Differences Between the Genres – Juliana Stone

I’m here to day, to celebrate the release of my first contemporary romance, OFFSIDE. This is something new for me, as I’ve recently transitioned into writing contemporary romance.  Some of you may know my paranormal romances, The Jaguar Warriors and now, The League of Guardians books.

When I first decided to try my hand at contemporary romances, I knew there would be some differences between the genres, but they were romances with an HEA, so how hard could that be? Well, I discovered not as easy as I’d imagined.

First off, paranormal romance (at least for my books) requires a good bit of world building.  Your setting pretty much becomes a secondary character.  In Wicked Road to Hell and the forth coming To Hell and Back, Hell, literally becomes a living breathing character.  It’s way cool to write and helps add a more layers to the book.  Because paranormal romances usually deal with life and death and very, unique and dangerous situations, the heroes are almost always, alpha, strong, in your face kind of men.  If they’re like my jaguars, they grunt, they growl and the can be assholes some of the time.

Not so for a modern day contemporary hero. They can’t shape shift or drink blood, or use magic to win the day and the girl.  These guys have to rely on inner strength as well as outer. And for me that was a challenge.  I’d been used to writing these strong, alpha heroes who totally rocked the paranormal world they live in, but in our everyday life, they just didn’t work.

I found I had to work very hard to achieve a sort of balance.  I wanted a guy who is strong, but not an asshole.  A guy who would fight for me and bring me flowers the next day.  A man who is able to please me in every single way that I can imagine, and one who has a few tricks up his sleeve that I’ve never experienced before.

I’ve got two new contemporary romance series coming out in the next little while and first up, OFFSIDE, a hockey romance in which, <ahem> the heroine is the hot shot hockey player!  The love interest, Logan Forest is hot and I think I achieved the balance between alpha and asshole, quite nicely thank you very much.

When hockey phenom Billie-Jo Barker returns home and decides to play in the local Friday night hockey league, all hell breaks loose. Not because Billie’s talent is in question, but because Billie is a woman. And though these are modern times, some of the local guys still have a problem letting a girl into their ‘men’s club.’

Soon, Billie is at the center of a small town battle of the sexes, with everyone choosing sides. Her sisters. The townsfolk. Her friends. And yet, the only person whose opinion she cares about doesn’t seem to care much at all. Logan Forest, the man who broke her heart when she was eighteen and the man she now shares the bench with every Friday night.

She’s got a lot to prove and though Billie Jo Barker scores on the ice, will this girl ever score with the man of her dreams?

For your chance to win either a digital copy of OFFSIDE or an advanced reader copy of THE SUMMER HE CAME HOME, my new contemporary romance series that debuts next year with Sourcebooks, all you have to do is tell me who your favorite hero (in any genre) is and why.

Here’s a sneak peek at THE SUMMER HE CAME HOME (and the hero is a rock star!)

Sometimes the best place to find love is right back where you started…

Falling asleep in a different bed every night has made it easy for Cain Black to forget his past. It’s been ten years since he packed his guitar and left Crystal Lake to chase his dreams. Now tragedy has forced him home again. And though Cain relishes the freedom of the road, one stolen moment with Maggie O’Rourke makes him wonder if he’s missing out on something bigger than fame.

For Maggie—single mother and newly settled in Crystal Lake—love is a luxury she just can’t afford. Sure, she appreciates the tall, dark and handsome looks of prodigal son Cain Black. But how long can she expect the notorious hellion to stay?

The last thing either of them wants is something complicated. But sometimes love has its own plans.

 

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For more information, including excerpts, visit julianastone.com.