Going Dark

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the time has come when night and darkness dominate. The weeks between the Autumnal Equinox and the Winter Solstice have always been my favorite time of year, when night becomes longer than daytime in the decent toward its darkest hours.

This is when my candles come out. I love the warmth of candlelight and the romantic shadows it throws, and although I don’t have a fireplace, I love it when the scent of burning wood begins to carry on the crisp fall air as people who do have fireplaces light their first fires of the season.

Perhaps because of the dying light, scent just seems to become more important. The aromas of apple cider and pumpkin pie and warm, wintry spices entice like few others.

And then there are the creatures of the night. Nothing sends a delightful chill up my spine quite like the supernatural: Vampires and werewolves. Demons and dark Fae. Ghosts and goblins and witches. The dark things in our psyches we’re supposed to be afraid of somehow hold a particular romantic attraction. Maybe it’s the unapologetic power they wield or the fact that they exude a feral sensuality. But give me a dark, dangerous beastie over a stalwart knight in shining armor anytime.
Even better if that dark, dangerous beastie is a little bit tortured, damaged, and misunderstood. Or better still, a tragic hero enchanted under a dark curse.

Because let’s face it: everyone looks good in black.

What’s your favorite thing about the season? Are you, too, a sucker for creatures of the night?

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By the way, if you’re looking for dark, misunderstood heroes—and heroines—I’ve got them in spades:

Belphagor, in my Demons of Elysium series, has secrets he still hasn’t told about his past. He’s hinted at them in the Demons series and its companion series, The House of Arkhangel’sk, but he plays his cards close to the vest.

If you like thieves, gamblers, and rogues, and you love m/m erotica and BDSM, Belphagor’s your man. Er, demon. The first book in the trilogy, Prince of Tricks, is a good place to start:

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In my Looking Glass Gods trilogy…well, where do I start? Pretty much everyone here is tortured and full of secrets, but Ra takes tortured to new depths—and heights. In this dark fantasy, heroes become heroines, heroines become heroes, and mortals become immortals.

The final book in the trilogy, Idol of Glass, comes out at the end of this month and is available for pre-order now at the usual suspects.

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And my first m/f gothic paranormal romance, The Lost Coast, has a classic broody, angsty alpha hero in Lukas Strand.

A dark paranormal romance about fire, wine, and old-growth forests, The Lost Coast is coming in December and is also available now for pre-order.

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