Author Interview: Rebecca Yarros | Romance Thursdays
This week on Romance Thursdays I had the chance to interview Rebecca Yarros. If you haven’t checked out the rest of my interviews in this series be sure to and see what other romance authors have to say. My last interview was with historical romance author Eva Devon.
Romance Thursdays is a feature that spotlights romance authors to highlight how amazing the romance writing community is. Each week I’m will be interviewing a different romance author from across subgenres as well as both traditionally and self-published. I want to share their experience writing romance and why they love it so much. While also focusing on their writing and books.
If you don’t know by now Rebecca Yarros is one of my favourite romance authors. I’ve been reading her for years and I think I’ve now read nearly every one of her books. Just a few more to go. She is the author of the Flight & Glory series, The Renegades series, The Last Letter, her recent release The Things We Leave Unfinished and more.
Hi Rebecca, and welcome to Angel Reads. For those that haven’t read anything by you yet. Tell us a little about yourself and your books?
Hi there! Thank you so much for having me! Hmmm…I’m a military wife (whose husband just retired after 22 years, phew!) who writes emotional romances and women’s fiction. I have about fifteen books published!
Why did you start writing romance novels? Is there anything in particular that drew you to it over other genres?
I love the intricacies of relationships and how one person can really change us for the rest of our lives, and man does romance fit that bill! I love falling in love, and since I’ve loved my husband for the last twenty-one years, I get to feel that head-over-heels feeling with every new book.
You have written a range of different contemporary romances from military romances to hotshot firefighters and musicians and daredevils. What have been some of your favourite things to explore while writing these books?
I wish you could see my face over here grinning that you know that! My favorites have been ones that push my boundaries. The Renegades were super fun because I don’t often write about extreme sports. The Things We Leave Unfinished was my absolute favorite book because I loved researching WWII and exploring the dynamics and damage that comes from a past heartbreak.
What is your favourite thing about romance as a genre? Why do you like reading and writing it?
I love falling in love and getting that giddy rush every time I crack open a book. Reading it lets me fall in love over and over again, and writing it allows me to really vent out my own emotions.
Your upcoming release The Things We Leave Unfinished is a little bit different from other books have you written. From being told in alternating timelines and exploring the lives of some new characters. What was it like going into this one? Do you go about it any differently than your other novels?
This one scared the crap out of me. Everything about it was different from a plotting standpoint. I had to make sure each of the stories could stand on their own with fully fleshed-out characters who went on their own journeys, and then I had to layer the stories so they intertwined and enhanced the other. It was a long couple of nights with moving index cards around on my dining room table!
What are some of your favourite tropes that you like reading and writing in the romance genre?
For writing, I love a good bad boy who’s a sucker for only one girl, and I really adore second chance, though I don’t write much of it.
When it comes to reading, I lean more toward fantasy and paranormal, so I’m a sucker for all kinds of tropes. Give me the one bed in the hotel, the chosen one, the fated mates, the hero’s journey. ALL OF IT.
Who are some of your favourite romance authors? Who inspired you to write?
When it comes to romcom, I love Cindi Madsen. Turning up the heat, I love Gina Maxwell. If I’m looking for angst, I’m grabbing Tijan or Colleen Hoover, and when it comes to fantasy, I’m absolutely in love with Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout. Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan were huge inspirations and I wouldn’t be a writer if it weren’t for Mercedes Lackey.
What are some of the ways that you think we can start overcoming the stigma of romance novels?
I think by broadcasting loudly how much we all love romance. Treating romance like it’s the dirty little secret of the literary industry when in fact it’s one of the pillars holding the industry up is absurd, yet here we are. If every person who loved romance openly talked about it, I think the stigma would vanish…well, except from the insecure folks who balk at a woman exploring her sexuality. Those people will always exist, but I hope they’ll trend into the minority.
Thank you so much for coming by Angel Reads. It was lovely having you here. And I can’t wait to read more of your books!
Thank you so much for having me!
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I hope that you enjoyed this interview with Rebecca Yarros. This interview was a blast and I love that I get to share it with you.
If there is an author that you would like to see featured here, please do let me know. And I will try my best. If you are a romance author and would like to be apart of Romance Thursdays, don’t hesitate to message me.
Have you read any of Rebecca Yarros books before? What did you think of them? Are you excited for more Romance Thursday posts? Let’s Chat!
About the Author
Rebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and a lover of all things coffee, chocolate, and paleo. She is the author of The Last Letter, the Renegade series, and the Flight & Glory series, which includes Full Measures, the award-winning Eyes Turned Skyward, Beyond What is Given, and Hallowed Ground. She loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for eighteen years.
When she’s not writing, she’s tying hockey skates for her four sons, sneaking in some guitar time, or watching brat-pack movies with her two daughters. She lives in Colorado with the hottest Apache pilot ever, their rambunctious gaggle of kids, and an English bulldog who is more stubborn than sweet. Having fostered and adopted their youngest daughter, Rebecca is passionate about helping others in the foster system through her nonprofit, One October.
