Juliette Cross is a multi-published author of fantasy and paranormal romance. She’s a mood reader as well as a mood writer, if that wasn’t obvious by her eclectic book list. Her highly anticipated new dark romantasy, The Beast Lord, is the second installment of The Rise of Northgall Series, following the incredibly popular The Wraith King. It will be released at the end of October.
As a native of Louisiana, she's inspired by the moss-laden trees and slow-moving bayou of her home as well as the Gothic setting of nearby New Orleans. She loves lazy nights with her husband, old-fashioneds, and family gatherings.
We talked with the author about what keeps her coming back to indie publishing, why she's kept her day job, and her favorite romance tropes.
You’ve experienced both traditional and indie publishing. What keeps you coming back to indie, and what do you enjoy most about it?
Indie publishing allows me to have control of the full creative process beyond writing and creating these new worlds. From the style of cover to interior formatting as well as creating my own special editions, which I’ve found I enjoy quite a lot, an indie author can expand their creativity beyond the manuscript. There are so many talented artists out there who enjoy working with romance authors, and I enjoy working with artists to help bring my characters to life for readers.
What advice would you give to emerging indie authors navigating the indie publishing landscape?
Trust in yourself. Yes, you must do your homework, research well in your genre and soak up all of the marketing information you can, but beyond that, believe in your own vision and ability to make it happen. I delayed going indie. It wasn’t until I was frustrated with how my career was going that I finally decided to simply take a chance on myself and go it alone. I had this idea for six witch sisters living in New Orleans. It was going to be a paranormal romcom, which wasn’t popular at the time. I also wanted typography-centric covers with hand-drawn elements for the covers for a playful and pretty appeal. At the time, there weren’t covers like that on the market for paranormal romcom, but I decided to do it anyway. That was when the Stay a Spell Series was born, and my career took off.
Trust in yourself…believe in your own vision and ability to make it happen.
With an extensive backlist of fantasy and romance titles, how has your writing process evolved from your first books to your latest?
My process hasn’t changed in a huge way. However, in the beginning, I used Microsoft Word. Changing to Scrivener has been much easier in writing fantasy since I’m able to have easy access to files on the worldbuilding at my fingertips. Overall, I’ve simply streamlined my process by writing a loose outline from beginning to end then I dive in. However, it never ends up exactly how I’ve written my outline. I believe it simply gives my mind permission to go forward confidently. Even if I veer off the path, I still have a path to follow.
What’s something your readers don’t know about you?
I’ve been teaching gifted students for 27 years. I’m still teaching, working full workdays, and then writing full-time hours in the afternoons and on weekends. Though I’ve been writing and publishing since 2014, I didn’t find success until the past 4-5 years. Still, I didn’t want to lose my full retirement in the teaching system since I’d worked so hard and for so many years in the profession. After some discussion with the family, my husband took over cooking and cleaning in order for me to focus on writing when I wasn’t at the day job. My daughter moved back home and helps now too. I retire this May and cannot WAIT to finally be a full-time writer only. I don’t think my family can wait either.
Don’t miss the magic—immerse yourself in the dark fae world of Juliette’s romantasy series The Rise of Northgall
Following the massive success of The Wraith King, what drew you back into that world for your upcoming release The Beast Lord?
I planned out the series, always knowing it would be a trilogy. I knew that Book 2 would be about Redvyr, who we meet in The Wraith King. Book 3 will be about Prince Torvyn of the shadow fae. I’ll keep his heroine secret for now, but I’m sure those who read The Beast Lord will be able to figure it out. I’m definitely a planner when it comes to my series, especially romantasy. It’s important for me to know the beginning and the end of the overarching theme of the series. I love using foreshadowing and laying hints and easter eggs to later books.
Throughout your creative process, have there ever been any controversial or challenging scenes to write?
In writing The Wraith King, I knew that the Rite of Servium scene might be off-putting to some readers. But it wasn’t simply a gratuitous scene. I wanted to show that the wraith fae were vastly different from the light fae like Una. Their ceremonies, like this rite, revealed their animalistic and somewhat barbaric nature. However, I took from history where in some cultures newly married royal couples were required to consummate their marriage in front of an audience in the “bedding ceremony.” I just took the voyeurism to the next level.
Your work explores themes of fated mates, forced proximity, and misunderstood heroes. What draws you to these tropes, and why do you think your stories resonate so strongly with readers?
I personally believe in soulmates, as I believe I’ve found mine. I simply love this idea that fated mates evokes this sort of magical bond, guided by the gods or otherworldly forces. The fated mates trope also makes forced proximity even more delicious when the couple is either enemies, rivals, or simply opposites attract. They don’t see eye-to-eye, but we know the gods put them together for some reason. It makes the falling-in-love elements fantastic to watch.
Misunderstood heroes is probably one of my favorite tropes that I use in my writing. I simply love the dark and broody, or loud and grumpy, or scarred and mysterious heroes. Especially in fantasy romance, they’re the ones with secrets in their eyes and scars on their hearts that make for the best kind of hero. I never expect my heroine to “fix” them, but simply to come to understand that they are truly good even if the world doesn’t see them that way.
From book festivals to signings around the globe, you’ve met readers from all walks of life. What makes those in-person moments special for you?
Meeting readers across the United States and beyond is invigorating and inspiring for me. As writers, we are often alone with our worlds and characters. And while we can engage online, even that can be exhausting and overwhelming sometimes. But truly meeting and talking and smiling with readers, knowing they’ve enjoyed the work, reminds me that I might be writing alone, but I’m not alone.
Any teasers you can give for The Beast Lord and what your readers can expect from your new installment in the series?
Readers can certainly expect another opposites attract, fated mates romance filled with secrets, dark creatures, and a foul villain that will get what’s coming to him. Redvyr is a highly protective hero, and there will be violence if/when harm comes to Jessamine. I’d like to share this teaser when Jessamine explores his beast fae horns, something only dark fae have in this world:
“I like the roughness of them.” Her eyes were so wide, searching, seeking, full of desire, her fingers curling tightly around one horn, her feline gaze sliding back to mine. “I like the roughness of you.”
