Opal Reyne is the creator of the wildly popular Duskwalker Brides series, which began with A Soul to Keep and quickly gained a devoted fanbase for its dark fantasy world and unforgettable skull-headed heroes.
Reyne is an Australian author who's been a fan of adult paranormal romance since she first picked up a book in the genre and has never looked back. She loves everything spicy, smutty, and borderline monster-loving. Reyne started writing because of her love of the written word, and because she wanted to build a diverse world of mythological creatures, while also showing the beauty of all ethnicities of humanity. Reyne’s work blends romance, horror elements, and rich world-building centered around mythological creatures and deeply flawed characters.
What draws you to indie publishing, and what is your favorite part of the process?
Having the ability to retain full control of my manuscript is what drew me to indie publishing. When I first started publishing, I never tried submitting to traditional publishers because I was enticed by that control. I enjoy most parts of the process, from being able to choose my editor and my beta team, to getting my covers made the way that I want them. I don’t have to answer to anyone regarding my indie published books.
Looking back on the success you’ve built with your own titles, what guidance would you give writers hoping to pursue the indie publishing path?
Be patient. You won’t grow popular overnight, and it’s an expectation that can actually make the process disheartening if you think your first few novels will explode quickly. It took until published book 6 for my name to grow, and it required A LOT of work beforehand. Everything is a learning experience, and not all critique is there to hurt you. It just feels that way because we are so close to our precious manuscripts.
I also suggest waiting to publish until you have a good cover and an excellent editor (most important). A good cover is what draws your reader in. It’s the first thing they see. Don’t settle just because you want to get it out now. An excellent editor is how you keep your reader and one of the main reasons they will share it around, which grows you.
I tried being impatient and it got me nowhere. Also, be prepared to market, and hard.
Catch up on Opal Reyne’s dark, addictive paranormal romance saga where danger, desire, and the supernatural collide!
What was the original spark for your Duskwalker Brides series, and how has the series evolved since the first installment?
A lot of things inspired me to write the series.
I’ve always been into skull-headed monsters and just skeletons in general. It’s what drew me to watching the anime The Ancient Magus’ Bride. I’d also read lots of lore and other artistic works regarding them. But it was The Spider’s Mate series by Tiffany Roberts that enticed me to write The Duskwalker Brides series. If they could make me fall in love with what I fear the most, spiders, then I could make people fall in love with skull-headed monsters.
It worked! To my utter surprise.
I actually was giving up on writing when I published A Soul to Keep. I intended to publish it and throw in the towel because I didn’t think it’d do well, I just needed to get it out there. I had ideas for the rest of the series, but I had no intention of pursuing them until the book went really well. It evolved in confidence, as I changed my mind on series plot as I wrote more books, introduced more Duskwalkers. I had no intention of writing book 7, but changed my mind as the series and lore surrounding Weldir grew, which made it possible. It’s now my favorite book of the series.
The prequels also grabbed my attention around book 6. I found I was desperate to know more about them, and I wanted to give answers as to why the parents of Duskwalkers weren’t doing all they can to help. Well, they couldn’t! And I gave readers those answers.
How do you tackle world-building, and particularly how did you develop the look and mythos around your creatures?
I wanted to create something unique in the skull-headed monster world. Starting with Orpheus, I was able to dive into something different but still have that scary-horror factor that I feel a lot of monster romance is missing. I love monster romance for the FEAR. I want them to be scary, so I made the lore surrounding my Duskwalkers as terrifying as I forgivably could make them. Becoming what they eat and increasing their humanity/intelligence by every human they consume means they are inherently evil. They are evil beings. But they choose to be kind and loving, and that’s what makes them special.
Your series features connected lore and plotlines, but also standalone romances in each book. How do you balance that throughline while keeping each book fresh and exciting?
Making sure every character is different. There’s nothing worse than copy/paste characters or scenes. Some readers complain about certain characters, but those flaws are what separate each FMC and MMC. One or two being depressed makes them different to the ones who are happy, strong, and/or brave. Being uncertain about loving her monster partner and running away is different from the those who twirl their hair and say, “come here, big boy.” Their flaws, imperfectly perfect, are what make them fresh and exciting. Then I mash those flawed beings with flawed monsters who like their pretty human but have to navigate those personality differences while also being unique themselves.
I tend to give each character 2-3 emotions as their forefront. Those 3 emotions will drive them in most instances. Orpheus, for example, is melancholy and hesitant. Those two emotions drove him in most scenes. Whereas Reia was brave, brash, and resilient. She is the things he isn’t, and she teaches him how to be those things.
Then there are the plots and hurdles each couple must face. Ensuring I don’t mimic the same pathways is also important. There must always be a point of action, a climax, a hurdle, but it doesn’t always HAVE to be a fight with some evil being. Sometimes the plot is the character development, which is why my books are all medium burn romances.
Catch up on The Duskwalker Brides Series:
Book One: A Soul to Keep
Book Two: A Soul to Heal
Book Three: A Soult to Touch
Book Four: A Soul to Guide
Book Five: A Soul to Revive
Book Six: A Soul to Steal
Book Seven: A Soul to Protect
Book Eight: A Soul to Embrace
What themes or tropes do you love exploring in your own writing, and which ones do you gravitate toward as a reader?
Grumpy/sunshine is one of my favourite tropes to read and write.
I’m also a sucker for well-written miscommunication. I don’t know if I always hit this right in my own books, but I try to make sure a single conversation wouldn’t fix everything—other than the words “I love you.” “I love you” would solve most issues, but the character must also get over the hurdle of why they feel like they shouldn’t…which I adore. I adore that internal fight. Especially as once they accept it, they throw their all into it and the spicy gets really spicy because it’s full of love and emotion!
How do you like to engage with your readers, and have there been any particularly meaningful fan interactions that stick with you from this series?
Ooft! There’s a few that stuck with me!
I particularly like my Discord. I have an amazing team of moderators that keep the space safe for me and readers, so I rarely feel anxious going in there. I often jump onto voice chat randomly and have spoken to many readers in person and have always had a wonderful time. It’s very cute to hear people fangirling.
But the interactions that stick with me are those I meet at events.
One that really touched me was my very first signing, which was in Melbourne, Australia (since I live here). I had someone come to my table and they were shaking and trembling. They requested they had both their names signed into their book, as I believe they were non-binary, and I thought they were nervous about that, so I gave them a big smile and tried to ease them. Turns out, they were just so overwhelmed with meeting me. They only went to the event to meet me and intended to leave immediately.
That love, that strength to do something that obviously made them so anxious by being in a large crowd, just to meet me truly made me see how much of a difference I make as a writer. That there is deeper meaning than just writing a spicy romance, but how these books really reach into a depth of a person.
I’ve also had a few people email me about how I made them want to stay in this world because they had something to look forward to, and I always respond to those emails as personally and touching as I can. To know I make that much of a difference to someone struggling mentally means a lot to me because I understand them on a very personal level.
What attracts you to writing monster romance, and why do you think this subgenre resonates so strongly with your audience?
I’ve been asked this question a lot, and I’m always unsure of how to answer it perfectly and concisely. It has many part answers.
I think the attraction to monster romance is the fear in it. At least for me it is. The spookier, the better. I want my monster bad, I want him evil, just so he can treat me so sweetly. It stems from what is wrong with the world, and the violence enacted by bad people…very specifically men. One in every three women have been sexually assaulted. We have been hurt. Yes, romance is for everyone, but the majority who read it are women, and we want the opposite. We want what is supposed to be evil, forceful, and hurtful to treat us as precious beings deserving of true love and kindness.
Another part of it is the desire to be loved despite being flawed. Humans are all different, we are all perfectly flawed in amazing ways, but societal norms often dictate this as unlovable. Monster romance proves love is for everyone, no matter if those flaws are on the inside or the outside, because they aren’t flaws. We are who we are, we are normal, even if societal norms dictated by bigoted old men and women think otherwise.
And lastly, humans have always wanted to get down and dirty with the monsters that go bump in the night! It’s been in mythology and stories for centuries.
What’s the best advice you’ve gotten from a fellow writer, and what advice would you give to a fellow author looking to create something special and meaningful?
I found this quote a long time ago. I don’t remember who first wrote it, as I passed over it without realising how deeply it stuck with me.
“You can edit a poorly written manuscript, but you can’t edit a blank page. So write.”
People’s anxiety and fear of doing badly are often what stops them from writing. Stop hesitating at every line or passage. Write the book, then sit down and edit it. Go through it, fix it, change it, make it wonderful.
I do a lot of self-edits before I send any manuscript to my professional editor.
What do you hope readers learn, think about, or take away from your work?
Love everyone. There is so much hate in the world. My characters are all different and my FMCs are especially flawed on purpose. They force people to face the reality that everyone has struggles but they are deserving of love. Depression can be toxic, but it doesn’t make the person any less lovable. Being too brash and overconfident doesn’t mean bad, sometimes the person has good intentions or is exceptionally frightened and doesn’t know how else to cope by spearhead forward, even if it’s stupidly.
Our differences and preferences don’t mean wrong, just different to you.
Give your fellow humans grace. We are all living in this world, struggling. Love them as you wish to be loved. Accept them as you wish to be accepted.
