All about the novel Beta
Who is Jillian Rink?
Jillian writes spicy romance with sweet characters forced into rough situations. She spends her days enjoying the sun in Colorado. When she’s not writing, she’s wrangling children, animals, and the garden. Often times all at once.
What is Beta about?
Alphas are strong.
Alphas are possessive.
Alphas are territorial.
Alphas are completely out of my league. For Betas like me, a normal, average life is the standard. We aren’t taught how to handle Alphas or what to expect of Omegas in heat. We’re sent off on our merry way to lead a completely mundane life.
I should have given up the dream of ending up with an Alpha or Omega four years ago when I was ungraciously dumped by my first love. But if there’s something to know about me, it’s that I’m a romantic to the core. So when my sad heart sets its sights on Rylan, the aloof, sexy-as-sin Alpha in the symphony, I know to keep my distance until the interest fades.
Except it doesn’t. And now, I’m forced to be his roommate due to an unfortunate water pipe bursting in my own apartment. Even worse? An Alpha has set his sights on me, and I’m powerless to resist.
I’m caught between two enigmatic Alphas while knowing that none of this can last. And the worst part? I know they’ll take what’s left of my decimated heart with them when they leave. How could they not? They’re Alphas, destined to match with an Omega.
And me?
I’m just a Beta.
Interview
What was your inspiration for Beta?
Beta started out as a quick short story exercise to understand the dynamics of the male main characters of Knot Your Business, which releases in July. I realized trying to write that one scene that their story was more complicated than I originally thought, and thus the novella was born!
What drew you to writing?
I’ve been writing fanfiction on and off since I was a preteen. Like lots of other young moms, it got lost in the shuffle of my early twenties while trying to juggle a family. I came back to it in the fall of 2022.
How did you choose which character to centre the story around?
For Beta, I knew it would be centered around Jasper because of the small snippets we see of him in Ready or Knot. He is so calm and level headed but also oblivious to a lot of people being interested in him because he thinks his designation is a detriment.
What was your process for writing Beta?
For Beta, I drew the relationship maps first. Since I write primarily Why Choose and Polyamorous stories, this maps can get a bit confusing. Once I figured out the dynamic between the three men, I built the story out using the 5 sentence method and then worked backwards from there! Sometimes scenes just demand to be written, so I play with those as well. Chapter 12 is one of those moments!
What is your approach to world and character building?
I use characters as a way to build out the world and then fill in the gaps. So I look at a character and something that happened in their past, and I follow that line all the way back. What allowed that thing to happen? Why did that thing happen exactly then? For contemporary stories, it’s more about how the paranormal or omegaverse have affected the world as we know it. So for Beta, I followed the string of why Jasper was in LA, and built most of his (and Violet’s) backstory from the answers I found!
How would you describe Beta in five words?
A spicy, frustrating polyam origin story
Did you have a favourite moment in the book to write?
I loved writing the end of chapter 12! Rylan is so used to his Alpha designation getting him what he wants since people are naturally inclined to let them lead. When Jasper doesn’t immediately fall into what Rylan is suggesting (nonverbally and poorly communicated), he realizes he isn’t as content with his designation as he thought. I love small little angsty moments like that!
What was your favourite book growing up?
I was one of those preteens girls who loved Twlight way too much. (Posters all around my room and highlighted my books level!) Breaking Dawn was my favorite of them. I’m sure that says something about me as a person, but… I’m not going to touch that. 😂
Do you have a favourite genre to read?
I love fantasy romance! Fantasy is so much fun, but my anxiety prefers to know going in that there will be a happy ending for the main character. It’s a lovely mix of both worlds!
Leave a Reply