Guest Blog: Danica Avet

My Superhero Obsession

First, I’d like to say thank you for having me on the blog today. It’s always fun to visit new places!

As I’m sure y’all are aware, I have a new book out called Touched by Lightning. It’s an erotic paranormal romance about people with superhuman abilities. In this world, an organization called the Order of Themis is comprised of thousands of people who display those abilities and use them to protect the innocent from injustice. I like to think of it as a blending of X-Men and The Crow. Which is what this post is about, how much I adore my superheroes.

Like most kids, I always wanted to be “special” in some way. When I was young, I was enthralled by Wonder Woman, The Greatest American Hero, old episodes of Batman and Jem and the Holograms. Heh. Yeah, I threw Jem in there. Those were shows I couldn’t get enough of and maybe that helped shape my love affair with all things superhuman. I didn’t read comics. It wasn’t something that appealed to me, but I did love to watch them on television.

Then The Crow came out when I was in high school. Am I showing my age here? Eh. Well, that was the first time I really thought about the struggles and agony a superhero could go through. Sure, most of Eric Draven’s darkness was a result of how he and his girlfriend were killed, but it was gut wrenching to watch. The love he had for her, the lengths he went to in order to avenge her death were the things a romance writer lives for. By that time, I was thoroughly in love with the idea of superheroes.

And then came the X-Men cartoon. I knew about the X-Men before then because even though I didn’t read the comics, I’d seen them and was fascinated by the idea of people with such an array of abilities. Who wouldn’t be? But what grabbed my attention the most was Gambit. Sure, everyone else can go gaga over Wolverine, but Gambit was my man. Oh yes. Like me, he was Cajun and I thought that was enough for us to live happily ever after. It didn’t matter that he had an atrocious Hollywood styled Cajun accent. He was cool, he was charming and had that droll sense of humor. I was in love.

Unfortunately for me, Gambit already had a lady love in Rogue. I didn’t exactly like it, mind you, but at least he wasn’t tripping over his tongue for Jean Grey like everyone else. I mean, what was so special about Jean Grey anyway? She was all drama. At least Rogue was cool and tough. If I had to lose Gambit’s heart to anyone, I suppose Rogue was a good enough choice. And even in that damn cartoon, there was all this tension between them that had me glued to the television. It didn’t matter that I was in college, that I would race home on Saturday morning to catch the newest episode. I was hooked.

So when I began writing, I started with the usual paranormal beings. Vampires, shapeshifters, demons, etc., but it wasn’t until 2012 that I started to feel the urge to write my own superheroes. No, not the latex, cape wearing superheroes. I wanted to write about superheroes who were just like regular people except for their abilities. They don’t hide who they are, but they use their abilities to bring justice to the world.

When I said I consider this world a cross between X-Men and The Crow, I meant it. The Order of Themis plays host to beings with a wide variety of abilities from telekinesis to mediumship to elemental manipulation and everything in between. But the world is also dark and raw because even with the evil they’re trying to defeat, each person has their own story to tell, their own heartbreaks and tragedies that make up who they are. And that’s what we’re trying to convey in this series.

I guess The Crow has influenced me more than I originally thought because when I wrote up the proposal for this world, the same quote circled around my head and as I wrote Touched by Lightning, it pushed me to write the best story I possibly could. I wanted to write a book about how love and happiness can happen even when it seems impossible for you to get over your past, the agonies of betrayals because as Eric Draven said, “It can’t rain all the time.”

So how about y’all? Do you have one superhero, or supernatural character or movie that speaks to you more than others? Also, am I the only person in the world who thinks Jean Grey was overrated?

Thanks for having me today!

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Excerpt:

He sighed and took his hat off to run his fingers through his hair, his frustration with her silence obvious. “Look, I’m sorry…” He looked at her and away, his cheeks turning even darker. His Adams apple bobbed as he gulped, but he brought his gaze back around to meet her gaze again, hungry resolve in his eyes. “I’m sorry for what I did to you in the woods.” He cleared his throat and settled his hat back on his head. She wasn’t staring at his biceps that bulged and flexed with the movement and the warmth in her belly had absolutely nothing to do with attraction. “There’s some powerful chemistry between us, sweetheart,” he finally said on a near growl. “And it just got the better of me. I swear I won’t touch you again until you want me to.”

With each word he spoke, her jaw dropped a little more until she was gaping at him, her brain firing on all cylinders as she processed his belief in his attractions. Okay, he was hot. He had that power thing mingling with some country-boy charm, which she found extremely sexy despite her natural repulsion of all things male. He knew how to ply his electricity in such a way that it made a woman cream with want. His body… The man had a body to die for and those tattoos just begged her to explore them with her fingers and tongue.

Even his confidence was sexy to an extent. Her brain rejected that thought. He was assuming she’d just fall into his lap like some slut. Because you totally did twice before, idiot, Sixteen reminded her with a satisfied chuckle. All that man has to do is lay a kiss on you and you’re a goner.

Her cheeks flushed at the reminder because it was true. He’d kissed her twice and both times she’d fallen prey to his power and that fucking chemistry she wasn’t prepared to defend herself against. It wasn’t as though it was something she’d come into contact with before. Sixteen was the sexual one, the one who discovered the men who wanted to be dominated by a woman. Gyda just let her have her way and pretended it never happened. So yeah, she had no idea how to fight attraction like this.

And he planned to use it against her. Holy shit.

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When empath Gyda St. Germaine is rescued from a sex-trafficking ring, she vows vengeance on her tormentors. Aided by two distinct personalities who bolster her powers, she becomes a vigilante, hungry for revenge. Her path of retribution tosses her into the arms of an Order of Themis Siphon and her world is turned upside down. Fighting her past takes a backseat to her all-consuming desire for the man whose honor and sense of justice go against everything she believes.

The moment electricity manipulator Brit Harper stumbled across a feral woman with a bloody knife, his life changed. Black and white becomes gray as the scales of justice tip. Fascinated by her strength and the darkness in her eyes, he vows to teach her the true meaning of justice, and help her explore the passion sizzling between them. But when the evil haunting Gyda’s dreams returns in the flesh, he’ll have to choose between his beliefs and the woman he loves.

Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/U22LHnllx8A

Available from:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
All Romance eBooks
Ellora’s Cave

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About the Author:

Danica Avet was born and raised in the wilds of South Louisiana (that would be somewhere around Houma) where mosquitoes are big enough to carry off small children and there are only two seasons: hot and hotter. With a BA in History, she figured there were enough fry cooks in the world and decided to try her hand at writing.

Danica is the lucky pet of a compulsively needy dog and two cats. The pitter-patter of little feet has been known to make her break out into a cold sweat.

Writing is how she gives the voices in her head a way out. When she isn’t writing, working or contemplating the complexities of the universe, she spends time gathering inspiration from her insane family, reads far more than any sane person would want to, and watches hot burly men chase an oblong ball all over a field.

Website: www.danicaavet.com
Blog: www.danicaavet.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danica.avet
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/4702737.Danica_Avet
Twitter: @DanicaAvet

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