The Rise of Monster Romance

The Rise of Monster Romance

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Matt: Welcome everybody to Write Out Loud, a podcast of storytelling, ubiquity, of talking about our craft and trying to help you refine it at the same time. My name is Matt, of course, and this beautiful, amazing, delectable delight is Christina.

Christina: Ah, alliteration. I love it. That's my favorite, favorite grammarical thing, is alliteration.

Matt: Alliteration.

Christina: if that comes from my love of musicals and, that sort of thing, or just, it's fun to, fun to do.

Matt: It just kind of rolls off the

Christina: It does. It does. So I'll take any sort of alliteration.

Matt: I love it. I love it. Well, excellent. You had approached me with a topic for

Christina: Yes. Yes.

Matt: you were very, uh, tickled about and I, 

Christina: I have been trying. My darndest to try to sneak [00:01:00] this topic in ever since I went on this, I guess I went down the rabbit hole of blue aliens in romance. I. e these ice planet barbarians Ruby Dixon, uh, over the course of the last, I don't even know, six months or so.

I've, I've. fallen into that rabbit hole. So I want to give a little bit of, of context. So I've been in the romance industry working for more than 25 years, probably closer to 30. Now I could probably move on from, over 25 years to almost 30. Prior to that, I was a reader. I love to read romance.

It's my, my fun, fiction. But I also, you and I have talked before about how you, learn from fiction and you get something out of it. So, I learned a lot of things from romance too, that, have, [00:02:00] have, been useful to me. But here's the thing. I'm, I'm not into fantasy.

I'm not into science fiction. Those are like, like if I'm going to pick up a book that isn't romance, I'm probably going to pick up a mystery thriller before I'm going to pick up science fiction fantasy. So there's your context of, of that piece of it. I did have an author back in the day when I was first starting, who is a United airline pilot. Who was also in the air force. And now I can't remember quite the story with this, but I want to say she was the first female fighter pilot, but I might be wrong on that. So correct me if I'm wrong. But I loved hers. because there was a ring of truth to them. You've, you've heard that airline pilots, have seen things in the skies that, can be considered [00:03:00] unidentified flying objects.

So, yeah. So anyways, that's like basically it. I tried watching game of thrones. It was interesting for a while. I may finish, but I think I only got through, like season one. Maybe part of season two. So I'm not big on fantasy and all you Lord of the Rings people don't at me, but I loved the movies.

I did love those movies. I tried reading the books, but I got to book number two and the trees would not shut up. I couldn't get through the trees. So I, I stopped after, a

Matt: No, it's challenging. It's laborious,

Christina: Yes. So I am not, The audience for science fiction, fantasy reads, uh, and that includes, romance, maybe

Matt: [00:04:00] Pringles,

Christina: with Susan Grant and her aliens.

So when I was first approached I think it was first a client and then someone else I know in the industry. Who works for a or used to work for a book distributor. I worked with her in my borders days. The two of them started talking about the ice planet barbarians. This is probably, after. Initially they came out, I think in 2016, but they didn't hit BookTok until 2022. So it was somewhere in between there because it was before the BookTok thing, because what happened was Ruby Dixon hit it huge on BookTok and she became this phenomenon. And since then has, going on to do, great things and has, It's written a lot and is now the books are being printed in New York with special editions.

And so it was somewhere prior to the book talk that I downloaded it to my Kindle because these two were like, you gotta [00:05:00] read them, you gotta read them. So I downloaded it to my Kindle thinking I'd get to it someday. And there are, let me tell you, a hundred books on my Kindle that are, I'll get to it someday.

So someday actually came. Recently, because I was totally, like, so not into reading I went for a cold spell for a long time. I was re reading a lot of my favorite stuff, doing my editing, letting that, be the stuff that I read but I really, I was hungry for something. I picked up that first book thinking that it would be one and done, okay, I can now come to the table and talk about these, blue horned aliens.

 And then I kept downloading the next book and the next book, I think I got to book eight or nine or somewhere in there before I finally paused for a little while because they had a lot of [00:06:00] substance. These weren't just books. Aliens and weird stuff and, too sci fi. They were really, really good.

And in fact, that's why I sent you this article is because the article actually explained exactly how I would have described her, that there, there was a lot more to it. There's, there is sex, it's romance. That's almost a given unless it's, Amish romance, which there are a lot of people that like that too.

But there's a lot of plot. There's a lot of interesting characters. There's a lot of, character development. Like I would find myself looking forward to that next book. So one thing I do want to say about Ruby Dixon that I'm hoping in future episodes when we, have Ruby on, or maybe we have Ruby's editor on or her publicist or somebody from Rubyverse come on and talk about Ruby because she was really, really [00:07:00] great at laying the seeds.

For those next books. And so by the time I would close that book, I'd be excited for the next one. I'd be like, okay, I'm just going to download this next one and then I'll stop. That's exactly what it was. You're laughing, but that's the truth of it.

Matt: it's like Pringles, once you pop it, you can't stop.

Christina: so yeah. So this article, written by this.

Matt: Hold on one second. Let's talk about this article because I want to say when you sent it to me, right, that the headline of the article falling for a minotaur

Christina: Uh

Matt: monster smut is the big new thing in publishing and it's not just about extra long tongues. Okay. So first of all, that headline grabs your attention.

Christina: Very provocative. And yes. Attention grabbing.

Matt: an excerpt from it. Monster Romance is burning up BookTok, a space where women share enthusiastic recommendations for the latest book that has stretched their imaginations. I want an actual creature, says Charlotte Swan, a fan of [00:08:00] the genre and author of the novel Captured by the Orc General in this memorable TikTok.

There's a link, we'll link it in the show notes. I need him to be diabolical. A lot of you are giving me buff man with horns. He may have a few claws. That's not what I'm talking about. I need scales. I need leathery wings. I want him flapping and it just, it cracked me up. So this is a whole thing right now.

This is a whole, everybody, everybody's into it. And Ruby Dick is one part of that, right?

Christina: right, right, right. And Ruby is actually stepping into the Minotaur later this year. So I, I want to say it comes out in October, but I could be wrong on that. I don't have it in front of me. But yeah, and in fact, someone 14 as a reader I did not. I didn't know until just recently that these monster stories existed.

I knew the Ice Planet Barbarians [00:09:00] existed, but I didn't know all this other stuff. And I would suspect that Ruby was the leader in that. She kind of opened the door. One thing I was disappointed with this article that Matt, you said you're going to link to it. So hopefully people go and read it too and form their own opinions.

But one thing that the article didn't say in addressing like why these are so popular, I mean, she, mentioned, other things, but the one thing she didn't mention was the atmosphere that we're living in, in this particular time, this particular year, At least, very firmly here in the U S we have, election coming up in November. And I think people are just so stressed out and so scared, worried, this time that we're living in, and it is very, very turbulent. This is the ultimate escapist fiction. This is the ultimate [00:10:00] fantasy that, things can be solved. See, that's the one thing about romance that people don't talk about.

And I think it's one of the big appeals, is that everything is solved. Problems work out. 

Matt: It's like sitcoms,

Christina: Uh, well, sitcoms,

Matt: or at least back in the day.

Christina: silly and fun. They're not, necessarily going through bad problems. Yes, problems, but usually they're, not

Matt: They're solvable.

Christina: They're solvable. And I think with romance, they tend to bring up some interesting, uh, relationship difficulties that, I mean, what's more difficult than pairing a monster and a human? Like, how is that going to work and how is it going to be happily ever after? But they're going to solve that and, bring those people together.

So I think, yeah, I think in a time right now. People are really embracing that [00:11:00] outrageous. It's almost as if the more outrageous our world becomes and uncontrollable our world becomes, the more outrageous the fiction and specifically romance gets because where else are we going to go? Where else are we going to go?

So I'm saying the ultimate, escape, escapism, fiction reading that gives you that perfectly tied with a bow. Happy ending, solved problems.

Matt: Yeah.

Christina: I know the article went way into the sexual aspect of it, I don't know if that is the sole appeal that could be the appeal that brought people in to begin with.

But what I was saying about Ruby Dixon before is one of the reasons why I think she has staying power and anybody else along [00:12:00] with that has staying power. Sex and romance, if that's all you've got. I'm not sure that there is staying power in that solely. I think if you want to, stay power stay on that bestseller list, stay, selling, a lot enough to make, a living from, you have to have that paired with the substance.

Yep.

Matt: to have a good story. You've got to get. A story that people are going to buy into and latch onto and want to hear more. Like you said, you were reading rubies and you, she was doing so great job of setting it up for the next, next books that just made you want to keep going. So yeah.

Christina: And in fact, anybody who is considered writing series, at all. I don't care what kind of series you're considering writing, read the first few books. And there, and, and in fact the series I noticed, and I don't know if this is actually, true or not, but the first ones, I think were actually quite and that as the series grew, the length of the books [00:13:00] grew.

So read just the first, two, three books just to see what she does to kind of layer it because it doesn't take over the story. See, that's pet peeve number one of mine. If you're a client of mine, you've already heard this before. The secondary characters must never take over the story. Period. Then people are losing interest and all they want to do is get to their, their story and they're bored with this one and they may skip parts and whatever. So never let them take over. And that is one thing Ruby never did. They never took over. She, again, it was like little seedlings.

And. you were finishing book one, downloading book two and even kind of starting book two. And, she was really great with that. So I would even just recommend, if you want to learn techniques on how to plant those seeds in a series, that's a good place to start just to look to see how somebody else is doing [00:14:00] it. But again, I think You know, the appeal of the monsters isn't just something that, is, is, uh, what did she call it? A kink, like allow you to play with your kink without, but I think there's something beyond that too. I think it has also to do with the fact that you can. Make something non human.

So whether that's a monster or an alien or whatever, you can make them however you want them to be. And so therefore, again, romance being read mostly by women the fantasy is, the ideal man, what better way to create something than, from scratch. It's also really great for a creative mind, writer who wants to really do something different.

Matt: Well, I think [00:15:00] that's part of the appeal is it is something different. It's something that they weren't expecting. Like when you sent me the article and I'm reading like Ur was not expecting that. I like fantasy. I like sci-fi, I like all kinds of genres, right? But that was not something that ever entered my, my mind.

And I think when you compare that with a good story, you compare that with a little bit of, uh, oh, what's the word? Humanize something that's not human.

Christina: yeah. Well, you, well, you just said it, you humanize it. You.

Matt: Yeah, there's a word for that. But anyway, when you, bring these things and you assign human emotions and human

Christina: Yes,

Matt: like interactions to it, right? Like, um, it becomes just more understandable. It becomes more interesting because you want to know, and I do think too, there's a little bit of the dumpster fire, accident scene.

Aspect to it where like, I know I shouldn't be, but I, I can't help, [00:16:00] but watch because it's just so fascinating.

Christina: yes, yes. And I think again, I'm going to continue to hammer this point that Ruby Dixon is absolutely a step above. Okay. I can't say that she's a step above because I haven't read the other stuff, but I do know that her writing goes beyond that. Like you may open the door for the blue horned aliens but you're staying because of the story.

Okay. So I absolutely get what you're saying. Okay. And I think that's, again, what opened the door. So it depends on if those other writers, which, she laid out a couple of them in that article. There's one in particular, I definitely won't read cause that had like zero appeal to me. But the other one maybe. Let's see what she does with them. I am looking forward to Ruby's. I, I want to say the title is Bull Moon Rising, [00:17:00] but don't quote me on that. And I think it comes out in October again. Don't quote me on that. To see what she does with something beyond aliens. But yeah, I, I agree with you. I think there is a little bit of that.

I can't look away at such an accident waiting to happen, but those kinds of things have to have substance behind them because otherwise you know, come for the accident, but you're not staying, 

Matt: it doesn't have, it's, it goes back to just in general, the story has to make the person reading it wonder what's next or what happened or why did, who is this person or what are they doing? Like it has to, it has to breed those questions, but the questions have to have answers eventually.

Christina: Yes.

Matt: Otherwise people go, I, this is just, I don't know what's happening and I'm not, I'm, I'm just like, I'm over it. Right. So I think it is the aspect of, 'cause that's what draws people to accidents too, [00:18:00] is like, man, I wanna know what happened. Like what,

Christina: You know what it is?

Matt: know? Mm-Hmm.

Christina: It is lost. Did you ever watch lost? Okay. Questions, question, questions. We get a few answers, but the questions keep coming. And, and then now this is, discussion for another episode, but the fact that it then went off the rails, like, it lost it. There's reasons it lost it.

It's the storytellers were told to do something other than what they wanted to do by ABC because ABC wanted to give it is as long of a life as they could. And the lost storytellers, the writers were like, Hey, it's only going to be this long. It's you know three seasons and they're like, no, you gotta do more.

So I think they added some things that they didn't want to add. And like I said, that's a for a totally different podcast, but, but that's exactly what we're talking [00:19:00] about there. You, you can't just stay for the questions. You've got to get some answers too. Yeah, no, it was

Matt: Even if you don't want the answers , at least you get your answers and then you can, maybe you need to explore more because maybe it does grow more questions out of that. Or maybe, maybe it doesn't, but it's enough to get you to, kind of go along with

Christina: yeah, yeah. Or at least, again.

Matt: your hands of it.

Christina: Ruby is the only one that I can speak to in this monster category because I have not read any other monsters. And please, by all means, if you have a good monster story, give it here. Now I'm not, now I should correct myself because in the article she mentions shapeshifters and werewolves and that kind of thing.

That was a category in amongst itself. For decades, that, that trend really, really started after Nalini Singh. She's kind of the queen, I would call her the queen. [00:20:00] I'm self proclaiming her, uh, the queen of shapeshifters. Uh, And nobody can touch her because she is a queen. But yeah, that, that category in and of itself has been around for a long time.

I'm specifically speaking to the monster aspect of minotaurs, orcs,

Matt: sure. Sure.

Christina: except for, Ruby Dixon's Blue Horned Aliens which I should make you read because I think you'd enjoy it.

Matt: Hmm. Hmm.

Christina: And especially if we're going to have Ruby on, then you have to read,

Matt: That's true.

Christina: By the way, if anybody knows Ruby Dixon personally, please. Give her our number so she can come on. Actually I am going to reach out to her her New York publisher. I know a couple of people there that including her editor, I'm going to totally, I'm going to totally name drop and have her contact Ruby for us and see if we can get her on. But I, I think [00:21:00] it would be an interesting topic because I heard that Ruby, It actually has another pen name that is famous, that is popular writes historical romance and is keeping that kind of, absolutely separate from her ice planet barbarians. But what I found interesting, and I've only, I only saw this in one article, so I'd like to find out if it's true or not that she was burnt out from those historical romances. And had always dreamed of writing these blue aliens, blue horned aliens and really just, decided now or never, let's just do it for fun. And look what happened.

Matt: Yeah.

Christina: what happened. This is, this is actually something that I talk quite a bit with, with my clients that you know, when you are passionate about something and you want to do something just for the fun of it, that's what usually turns to gold. [00:22:00] That's what usually turns to gold. So.

Matt: Yep. Because again, you have your heart and soul kind of into it because you're, you're having something you want to do,

Christina: we readers

Matt: So it comes to life.

Christina: We readers feel that, we feel that fun and passion and and who knows, maybe Ruby because she was so passionate about it, knew she had to get it right. And so she worked harder on it. And I think that's an aspect that's also not talked about in writing is that, if you're not fully into it, are you really working hard at it?

And not that you have to like, work hard at it. And I think sometimes you work harder at it because you don't like it. They have to work. And I think. Perhaps with Ruby, it was, she's so passionate about it. She didn't have to work hard. It was easy.

Matt: It became play.

Christina: became play. And wouldn't that

Matt: flow, flow state.

Christina: Making millions of dollars and you're playing every day, playing every day.[00:23:00] 

Matt: That is the dream. That is the dream.

Christina: dream.

Matt: Ah, so.

Christina: you it would be a fun episode.

Matt: Oh, yeah, 100 percent. Yeah, I mean, again, it all boils down to I think right now is the perfect time for this, like anything. A lot of a lot of the trends, a lot of the things that sort of emerge. It's because timing is everything. It happens because of what's going on in the world one way or another.

And in this case, There's a lot of escapism. There could be some aspect of that kink to it, depending on that can be in there, of course. But I think in general it was just watching people do something different that we weren't expecting

Christina: Yes. That's it. Exactly. That's it. Exactly. You have put it together. It was something that we weren't expecting and something fresh and new.

Matt: that we needed.

Christina: Put a pin in it.

Matt: Excellent. [00:24:00] So see, play, just play, have fun, write the story for yourself, right? Which you're going to like to read no matter what that is. Make it as weird as you want. But make it a good story

Christina: Yes.

Matt: and, uh, you'll do well. All right, well, very good. Again, we'll link all of this, uh, the article and, some of the different things we've talked about here.

We'll get that into the show notes so you can take a look at that. But, uh, I think this good.

Christina: Yeah. Always, always fun to talk about blue horned aliens as

Matt: Minotaurs.

Christina: my dog barks in the background. For those of you who can hear him.

Matt: minotaurs and the women who milk them. Yep. I agree with me.

All right. Well, until next time, thank you so much for listening. We appreciate you very much. Also, if you haven't yet, we have a YouTube channel now, and, uh, all of [00:25:00] this can be found on our YouTube channel. It is not video. There is our cover art. We'll play as video, but it is actually just the audio.

So if you prefer to listen to. Podcasts on YouTube. Well, now's your chance. You can hear us there. So spread the word, share with a friend and you'll be glad you did.

Christina: Woohoo!

Matt: All right. Well, that about wraps it up. So thanks again, and we'll see you next time. Bye.