Jeaniene Frost has a thing for vampires.
Plus, she broke down the cover and explained the one thing she thinks is missing from the design.
When I first introduced him, I actually intended to kill him in that book.
Credit: Matthew Frost; Avon
But of course I didnt, and he sort of grew on me.
So Ive been dropping little hints in my lastNight Princeseries.
After that, I was over it.
Avon
[Its] kind of giving your id a microphone.
Because hes says things that are just wildly inappropriate.
Hes who we would be if we didnt know better or fear consequences.
So hes fun to write.
Again, he does have a lot of really not admirable qualities.
[Ian] reminded me of Loki in that regard.
He does have a really strong moral sensor; its just very selective.
Being a side character is one thing, you’re able to get away with a lot more.
Being a hero, you have a lot more responsibility.
So youre saying that if there were a movie version of this, Tom Hiddleston would play Ian?
[Laughs] He does bad better than anyone.
Can you break down how you arrived at the final version of this cover?
You only see half of his face and theres a pretty good amount of shadow.
I wanted it black and white because I really liked the light and dark imagery.
I will own this next part even though it makes me shallow: I wanted him without a shirt.
But this is representative of who the character is.
Honest to God, if we were really representing him, he wouldnt have pants either.
But you know, theres limits.
She said to me, You cant because certain retailers who are family-friendly will not stock the book.
We went back and forth.
So on my website one day you might see a Photoshopped nipple stud on this character, coming soon.
You mentionedThoras an inspiration.
I havent been a fan of the glum, angsty bad boy.
I am a fan of the flamboyant, funny bad boy character.
More broadly, you belong to the paranormal subgenre.
What attracts you to that world?
That got me hooked on the genre.
I used to measure my allowance in terms of how many books it could buy me.
… Ive always loved vampires, always.
And I said, Yes, that keeps the vampires away.
And he thought it was funny.
My parents were mortified.
But thats how long Ive been a vampire fan.
I would say, But why?
Hes killing this poor guy who just wants to eat.
They did have that air of allure to them that a lot of other paranormal creatures didnt have.
They had the cool factor.
Is it something youre more hyper-aware of lately?Ive always been hyper-aware of consent, actually.
To me, without consent theres no sexiness.
Consent was explicitly part of their first sexual experience.
To me that doesnt drag down the romance or the heat, it amps it up.
Thats a line Ive always felt very strongly about.
… A good hero would never need to force.
This is a genre thats written primarily by women, for women.
If we cant talk about it, who can?
There should be openness about it.
It should be addressed, especially since our genre is supposed to be about happily-ever-afters.
God knows no problem has ever been fixed by smothering it with silence.
