Photo: M. A. Fréchette: A Master of Dark Romance Crafting Stories from the Depths of the Human Psyche.
The Intricate Dance Between Love, Power, And Human Psyche
M. A. Fréchette shares insights on blending romance with dark themes, influenced by her criminology background, and her commitment to authentic storytelling.
M . A. Fréchette’s unique approach to storytelling blends the dark and the sweet, crafting narratives that delve into the complexities of human relationships and the intricacies of the human psyche. With a background in criminology, she draws on real-life experiences and psychological insights to create compelling characters that navigate the harsh realities of love and power. In our engaging interview, Fréchette discusses her fascination with the shadows that lurk in the corners of romance, her Canadian roots, and the careful balance she strikes between graphic content and emotional authenticity. Her commitment to ensuring a hopeful resolution for her readers adds a rich layer to her work, making her stories both thought-provoking and deeply satisfying.
What draws you to explore the darkest corners of love and power in your stories rather than more conventional romantic arcs?
I’m an extremist, and so I’ve always loved the romantic but also the whole dark psyche of the mind. Putting them together felt like the most natural thing.
How did your criminology studies shape the way you portray human cruelty without needing to invent supernatural monsters?
I studied a lot of psychology along with criminology, which gave me a lot of insight into the human psyche and how some people could be so cruel – I had to study past cases and even current ones. Creating evil characters was easier because of all this.
Could you walk us through the process of balancing graphic content with emotional authenticity while keeping the reader invested in an ultimately hopeful ending?
I always guarantee a happily-ever-after ending since I do still write romance, and that’s the promise to my readers and their expectation. Life is full of ups and downs, and I just took it to both extremes to show how there can be love even if you go through horrible experiences.
Which real‐life Canadian locations or experiences have snuck into your fictional settings, and why did they feel essential to the narrative?
I’ve been reading books my whole life, and one of the things I realized it lacked was that most of the books took place in the United States. Being Canadian, I was desperate to find books that represented my country and its uniqueness. I mostly write about Ottawa, Ontario or Winnipeg, Manitoba since those are places I’ve actually lived, but in the future, I plan on adding more, including locations I haven’t necessarily lived in, but hoping to visit in the future for research purposes.
When designing covers for your own books, what visual cues do you insist on to signal both the romance and the darkness within?
I love discreet covers, and thanks to the patience of the cover designers I’ve worked with, I’m able to describe what I’m looking for and they always deliver beautiful covers. I usually make the books dark in theme, but the fonts are more on the romantic side and I think it gives a good idea to readers what they’re getting into.
In the Demon’s Love series, Celina’s bargains repeatedly force her to redefine identity and loyalty; did you map her arc in advance or discover it scene by scene?
I pretty much discovered it scene by scene, but I had an idea of the path in the outline I always write ahead of any book.
If Elora from A Thousand Words and Celina shared a room for an hour, what single piece of hard-won wisdom would each offer the other?
I think they would both agree that there’s always time to start over – start fresh. Both of them, in very different ways, learn this throughout their own stories.
What practical advice would you give to new authors who want to tackle traumatic themes without sensationalising them or losing the romance readers trust them to deliver?
If you market a book as romance, ALWAYS makes sure it has a happily-ever-after; if you don’t, you’re betraying your readers and they won’t forgive you. Trauma can be difficult to write about so don’t be afraid to check out books about psychology or even character traits that touch on different types of trauma. It doesn’t have to be the heaviest in the world for it to matter either. Pain in pain, and it’s never a competition.
