You’re the champion of the ‘monster smut’ tag. What would you recommend as a place to start for someone just dipping their toe (claw?) into the genre?
I’m not sure if I’m honored or not! Monster Romance has become increasingly mainstream. The Shape of Water won best picture a few years ago, and that movie was absolutely a Monster Romance. She had sex with the fish man! Any romance between a human and a non-human can be described as Monster Romance, so A Court of Thorns and Roses and Twilight would fall into that category. Monster Smut just dials up the sexy scenes! Ice Planet Barbarians was my gateway drug. Seven foot tall blue aliens who find their fated mates, treat them like Queens, and live to perform cunnilingus? SIGN ME UP! I am also a huge fan of Opal Reyne’s Duskwalker Brides series. I don’t know what it is that keeps drawing me to Monster Smut. Maybe the naiveté of the monsters, maybe it’s because they all seem to fall HARD for their women, or maybe it’s because they never seem to even be able to utter do much as a harsh word to their mate, even though they are a dangerous big scary monster. There is a TON of monster smut on Kindle Unlimited, so I am definitely not the only fan! In fact, after I posted a couple of reviews, some of my real-life friends sent me DMs asking for recommendations!
Your reviews are wonderfully decisive! Which do you find easier to write, the five-star or one-star reviews? (I love the line “I tore through this book like someone was going to take it away from me.”)
Thank you! As Hamilton says to Burr in Hamilton, “I’d rather be divisive than indecisive, drop the niceties.” One star reviews are far easier for me to write. I can easily articulate why I hate something. When something is amazing, all I can do is gush that I really liked it and please read it too, so I can talk to someone about it!
Have you always been a reader, or did a particular book spark your love of reading?
My Mom says I was reading when I was 3, so I literally was reading before I formed solid memories. Reading has always been a coping mechanism for me. I was definitely the stereotypical nerd in glasses with her nose buried in a book all through Middle School. I didn’t read nearly as much in high school and college, or at least I didn’t get to read stuff that wasn’t for classes. Last year, I was on BookTok a lot and everyone was talking about A Court of Thorns and Roses. I was going through a really rough patch, 6 of my pets had died within 6 months, and I thought I needed some light escapism. I DEVOURED those books, and I think I might have still been in a depressive episode if I hadn’t read A Court of Silver Flames. Nesta’s story of conquering her grief and guilt and finally thinking herself worthy of love helped me to get myself out of bed.
What author (living or dead) would you most like to meet?
That is a tough question! I got to meet Peter S. Beagle, author of my favorite book, The Last Unicorn, a few years ago, and I met Anne Rice when I was 15. I guess I would say Mercedes Lackey. Her Heralds of Valdemar saved my life in middle school, so I want to thank her for creating that world that I could escape to.
What’s your favorite genre of comfort food?
I don’t like to read while I’m eating, but when the weather is nice, I like to sit on my porch in my hammock chair with a book and a beer. Or if it’s yucky weather, on my sectional with a hot cup of tea.
My favorite genre of comfort read is and always will be fantasy. I am a sucker for anything with magic. I don’t want to read stories that could happen in this world. I want to go to faraway lands and ride on dragons!
Now that you’ve learned all about RevGirlUtena, head over and see what she’s been reading lately, and find gems like “If my choices are a boring button-up Ivy League finance bro or a mysterious immortal monster from the deep that has tentacles that can go everywhere, consign me to the sea!” Or meet other Cannonballers we’ve interviewed.
