The third book in my Huntress Moon series is out this week, and I thought I’d take a break from my usual posts and interviews about the crime and suspense aspects of the series and talk a little about the love story.
(What???)
Yes, I know. I may have written some paranormal mystery/romance, but nobody would call me a romance writer. My Haunted thrillers are spooky explorations of the blurry line between the real and the supernatural. My Huntress/FBI Thrillers turn the crime genre inside out by depicting a woman as a ruthless killer… for the most intriguing of reasons.
It’s not a love story in any kind of conventional sense. There is little hope for a happily-ever-after ending.
And yet – one of the elements that most draws readers to my Huntress series is the erotic tension and longing between my haunted FBI agent protagonist, and the very damaged woman he is pursuing. In many ways this connection is the soul of the books
I’m often asked how I’m able to sustain the level of erotic tension between the hunter and hunted – despite some pretty antagonistic circumstances between them.
From the time I first came up with the idea for the series, I’ve looked at Roarke and Cara as two halves of the same person. Or really, of the same soul. It’s a very romantic notion, the Platonic idea that each human being is just half of one complete soul that has been split apart, and we spend our lives searching for our other half.
If you believe that, you can well imagine how almost violently those two halves might struggle to find and join with each other, despite all odds, obstacles, and sense. So I always imagine Roarke and Cara as two halves of the same soul that are magnetized to each other; they can’t help themselves, even though actually uniting could destroy them both.
Another way of looking at them is from the Jungian psychology model: that Cara is Roarke’s unconscious feminine counterpart, and vice-versa (The anima is analogous to a man’s muse). Again, two halves of the same person.
And the other part of their nature is that they are fighters, and they’re fighting the same battle, by very different rules. So together they make up a highly unusual but powerful crime fighting team. (Others may disagree…)
But also, I come from theater and film. So along with those psychological underpinnings, there’s nothing like fantasizing about a dream cast to bring those characters to life in your head. Because I’ve been a director and worked with a lot of actors, I learn a lot about my characters by imagining different combinations of actors working together, and the chemistry they would create.
I love to picture the haunted Kyle Chandler as haunted Special Agent Roarke.
It’s tragic that Russell Crowe is now too old, but he’s just fine in my head!
Ryan Gosling is brilliant in everything he does, and Tom Hardy has the perfect combination of sexy, smart and intense.
I’m a longtime fan of Norman Reedus. And speaking of The Walking Dead: David Morrissey? Yes, please.
Now, for the Huntress, Keira Knightly or Mila Kunis would be superb.
I would gladly rewrite the character as a little older for Charlize Theron or Milla Jovovich.
On the TV front, I’ve been impressed with Lauren Cohan and Summer Glau.
And I am so hoping that Lindsay Lohan gets herself together and goes on to be the brilliant star she clearly could be. People forget or just don’t know how many of our most beloved actors fell just as far as she has before they got a second chance from people in the industry who understand very well about demons and the perils of a too-early stardom. I think she’d be great.
And as for Roarke’s right-hand man, Special Agent Epps – no contest. I wrote him with Idris Elba in mind. Constantly. Did I mention how much I love my job?
So a question for the authors among you: I’d love to hear about your process of creating a romantic pairing. Is there some theme that you’re working with?
And readers, do you have particular favorite romantic pairings in modern thrillers or mysteries? Yes, you can talk about other genres, but I’m especially interested in hearing about books that successfully meld an intense crime or thriller plot with a great love story – no happy endings required, either!
Thanks!
Alex
Cold Moon – Book 3 of the Huntress/FBI Thrillers – is out now.
It is strongly recommended that you start the series with Book 1, Huntress Moon.
Special Agent Matthew Roarke thought he knew what evil was. He was wrong.
FBI Special Agent Roarke is closing in on a major criminal organization in San Francisco when he witnesses an undercover member of his team killed right in front of him on a busy street, an accident Roarke can’t believe is coincidental. His suspicions put him on the trail of a mysterious young woman who was present at each scene of a years-long string of “accidents” and murders, and who may well be that most rare of killers… a female serial.
His hunt for her will take him across three states, and force him to question everything he knows about evil and justice.
HUNTRESS MOON can be purchased in trade paperback, eBook or
Audible audio formats for/from:
BLOOD MOON can be purchased in trade paperback, eBook or audiobook
formats for/from:
COLD MOON can be purchased in eBook or 07/15 trade paperback formats for/from: