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What Jane Austen and I have in common, by AJ Adams, dark romance and crime author

All Screwed Up at https://books2read.com/disciples2 Jane Austen and I have a lot in common. I can see you laughing but it’s true. Jane’s heroines have either lost a parent, are separated from their parents, or have parents who are dysfunctional. Just think of Emma Woodhouse’s dad who won’t go out, won’t see people and tries to keep Emma at home too. Anne Elliot’s dad is toxic, Fanny Price’s parents have given her up for adoption and when she meets them there’s a massive disconnect. Even Elizabeth Bennet who loves her dad, acknowledges he pays little attention to his daughters, and her mum who tries hard is not very bright. When your heroine has no parents, she becomes the focus. There’s no support, no guidance. It’s terrific for drama. In All Screwed Up, this month’s discounted novel, Lacey lost her mum when she was little. She loved her dad but he was party animal and that shortened his life. When we meet her, Lacey is an orphan. It’s not all bad, she has a half-sister,
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Why do women like dark romance?

It's the holiday season, so the cats are looking forward to treats galore and Tom and I are planning outings to the pub to meet up with friends. Hope you're having a great time!   If you're looking for an easy affordable gift, Helpless is discounted to $2.99 all December. Find Helpless at https://books2read.com/disciples1 This month's video answers the question: why do you write dark romance and why do women buy it? The video is less then three minutes but if you're busy, the transcript is below. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and wishing you a Happy New Year. See you in 2023! Love, AJ Transcript I'm often asked why I write violent bedroom scenes and why women enjoy it. There's lots of research about this, with some theories suggesting: In a society where sex is taboo, it may be a way to enjoy it guilt-free, 'cause they made me' Could be related to evolution: mammals tend to have the male pursue and subdue the female Could be that the stress is key:
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When you write to entertain, but also address serious issues

    As AJ Adams, I write to entertain, but sometimes I also touch on serious matters. In Fletcher there's a running theme of how the rich Prydain talk about thralls, specifically, how they lie to themselves about who they are and what they're doing. Check it out and tell me what you think?   Click through to Fletcher by clicking this link https://books2read.com/prydain3
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We all love dark romance but some of us are more open about it than others by AJ Adams

 AJ Adams, author of Beast, the Prydain novel, talks about the enduring popularity of dark romance and some of the less than honest attitudes towards it.   Beast is on sale this month! https://books2read.com/u/mZeqle
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AJ Adams talking about Ruthless Sinner: The universal theme of caring for loved ones

Ruthless Sinner is a murder mystery romance novel that might be a Hallmark title if it were set in a bakery but my Spirit is a stripper and Coop runs a drug lab, that's not likely to happen.  Talking about the universal ethic, taking care of loved ones.  My heroine, Spirit, is a classy lady, and she deserves a fairy-tale ending.  Read Ruthless Sinner and tell me if you consider Coop suitable prince material. There’s a sweet discount for the month of August. Find Ruthless Sinner in online bookstores everywhere
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AJ Adams talking about her favourite scene in Dark Hunter - 2 mins, no spoilers

  Two mins only, what I love about bringing back previous characters and my fave bit in Dark Hunter where Chloe, Solitaire and Nats arrive. No spoilers, so you can watch safely Dark Hunter is on sale April 2022 at US$2.99. Hit https://books2read.com/zeta4
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Monsters, Revenge and the Abyss. AJ Adams talking about Rip, the hero from Dark Hunter

    Nietzsche was interested in morality, particularly in truth, good and evil. The abyss theme is one of his most famous. I'm interested in monsters too, and so I created Rip Marston, a perfect monster. When we meet Rip, he's a day shy of his 18th birthday. Just weeks before, Rip was an actor, just a kid, taking on his first stage role, but on a path to a happy life on the boards - except, a criminal gang killed his family in a robbery. Because of this, Rip is consumed by pain. In chapter one, he stalks and kills Greasy Sykes, just as he stalked and skilled Greasy's mates, because revenge is his only relief. When Rip kills, the pain is replaced by power - aka his monster. Nietzsche believed that unbridled hate, fear or righteousness feeds our inner shadow. So those who are consumed by fighting evil, become evil themselves. I think he's right. So, in this zeta cartel novel, I take the classic setup. Unbridled hate, righteousness and monster slaying dominate
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