Here’s a thing about sexy romance novels: they don’t generally contain a lot of rats.
Body parts in various states of arousal? Check. Incredibly unresolved tension that sweats off the page? Check. A love that breaks your heart and mends it again? Check. Rats? FAIL.
You can find rat shifters, true, if that’s your thing, although compared to wolves, panthers, dolphins and honey badgers, rats have an inexplicably low profile, and rarely seem to get hero/heroine status. Those I have found have all been in m/f. I am not aware of a single m/m rat shifter story. I think there’s some kind of conspiracy at work.
After all, rats are fascinating. They’re highly intelligent, and highly organised. They have complex social structures, and care for each other. They can survive a five-storey drop, and swim non-stop for three days, and a pack of rats can take down a pig. There is probably a rat within twenty feet of you right now. They probably watch you while you sleep.
And yet, no rats in romance. Why not? Is it the size? The crawling through sewers and eating garbage? Are we really still bearing a grudge about the whole ‘Black Death wiping out 60% of Europe’s population’ thing?
Even playing second fiddle, even as a minor plot strand, rats don’t get much of a look in. When I submittedA Case of Possession to Samhain, it was titled ‘A Calling of Rats’. My editor, with terrific courtesy and professionalism, did not actually reply, ‘HAHAHA NO ARE YOU INSANE’, but to be honest, it would have been fair enough if she had. Rats in the title, indeed.
I mention this because A Case of Possession may contain one or two rats. A few. It’s undeniably on the rodenty side, here and there. Alright, basically, it’s about a plague ofgiant rats.
Well, not about. It’s about a tall, wealthy, handsome man who doesn’t want to be in England, and the short, overworked, fraying-at-the-edges man who’s keeping him there. It’s about the courage it takes to admit to who you are, and commit that truth to someone else. It’s about power, and sacrifice, and the fact that the past never goes away. It’s about a man who finds himself unexpectedly and deeply in love with someone who may not love him back, or at least, not enough.
And it’s also about what happens when those two men and their complicated love life encounter giant killer rats. Well, we wouldn’t want things to be too easy…
KJ Charles would like to apologise to rodentophobes* for A Case of Possession, out with Samhain on 28 January. A Case of Possession is the sequel to The Magpie Lord, and a free short story set between the two is available now from Smashwords. There’s also a free story from Lord Crane’s dubious past available exclusively from this blog.
*The correct term is suriphobes, apparently. I did not know that.
Rats rats and more rats!!
And cue me never going to sleep again. And I thought my cats watching me sleep was creepy.
[…] Guest blog at Sid Love, 22 Jan, on rodents and romance […]
LOL! As it happens, I’ve just finished the first draft of Caught!, my mm romance featuring a rat catcher (a profession that is for some reason woefully under-represented in the ranks of romantic heroes). It’s due out from Samhain in August, but (no spoilers!) I can neither confirm nor deny the presence of actual rats in the story. 😉
Looking forward to Jan 28th!
You have me intrigued. I’m a sucker for British men! Added it to my list to buy on the 28th.
Thx for another great review!
This line, “Are we really still bearing a grudge about the whole ‘Black Death wiping out 60% of Europe’s population’ thing?” *snort*
I pre-ordered a while ago. Can’t wait to download on the 28th! 🙂
Well this post started off well since ratties are highly intelligent, sweet, and affectionate creatures with their people and their caffeinated. They like to groom and clean each other. They stay healthiest in a clean environment. I’m a devoted rattie mama. I loved “Magpie Lord”, so hopefully not all the rats will be “bad guys”. It is true there’s a huge difference between wild and domestic rats but a
I would be perfectly happy if rat catchers and pest control didn’t figure in as romantic leads.
Ahahahah! Fantastic topic. I am also a supporter of more rodents in romance, though I think next time I’ll have them as protagonists, or at least not the usual “rats are teh evil” slant.
Have you read Pratchet’s take on the Pied Piper? “The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents” has some amazing rodent characters. ^_^
/goes and adds A Case of Possession to the “read me” list
[…] guys to finish, and I have blogged myself and probably everyone else to exhaustion this week, on rodents and romance, writing historical paranormal, secondary characters, the shady side of Victorian London, and […]
JL Merrow – Ratcatchers! Fantastic! This is definitely a trend now.
Leona – yes, loved The Amazing Maurice. Great book.
How did I miss this post? You’re once, again, creeping me out Ms. Charles!!