L.P. Maxa | On Bad Boy Rockers with Hearts of Gold

The fourth book in L.P. Maxa’s The Devil’s Share series PLAY SOFTLY released on June 8th, and fans were instantly transported back into the world of rock and roll that Maxa writes so well. Miranda Owen chatted with Maxa about her brand of bad boys, why rocker books are so addictive, and how she adds humor to smooth out the rough edges of her musician heroes.

Just about all the guys in your Devil's Share rock star series start out as bad boys, but gain a different perspective after finding love and undergo a bit of a change. What, to you, makes a great romantic hero?


I am (always have been, always will be) a sucker for a bad boy who turns out to be a good man. I love it in the books I read (and write). I love it in the movies I watch and the TV shows I obsess over. To me there just isn't anything hotter i.e. Tim Riggins, Daryl Dixon, Jax Teller. I wrote a blog a few months ago that kind of touched on this subject as well. All of the men in my books turn their lives around when they meet their women. But these chicks they meet, my main female leads, they don't chase these guys. They don't set out to change them; they don't WANT to change them. The men have already changed; they just don't realize it yet. Here is the kicker females of the world - the girl that tames the bad boy doesn't ever really know she's that girl. To her he's not such a bad boy; he's just a love sick fool. I think bad boys who man up, or grow up, or come to the realization that the world is bigger than a tour bus...are the most fun heroes.

In PLAY FAIR, we see the band's drummer Luke get more self-destructive. Can you give readers, who love the character, a hint as to wait awaits him in his book? Will Luke's book be the last Devil's Share book?

Oh my sweet Lukey...I am happy to know there are people out there who love him as much as I do. I know he can be...petulant at times. Luke's journey is the obviously the longest, which is somewhat funny to me. I mean Dash, Smith, and Jacks go through HUGE life and character changes. But for some reason I've left Luke for last. I feel like Luke started his redemption tour in Play Fair. You'll see a lot of him in Play Softly, (we are putting out a fun novella to announce the birth of Dash and Lexi's baby girl) a lot of him kind of coming to terms with things and trying to figure out what HE needs to be happy. Luke is often so focused on Lexi, he forgets about himself, which makes him self-destruct. And then in the fall Luke will get his own novel, his own HEA. He will find love and he will end up blissfully happy.

I love the humor in your Devil's Share books. Do you try to get that in every book you write?

I do strive to make my characters genuinely happy people who enjoy life. I like to laugh, I like sarcastic humor. So I think that just organically comes out in my characters. The band is close, and I think when you have relationships like that, you have fun. You give each other a hard time. If they didn't, I don't think their bond would be as palpable. It's their conversations that draw you in, that make you feel like you are sitting at the dining room table with them. I don't enjoy reading books where the characters never talk to each other. I crave the dialogue.

One of my favorite things about your Devil's Share series is the fun, natural dialogue and easy family-like relationships that the main characters have with each other. Is any of that based on your own relationships with friends and family?

Thank you, first of all, for that compliment. I am thrilled to know that you enjoy the groups banter because it is my favorite part to write. And yes, without a doubt, their closeness mirrors a lot of the relationships I have in my life. I am blessed with an amazing group of people in my life; friends, family, friends that have become family... It's so easy for me to portray that bond to you guys, because it's so very evident in my life. If you've ever read the acknowledgments section in one of my books, you'd kind of see what I'm talking about. The people I put in there are people I hold near and dear to my heart. In Play Fair I thanked my husband and told him that he made writing Jacks' love for Landry the easiest I've ever done, because I get to watch him love our daughter every day. It's like that. I can write the bond between the band members because I experience it every day with the people in my life.

I've only read your Devil's Share series, but you also write a paranormal series. Tell readers a little about that series. Is it heavier on action and suspense rather than just being fun paranormal brain candy?



I do have one paranormal shifter series that I self-published on Kindle a couple of years ago. I have the first four books out, and have been working on the fifth book for a long time now. The St. Leasing series is on the back burner because I have a deadline with Borough's for The Devil's Share series. But I am working on it. There are elements of danger in St. Leasing...there are violent things that happen, there are bad guys. But just like Devil's Share, the characters laugh and have fun with each other.

Does your St. Leasing series about shifters have the same strong “family” element as your “Devil's Share” series?



Absolutely, and to be honest, I don't even realize I'm doing it. I have these story ideas in my head and I sit down at my computer and my fingers start flying. Before I know it, I've written another strong family unit, made up of people who don't usually have any blood connection. It's just second nature to me. I think the group dynamic in St. Leasing is probably even a little fiercer. They are shifters after all, so their group is more like a pack.

When it comes to shifter romances, I am obsessed with life spans. Do your shifters have the same life spans as humans?



Yes, they do have the same life spans. They don't get sick and they are extremely physically fit...so I'm sure that helps them live longer. But they aged and get wrinkles and gray hair like the rest of us.

What do you plan on tackling next – more paranormal, contemporary, or something else?

I have another book under contract with Borough's, it's one I've already written titled Happy Place. It'll be re-released with them probably sometime the near the end of this year or the beginning of next. It's a story of life long crushes and what happens when you have to grow up. I also want to devote some time to St. Leasing, people who love that series have been waiting a long time for Linc. And then after that? I don't know. I've always wanted to do an MC series. I've thought about collaborating with my friend Sasha Marshall on something cool, she's an amazing writer. I grew up in the south, and I've always had a southern boys (from high school to adulthood) love story in mind. I'll always write, I'll always put out books. I think I've become addicted at this point.

About L.P. Maxa

L.P. Maxa lives in Austin Texas with her husband, daughter, 3 rescue dogs, 1 stray cat, and 1 fish that keeps dying and she keeps replacing so her toddler doesn't notice. She loves reading romance novels as much as she loves writing them. L.P. is new to the writing game, but she has published 4 books in her first year alone. She says that inspiration can come from anywhere; a song lyric, a quote, a weekend with friends. The tiniest things spark amazing stories.

Devil's Share

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