
D: Yes. Like a lot of writers, I have been writing since I was a little girl. I actually wrote my first book in the tenth grade--my second year of high school. If I were doing it again, and know what I know now, there would be a few things I would do differently, but I would still write and publish my books.
S: My first book, also written in tenth grade, was about a dystopian society in the future. I entered it into a contest and never got a response. I was so crushed. It took me almost 40 years to finally write romance books. And I never wrote sci-fi again.
What inspires your stories?
D: Everything and anything. My medieval fantasy romance--"The Last Dragon"--was inspired by the comment that a reader made about expecting a dragon to appear in my first medieval romance. That thought rumbled around in my head until it was time to write my dragon story. Another story is a twisted fairy tale. I took "Little Red Riding Hood"--grandmother, woodsman and wolf included--and twisted it from the G-rated version to a much hotter version. Another book was based on a premise created by the person who was organizing a box set. She asked the books have a lawbreaker in the story--somewhere. Boom--cat burglar.
S: How did you meet your husband?
D: I fell for him. No, really. I fell for him. I moved to a small outport in Newfoundland and there was a judo club. So, I decided to give it a try. My future hubby literally swept me off my feet and I landed on the tatami (mat)--love at first fall. This September, we will have been married for 38 years.
S: I once fell on top of a guy when I tripped going down the stairs at a train station. Spent almost 30 years with him. Kind of gives new meaning to the phrase, "falling in love," doesn't it?
What inspired your latest book, "What Happened in Bangkok?"
D: Gloria Gaynor’s song, "I Will Survive." My hubby and I were driving to my daughter’s, and it came on the radio. Without even thinking about it, I turned and grabbed my laptop and wrote the first three chapters of a book that I had not even thought about. I understood that the song was considered a gay anthem. In my head, I could see a drag queen belting out the song, and the whole story and glorious characters came from there.
S: Is there anything special you would like people to know about "What Happened in Bangkok?"
D: Two things. First, this is a trilogy, and the other books are written. They will be released every couple of months. So, there is no massively long wait for Book Two or Three. Second, this is also a re-release. I received my rights back to the stories and decided to do a focused release on them. They are fun and sexy stories, and I felt they were wallowing in a black void where they were. So--out into the sunlight to shine!
Here's the blurb--
To save Darien's life his brother asks, "Can you walk in high heels?"
Erika Bailey, owner/manager of a drag queen club in Bangkok, Thailand has happily settled into all aspects of her new life, except for her lack of a love life. When a new diva auditions, Erika is bewildered over her instant attraction to the blond God, Apollo.
Darien Scott is on vacation after a world tour and mistakenly figures the safest place to be is at The Black Dragon with the head of a Triad. When the club is hit, Darien is the only person to get out alive. Now he's running from the police and a Triad. Mistake number 1.
Disguised as a drag queen, he's hired by Erika, but falls hard for his new boss, then struggles with not coming clean with her. Mistake number 2.
Can
he fix his mistakes and find a life filled with love or is he headed straight
for mistake number 3?
S: That sounds incredibly entertaining. Where can readers buy, "What Happened in Bangkok?"
D: It's available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0984JP3NW. To read and review, visit https://booksprout.co/publisher/book/update/82738.
S: Daryl, thanks for joining me today. If you'd like to learn more about Daryl and her books, please visit--
Blog - Romance - Sweet to Heat
Thanks for letting me stop by and re-introduce What Happened in Bangkok.
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