I guess, in part, it's because after having written so many contemporary romances, I was ready for a change. I considered Middle Grade books, YA, but every time I tried to plot those, the romance would creep in. Okay, fine. I get the message. I still wanted to write romance.
Yeah, but you still haven't explained why Aliens!
Right. About those aliens... I think I came across a BookBub promotion advertising a free book. Wait. Are you familiar with BookBub? No?!? Okay, quick side note and then I promise I'll get back to those Aliens.
I highly recommend Bookbub!
BookBub is a no-cost promo site that offers really great books that are $2.99 and under. Many are free. Many are .99 and a select few are either $1.99 or $2.99. You can sign up for their newsletter and check off the book genres that are your personal favorites, whether contemporary romance, historical, military, mysteries, fantasy -- anything that interests you. Want to recommend a book? You can do it on BookBub (and I would certainly appreciate that!). Do you want to follow an author and receive an alert when they have a new book out? BookBub will do it. There are tons of way to engage and -- best of all -- get those free books!
You can visit their website here. And please, be sure to follow me there @Dare_ODell
Back to Those Aliens . . .
So, I came across a BookBub promo for a free copy of an alien romance and I thought . . . Okay, I don't remember exactly what I was thinking, it was a few years ago, but I clicked to get my free copy and then I read it. And I was immediately hooked. The stories were different. Super sexy. Graphic. Some were funny and super sexy. Some were a bit scary and super sexy. Some were better written than others. But they all contained certain core elements that really appealed to me. Plus, being super sexy!
Alien Romances Have . . .
Sex, Sex, and More SEX! Alien Romances are extremely graphic and sexy. I think I pretty much covered that one, right? Lots of sexy sex.
A HERO who is huge, yummy and In. Charge! He can have horns or a tail or fur or fangs or wings. But a must is one interesting, vital physical "attribute" (or as author Tiffany Roberts laughingly refers to it--the "D") better be as creative as your world. That said, alien heroes are always, utterly protective toward the heroine. She is his everything. He realizes early on that she is his mate, however it's worded: True Mate, Soul Mate, One Mate, or simply Mate.
A HEROINE (usually from Earth) who is strong, opinionated, and definitely out of her element. And though the hero might want to take charge, that doesn't mean she doesn't stand up to him. She is definitely not a pushover! The hero always finds our heroine unbelievably sexy regardless of race, body shape, cultural differences, or attitude. And trust me, she has a ton of attitude.
DIVERSITY! In this day and age, I love that aspect of these books. When your hero is blue or green or purple with horns, having a heroine who's black or white or Asian or Latina is small potatoes in comparison. Welcome to true diversity!
WORLD-BUILDING is an absolute must. This isn't Kansas, Toto! It's a creative alien world our heroine is dropped into and we want to see it, feel it, practically smell it wafting off our eReader. Or when the story takes place on Earth, there better be interesting differences going when we discover there are aliens among us.
ESCAPISM. I cannot emphasise strongly enough how readers are swept away with these books. The stories fill you with a sense of wonder, hope, and that one, single aspect vital to most overworked, stressed-out women today . . . escapism.
Aaaaand ACTION ! Like your story to hit the ground running and keep running? In most Alien Romances there is a ton of action and overall plot movement. Simple survival is often a critical component to these books. And when it's a series, there's usually an overriding plot arc that runs through each story, tying them all together.
Ohhh! CLEVER! As many different Alien Romance authors and series is the number of different, clever devices that jumpstart their books. From abductions to dating agencies, from post-apocalyptic invasions to black holes, hang onto your eReader because you're going to be thrust into a fun twist right from the jump, one that's guaranteed to involve aliens.
Couldn't Put Them Down!
After I read that one book, I was hooked. I read every alien romance book I could get my hands on. And then I decided this was the genre I wanted to write. It's taken a couple of years to become familiar enough with reader expectations to feel confident I'll satisfy readers who love these stories. Time will tell. January 2022 isn't that far away! So, I need to finish my current contemporary romance project so I can dig in full-time on the series I have planned.
The Next Blog
So have I sold you on at least trying an alien romance? I hope so! In my next blog, I'm going to delve into each of my bullet points above and recommend books, series, and authors that I feel are excellent examples of each of them.
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