That Time I Wrote a Romance Novel About Stephen Amell by Lexi Blake

1001 Dark Nights
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[Note From Frolic: We have a thing for novellas. A BIG thing. In the next installment of an ongoing series, we bring you a post from author Lexi Blake, whose novella ‘Enchanted‘ with our friends at 1001 Dark Nights  is out now!]

I watch too much TV. I know this for several reasons, not the least of which was my recent performance at a book convention playing Geek Geek Revolution. I sat there on a panel with super-smart authors who answered every question about Jane Austen and the history of romance with aplomb.

What questions did I answer? Every single question about Gilmore Girls, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Friends, The Flash, and yes, Arrow. I didn’t hesitate. No one could get their paddle up faster than me when the romance in question occurred on the boob tube. I was more accurate than the dude on Jeopardy. Damon Suede, who was our host for the event, posited that I might have a bionic eye and was in fact watching television even as I was sitting there playing the game.

I would totally do that.

But the truth of the matter is TV is my favorite medium. Don’t get me wrong. I love books, but I spend my days writing them. When I want to turn my brain off and be told a story, I like TV. TV – especially since the nineties—has taken long-form storytelling seriously. While I might love a movie, it ends after a couple of hours. With television, I get years of inhabiting the world. And sometimes I do get a little obsessive, and it spills over to the pages of my books.

Which brings me to that time I wrote a romance novel about Stephen Amell.

I might have a little obsession with Arrow. It’s a TV show based on the DC comic about a billionaire playboy who ends up as a dark knight style superhero saving his city and taking revenge. The actor who plays Oliver Queen is Stephen Amell, and to say that man is hot doesn’t do him justice. Much of the first season of Arrow is devoted to Oliver Queen doing that thing on a salmon ladder that made ovaries across the globe flutter. He was sexy. He was earnest. He had an eight-pack. I pretty much made every friend I have watch the show. Beyond the sexiness that is Stephen Amell, it’s got great writing and characters I was so invested in. The romance between Oliver and Felicity is one of my favorites. They practically burn up the screen in some scenes and are super tender in others. I genuinely believe these people love each other, and that can be hard to show on screen. I was hooked from the very start.

A few years later I needed a brother for one of my main characters and it suited the storyline that said brother be a popular actor. In true meta style, I had this character playing one of the main characters in a movie being made based on a book by one of the heroines that also followed the storyline of book five of the series. Yeah. I’m that author. Anyway, naturally my actor character would need a backstory, and he had to have starred in a hit TV show. Where would I find that inspiration? I turned on the TV to my favorite show and…

Jared Johns and Dart were born.

Jared had all of Stephen’s charm and good looks, and the dark as night backstory every good future romance hero needs. I didn’t intend for him to have his own book. He was there as a foil to his brother, to spur the hero of that book on. Like most characters he had a life of his own and took off, and here we are a couple of years later and the little character who was based on my deep love for Stephen Amell has shown up in several books. He gets teased about the fact that he plays a superhero who takes out the baddies with alien darts, and everyone asks him why he doesn’t simply pick up a gun. He handles it all with aplomb – much like I suspect the real man would. And I’m pretty sure he’s going to get the girl in Enchanted, too.

And that’s how watching way too much TV helps this author. Inspiration. It can come from anywhere.

Also, I am expecting the restraining order from Amell any day now. I can only hope he personally signs it.

About the Author:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places. Lexi believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem. Find Her Here: http://www.lexiblake.net

Enchanted by Lexie Blake
Enchanted by Lexi Blake, out now! 

A snarky submissive princess. Sarah Stevens’s life is pretty sweet. By day, she’s a dedicated trauma nurse and by night, a fun-loving club sub. She adores her job, has a group of friends who have her back, and is a member of the hottest club in Dallas. So why does it all feel hollow? Could it be because she fell for her dream man and can’t forgive him for walking away from her? Nope. She’s not going there again. No matter how much she wants to.

A prince of the silver screen. Jared Johns might be one of the most popular actors in Hollywood, but he lost more than a fan when he walked away from Sarah. He lost the only woman he’s ever loved. He’s been trying to get her back, but she won’t return his calls. A trip to Dallas to visit his brother might be exactly what he needs to jump-start his quest to claim the woman who holds his heart. 

A masquerade to remember. For Charlotte Taggart’s birthday, Sanctum becomes a fantasyland of kinky fun and games. Every unattached sub gets a new Dom for the festivities. The twist? The Doms must conceal their identities until the stroke of midnight at the end of the party. It’s exactly what Sarah needs to forget the fact that Jared is pursuing her. She can’t give in to him, and the mysterious Master D is making her rethink her position when it comes to signing a contract. Jared knows he was born to play this role, dashing suitor by day and dirty Dom at night. 

When the masks come off, will she be able to forgive the man who loves her, or will she leave him forever?

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