Emma Castle's latest, MIDNIGHT WITH THE DEVIL, reimagines the Devil as a
tortured -- and hot -- anti-hero looking for the right woman to soften him
right
up. Yes, even the Devil can thaw for that special someone. Castle stopped by
to
chat with Miranda Owen about the novel, how she crafted her perfect devilish
lead, and what she's working on next.
Miranda Owen: MIDNIGHT WITH THE DEVIL
was
my introduction to your books. For other readers like me, who might be
reading
you for the first time, can you tell us a little about yourself?
Emma Castle: I’m an Oklahoma girl who loves to write
passionate
romances that challenge a reader’s preconceived notions about the world. I
got
bit by the travel bug when I was young, and I’ve traveled to England, Spain,
Scotland, France, Italy, Mexico, Jamaica, Cayman Islands and China. I love
hanging out with my two dogs, Evie and Fritz when I’m not writing, and I
love
exercising, reading and going to the movies to relax.
Miranda Owen: MIDNIGHT WITH THE DEVIL
is
a sort of supernatural or “otherworldly” romance. Is that the kind of story
you
enjoy telling the most? What was your favorite part of MIDNIGHT WITH THE
DEVIL
to write? The most challenging?
Emma Castle: I’ve always been drawn to otherworldly
stories. I
like writing a story that feels normal except for a teasing little hint of
gothic atmosphere or perhaps a supernatural element. My favorite part of the
DEVIL book was writing the ending. I won’t give away any spoilers, but it
was by
far one of the most powerful scenes I’ve ever written. The most challenging
part
was probably where the devil starts to fall in love and turn sweeter, but I
really enjoyed those scenes immensely.
Miranda Owen: Lucien, in MIDNIGHT WITH THE DEVIL, is a sexy bad boy
hero. My favorite heroes are generally the sweet and slightly geeky Clark
Kent
types, but I indulge and admit to enjoying the occasional bad boy hero now
and
then. I think sometimes that authors struggle to strike the right balance
with
these types of characters between wild and wonderful and evil and icky,
while
not losing the character’s most intriguing qualities when “redeeming” the
character. I love Lucien because he wavers between being a villain and
anti-hero, while keeping his sinful and saucy charm, even as he undergoes a
bit
of a transformation throughout the book. What are your thoughts on bad boy
heroes in general and “transformation/redemption” stories specifically?
Emma Castle: I live for bad boys. I’ve only successfully
wrote
one or two “good guy” romances. I think it’s incredibly important to find a
way
to strike a balance between hot alpha male and “asshole”. The trick for me
is
that my bad boys are never condescending to women. They can be occasionally
dirty-mouthed or say things to rile the heroine, but they never treat her
like
trash or less than as a human. My bad boys always get tamed in the end in
just
the right way, they stay wicked and often dirty in bed, but they turn
reverent
toward their heroines and worship them by the end. I think that’s the proper
balance. They never try to hurt their women emotionally or physical (aside
from
a few playful spanks in bed), and they always focus on the woman’s pleasure
in
relation to their own. If you have a hero like that, even an anti-hero like
Lucien, you can’t help but love him.
Miranda Owen: Diana Kingston is no paragon of virtue, but she is a
“good” and self-sacrificing heroine. My first inclination is to pair up a
slightly wicked hero with a heroine who could outdo him when it comes to
wickedness, but Lucien and Diana have great chemistry. Do you prefer writing
a
hero and heroine with that kind of dynamic – opposites attracting? Have you,
or
would you consider writing a story with a slightly wicked heroine? What kind
of
hero would you want to pair her up with?
Emma Castle: I tend to write heroines who are more
sweet-natured but find they have a wicked side to them like Diana does. I
think
it’s because I personally am a very passionate person, but I’ve not had a
ton of
chances to express that passion, so I feel I identify most with heroines who
don’t start out wicked. However, I have written a few romances under another
pen
name where I have heroines who are a little more adventurous and they draw
the
hero out, but it’s not so much of an “opposites attract” but rather a
finding
common ground scenario. I would love in the future to write a more wicked
heroine I just haven’t had a story yet that speaks to me with a heroine like
that.
Miranda Owen: Who are some of your favorite romance novel heroes and
heroines – ones you’ve read, and out of any you’ve written? What do you love
about them?
Emma Castle: I love stories like Lisa Kleypas’ Devil in
Winter
where you have a guy who was almost a villain in a previous book, but he
ends up
turning into a reluctant hero in his own book. I love stories like that. I
also
love stories where a hero is humbled by circumstances and makes sacrifices
in
secret. I once wrote a book under my other pen name where my hero was a
titled
lord in a historical romance down on his luck and he accepts an arrangement
to
be “affianced” to a young lady in society who needs help escaping a bad man
who
wishes to entrap her in marriage. And my hero secretly truly wants to marry
her,
not because of the dowry she would bring, but because he genuinely likes
her. He
sells his grandfather’s pocket watch with his family crest to buy her a ring
and
the heroine secretly witnesses him selling off one of his cherished
possessions
for her and she buys it back after he leaves the jeweler. At the end of the
book, she gives it back to him as a Christmas present after they’ve been
married
and fallen in love and it means so much more then that she returns it to
him. I
think I love that most about romance novels, the equal give and take of each
side as they fall in love and care for each other. That makes the story
powerful
and it lingers in my mind long after I’ve closed the book.
Miranda Owen: I read an interview with a romance author once in
which
she said that authors don’t always write the same types of stories they
enjoy
reading. What do you enjoy reading? What are some of your favorite books and
authors?
Emma Castle: I love reading romance, but I also love true
crime
non-fiction books because I have a bit of nerdy desire to solve cold cases.
I
would love to write a book like that someday but my natural inclination to
embellish details would be a problem for non-fiction. I also love to read
the
more story light, romance heavy stories that are basically as addictive as
crack
LOL. My favorite authors are (mind you this is heavily limited): Johanna
Lindsey, Lynsay Sands, Alyssa Day, Christina Dodd, Lisa Kleypas, and Laurann
Dohner.
Miranda Owen: What are you currently working on? Is there any type
of
romance sub-genre or genre, that you haven’t written that you would like to
explore in the future?
Emma Castle: My next Emma Castle book will be a book set
slightly in the near future where a contagion decimates the world’s
population.
A woman struggling to survive is rescued by a stranger and she starts to
wonder
if they might fall in love but then she questions whether love can group
from
necessity or from true passion if they might be the last man and woman on
earth.
It’s a story of survival, of loneliness, of animal passion and finally a
story
of hope. It’s called THE WILDERNESS WITHIN and I hope to release it sometime
next year. I want to explore paranormal stories, contemporary romances, and
many
other types of sub-genres in the future! I follow the power of a story, and
I
don’t let genres limit me.
Emma Castle has always loved reading but didn't know she loved romance until
she
was enduring the trials of law school. She discovered the dark and sexy
world of
romance novels and since then has never looked back! She loves writing about
sexy, alpha male heroes who know just how to seduce women even if they are a
bit
naughty about it. When Emma's not writing, she may be obsessing over her
favorite show Supernatural where she's a total Team Dean Winchester kind of
girl! Emma's first book is Midnight With the Devil and released in 2018.
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