Ruby Dixon Interview - Aliens, Dragons, and Other Out of This World Hotties

Your book, DARK FIRE, just came out. It’s part of your “Fireblood Dragon” series. I think that might be the only series of yours I haven’t dipped into. Can you explain for readers what that world is about? Where it takes place and the basic dynamic between species.

DARK FIRE is set in the world of Fireblood Dragons, which is our world, except seven years in the past, a Rift between worlds was torn open and a host of dragons flew into our world from another. The dragons immediately went crazy and destroyed everything, killing, and destroying until there wasn’t much of civilization left.  Now people live in ‘forts’ set up in old cities and try to eke out an existence. Turns out that the dragons aren’t just sky-sharks – they’re also people. Shifter people! And the only thing that can tame a male dragon is a mate.

I was so happy to find out your Ice Planet Barbarian books were being reissued. I have many of them on my kindle, but with the new covers being so pretty, I might finally get print copies of my favorites. Will all your Ice Planet Barbarian books be reissued?

I get asked about this a lot! Like every book series, it depends on sales. We’re currently working on producing books three and four for print later this year, and if those continue to sell well, I’m hoping we’ll continue down the series. It feels like such a cop-out to give the old answer of ‘it depends on sales’, but it really, honestly does. When IPB hit it big on Booktok, there was such a demand from bookstores and a lot of the chains had difficulty ordering. We worked with Berkley (who has been amazing) to get these new and improved copies into readers hands, but if readers stop buying them, then there’s no need for more, right? It’s kinda like, well, mustard. If the grocery store shelf is full of mustard and no one’s buying mustard, then the store won’t order more mustard. (And man, I just missed an opportunity to use a ‘cut the mustard’ joke somewhere in here.) Basically, my books are mustard. Please buy mustard.

Some of your heroes in the Ice Planet Barbarians and Ice Home books are either prickly and grumpy types who evolve or grow on you or friendly and charming guys. Like I’m totally Team Ereven rather than Team Bek. Although I know fellow fans who love Bek’s story once he finally gets his act together a bit. What’s your preference? A sweet or salty hero? Can you pick a favorite hero or love story out of the many you’ve written? I love the Beauty and the Beast type theme in WHEN SHE PURRS – and especially the hero. Physically I keep picturing the Beast in Jean Cocteau’s Beaty and the Beast, but he is such a sweetie.

It's hard for me to pick just one, because I really love every hero when I’m writing them. I love Aehako because he’s there for a good time and doesn’t take himself so seriously. I love Haeden (and Bek) because they do take themselves super seriously, and it’s fun to slowly unbend them for their heroine. So my favorite type keeps changing? But if I had an overarching type of hero that I just lose my mind over, it’d be the hero who thinks he’s too awful to love. Because of course he’s not! And the heroine gets to show him. AND it’s great.

One of my other favorite stories is your book WORSE GUY. That’s an example of a hero who may not be the obvious Prince Charming, but I liked how he interacted with the heroine. What inspired you with that story?

WORSE GUY had a two-fold sort of theme going on. I wanted him to be a clone of Crulden (who is in BAD GUY and shows up in several other Corsair type stories). So I wanted to explore the personality of ‘same but different’. He’s the same make-up as other characters I’ve already written, but he’s going to be his own personality. I wanted to make him his own person, but keep him "Crulden", if that makes sense. I wanted to give him all the bad aspects of the cloned body he’s got (rage issues, barbs everywhere) and somehow make him rise above them…or own them. Likewise, the heroine, Bee, is one of my favorites. She’s absolutely powerless in a world full of aliens and decides to take her power by being as sweet as possible and manipulating people to do what she wants. I’m always being asked to write more ball-buster heroines because I think some readers really dig that dynamic, but I’m more into someone that doesn’t have power and carves out a space for themselves anyhow.

If you could only recommend one of your books to a new reader, which book of yours would you recommend they try? I know some authors might say the first book in a series, but I won’t hold you to that. I happen to be a freak who reads a series out of order all the time.

My stand-alone stories might be easier to jump into for people that want to try my books but don’t want to dive into a 22-book series. I know! I get it! Okay, so if you’re into fantasy romance or a slow-burn, a lot of people really loved BOUND TO THE BATTLE GOD (and it’s one of my personal favorites). If you want a short but sweet read to get a taste of my worlds, PRETTY HUMAN is a good one to start with. It’s the story of a snobby alien lord who sees a charming human female and decides he’s going to claim her for himself. I’m also partial to WHEN SHE PURRS, and I think that one stands alone pretty well.

Some authors I’ve interviewed have told me that the kind of books they enjoy reading are not the same kind of books they enjoy writing. Is that true for you? You write a lot of fantasy and sci-fi romance. Do you read similar books? Favorite books? Favorite authors?

I started writing because I LOVE books. LOVE. I still read all the time, and I 1000% read what I write. That being said, if I start a book and it feels too like something I’ve written, I put it aside. But one of the things I love about Science Fiction Romance is that there’s a ton of imagination and creativity in the genre. I read SFR, PNR, Monster Romance (which is cropping up now), Fantasy Romance, Contemporary Romance, Historical, and when I need a palate cleanser, I like true crime or disaster fiction (my husband says I love nothing more than a book about a shipwreck).

Okay! So I am currently reading Holly Black’s FOLK OF THE AIR series and it’s blowing my mind with how great a protagonist Jude is, and how intricate and cutthroat the faerie politics are. I’d give my kingdom for ONE hurt/comfort scene between the hero and heroine, but so far, no dice. I really love Kathryn Ann Kingsley’s series when I’m in the mood for a villain hero. I love CM Nascosta for small town monster romance (no, really!) and right now I’m absolutely obsessed with Finley Fenn’s orcs. They have a lot of Dom/sub vibes in a fantasy setting and there’s just some great worldbuilding. some of my favorite SFR authors are Susan Trombley, VK Ludwig, Tracy Lauren, Naomi Lucas, Laurann Dohner, Amanda Milo, and Lydia Hope. Oh, and I love Sarah J. Maas. And Laura Thalassa.

Basically, I can do this ALL DAY. But my favorite book in the last 10 years or so is probably The Last Hour of Gann by R. Lee Smith. That one will break you and put you back together!

What are you currently working on?

So I’m a bit of a weirdo in that I like to write more than one book at once! Right now, I’m working on CORSAIRS: MATHIRAS, which is currently serialized on my website, and I post a chapter every day there (and on Facebook). Once the serial is completed, it’ll be available for purchase. I’m also working on DAISY’S DECISION which will be the next Icehome and come out in possibly May(ish?) and working on a novella about the cloned crew of the Darkened Eye (which show up in my Corsairs books). I’m also brainstorming about a half-dozen other things, but it’ll get too messy to talk about so let’s just say my muse is in full swing.

DARK FIRE by Ruby Dixon

Fireblood Dragon #10

Azar has taken over Fort Dallas. He rules with complete authority, and everyone bows down to him.

Everyone except one woman. Melina, the fort's medic. No matter what he offers, she refuses to give in. A good man would know to stop asking. Unfortunately for Melina, Azar is not a good man.

Romance Fantasy | Romance Erotica Sensual [Self Published, On Sale: March 1, 2022, e-Book, / ]