Today I am so pleased to welcome Jenn Burke to Joyfully Jay. Jenn has come to talk to us about her latest release, Stone Wings. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

 

The top 5 creatures I’d like to see more of in m/m paranormal and sci-fi romance

When I started brainstorming for my new paranormal romance series, I wanted to focus on a type of paranormal creature I hadn’t written about before. Honestly, that’s one of the most fun parts of the brainstorming process for me—figuring out what new type of character I could introduce to my readers, or what spin I could put on a character archetype to make it mine.

For my Gargoyles of Arrington series I decided on—you guessed it—gargoyles! I love the idea of a creature who can be stone on the outside, but have a gooey cinnamon roll center. Add in a curse, and you’ve got a great start to a plot!

It also got me to thinking about the sorts of paranormal or sci-fi creatures I’d love to see more of in m/m romance. Here are my top 5 (and I’ve added some recommended reads if I know of books with these creatures).

 

1.    Gargoyles (of course)

Gargoyles are awesome. Like I said above: stone exterior with a soft, mushy heart? Sign me up!

Some books I’ve read recently with gargoyles include Zyon by Michelle Frost and Michelle Notaro and A Mage’s Guide to Human Familiars by AJ Sherwood.

 

2.    Cyborgs

I think I’ve been a fan of cyborgs since I was little and The Six Million Dollar Man was on TV (I’m dating myself, I know). I’m a big fan of the original Robocop too and always wished the movie explored more of his remaining human side. His story was so bittersweet!

In the m/m romance world, I haven’t come across any cyborgs that I can remember. I’m not talking androids, I’ve seen a few of those books around, but humans who have had technological enhancements made to them. So, if anyone has any suggestions, I’m all ears!

 

3.    Male witches

This is starting to be more of a thing, but I’m greedy and want MORE. I’m down for everything from Practical Magic-style male witches in a magical realism setting to sorcerers and wizards in a full-on paranormal world.

Some fun ones I’ve read include The Beacon Hill Sorcerer series by Sheena Jolie (under their previous pen name SJ Himes) and Stand in Place by Mary Calmes, which is more of a magical realism take on the concept of witches (more subtle than Practical Magic, but still with some of those vibes).

 

4.    Aliens

Give me ALL the aliens. Especially fish-out-of-water aliens. Or aliens that are very alien-like and not human at all. They’re all fun to read! There are a decent amount of aliens-in-space stories out there, but I’ve love to see more set in modern-day Earth. There would be so many fun challenges with that, especially if it’s a very alien alien.

If you like that trope too, you’ll want to check out Kelly Jensen’s Aliens in New York series. For alien aliens in space, you need to read the Claimings series by Lyn Gala enough (and you’ll also want to check out her Earth Fathers series).

 

5.    Superheroes

I love superhero stories, but I really prefer the non-campy approach. Think the first X-Men movie, for example, or the short-lived TV series Heroes. I love plots where you could see the action happening in the real world, as opposed to Tim Burton’s Batman world (I mean, I love that movie—Michael Keaton!! Jack Nicholson!!—but it’s generally not my favorite approach for superheroes).

Some great non-campy superhero stories I’ve really enjoyed include Katey Hawthorne’s Superpowered Love series, Hailey Turner’s Metahuman Files series, and Light by ‘Nathan Burgoine (which is an absolute favorite because it’s set in my hometown of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada).

 

What creatures or characters would you like to see more of?

Leave your thoughts in the comments below, or reach out to me on social media. I’m eager to hear what you think! Who knows, maybe you’ll inspire me…


Blurb

stone wings coverHis curse can only be lifted with true love, but can true love come from a fake date?

Being the personal assistant to a trio of cursed gargoyle brothers who sleep for a hundred years and wake up for twenty-five wasn’t a career proposed by Josh’s high school guidance counselor, but it’s a job that he’s eminently suited for. Not to mention a job his family has been doing for generations. The brothers are truly excellent bosses, but Josh is surprised when Drew offers to pretend to be his date for his high school reunion. And even more surprised by a supposedly fake kiss that feels as real as a kiss can get.

Drew and his brothers owe Josh and his family for watching over them each time they turn to stone for a hundred years, and for helping them reintegrate into the world when they wake up. The least he can do is pose as Josh’s boyfriend for a night. Even though true love can break his curse, he knows he won’t find it with Josh. Nothing that real can come from a lie. Or can it?

When the fake boyfriend situation stretches into two nights, and then more, Josh and Drew can’t fight the attraction blazing between them. There’s no harm in exploring it, right? No expectations. But when paranormal danger comes to Arrington, Josh and Drew are going to have to battle for every moment of peace…and maybe a real happily ever after too.

STONE WINGS is a 50,000 word male/male paranormal romance featuring a mechanic who happens to have wings and is a literal monster in bed, a personal assistant who’s always had a crush on him, stone skin or not, and a relationship that’s going to take a leap of faith to give the fairytale a happy ending.


Bio

Jenn Burke bio photoJenn Burke has loved out-of-this-world romance since she was a preteen reading about heroes and heroines kicking butt and falling in love. Now that she’s an author, she couldn’t be happier to bring adventure, romance, and sexy times to her readers.

Jenn is the author of a number of paranormal and science fiction romance titles, including the critically acclaimed Chaos Station science fiction romance series (co-authored with Kelly Jensen) and the fan-favorite series Not Dead Yet, both from Carina Press.

She’s been called a pocket-sized and puntastic Canadian on social media, and she’ll happily own that label. Jenn lives just outside of Ottawa, Ontario, with her husband and two kids, plus two dogs named after video game characters…because her geekiness knows no bounds.

Jenn is represented by Deidre Knight of the Knight Agency.

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