Indie Support Sunday: AX Cole

Oct 12
6 min read

When asked who she’d cast as the leads if her books were turned into movies, AX Cole admitted that she doesn’t see her characters that way. But she would definitely choose Guy Ritchie as the director. And this might be my favourite answer to this question. Her author bio even says “she’s fascinated by villains and the morally questionable”, and who better than Guy Ritchie to capture the world that she’s created in her stories?

While she writes dark romances, found family is a huge part of her storytelling. AX likes building a world that readers can get lost in and escape into every single day, which is also where her inspiration comes from. She says she’s never believed in the concept of love, but AX’s reason for choosing romance as a genre is very true and something most of us readers also agree with.

Her latest release—The Last Feast—and all her other books are currently available in Kindle Unlimited!

BEING AN AUTHOR

Who or what inspired you to write?

I don’t see images or have an inner monologue, so I always have to actively think of something or the inside of my head is just a void (LMAO). It meant that I would be daydreaming 24/7 and then I’d end up losing my place in the stories I’d tell myself, so I started writing them in the notes app on my phone. My inspiration comes from different things, but mainly a feeling of wanting to escape into a different world for a little while.

What’s the best and worst part about being an indie author?

I haven’t been doing this very long and I don’t really class myself as an author. I’m way too laidback with things in general, so this is more something I do for fun. It’s cool that other people want to know about the voices in my head. I think the worst part is knowing that parts of myself are out in the world when I’m really introverted and private.

Why did you choose to self-publish instead of going the traditional route?

Honestly, I didn’t even think of publishing in the first place. It was a totally random Tuesday night and I just decided to set up a KDP account at like 11pm. I left it untouched for months before I’d actually done anything with it.

When you’re not writing, what do you do to get the creative juices flowing?

Listen to music and hike. I live by the coast in Yorkshire so we have loads of hiking trails through the national parks and then the beach.

If you were to recommend books to me (in any genre), what would they be?

No idea. I’m the worst reader because I forget everything I’ve read as soon as I’ve finished reading.

ROMANCE AS A GENRE

Why did you choose romance as the genre to write in? What is your favorite thing about the genre?

Anyone who knows me in real life laughs about the genre I write in. I’ve never believed in the concept of love and I like exploring that. Especially with darker themes. I think my brain is arguing with itself about love being real (lol!) The best thing about the genre is having the safety that it will all end okay. From the first page to the last it can be a wild ride, but there’s a huge comfort in the back of my head that the characters will still be happy at the end. Life is super unpredictable and it doesn’t have that surety.

If not romance/subgenres of romance, what genre would you like to write in?

Horror or thriller.

What are your most and least favorite tropes?

I’m terrible with tropes and a mood reader. This is controversial, but surprise baby and pregnancy tropes are my guilty pleasure.

What are some topics (sensitive and otherwise) that you think should exist more in romance?

Captive. I have the idea for one but I’m a very stubborn person so I can’t work out how to make the character who’s taken forgive the other without doing something wild as payback.

If you write open door romance, why did you choose that and what inspires your sex scenes?

With writing darker themes, I like the fact that I can show a character's vulnerability. They’re not just stripped down physically and there’s a certain amount of mental intimacy that’s needed before physical intimacy in some cases. Other times, the characters are in need of a cold shower and do what they want.

YOUR BOOKS

What inspired your published stories? How and when did you come up with these stories and plots?

The Memento Trilogy started as a horror movie idea because I’m a bit morbid so that’s what I do in my free time. It started in 2018 and grew from there until I forced myself to write it in 2024. They usually start from one scene, then end up being wildly different to what I thought the characters would originally be.

Can you briefly tell me about your books?

I tend to write in series because found family is a huge part of the storylines and I like sticking with the same characters for a while. They’re also part of their own little universe with cameos from previous books popping in and out of the storyline(s).

They range from mafia to uber-dark.

Do you already have a favorite character from the stories you’ve written?

100%. It does change day by day. Even though the books are written the characters are still living in my head, so they get random content of going about their day or when a funny scene pops up.

The Memento Trilogy has my current favourite characters and they’re the most complex.

If you were to cast your book for a movie/television show, who would you cast in the lead roles?

Because I don’t see images in my mind, I struggle with fancasts. I know who I would pick as the producer/director because he’s done my favourite organised crime movies – Guy Ritchie.

How much of yourself do you put into these characters?

A lot. Probably too much. Each character has traits that are either a version of myself or someone I wanted to be. They also work through different events of my life that I’ve compartmentalised and pushed down which can be hard to let go of.

What is a story/stories that you really want to tell?

I spent over 8 years thinking about Devious Delusions and I’m actually just finishing up the trilogy. I kept putting it off because it’s super dark and twisted (it’s more of a horror/thriller with ‘romance’ elements). It’s about a stalker and features psychological abuse heavily throughout it.

Is there one common element that readers can find in all your stories?

Some form of psychological abuse whether it’s on page or historic. When I was a kid, I heard someone say that mental abuse is worse than physical because you can watch a bruise heal and see for yourself that it’s leaving your body. It always stuck with me. As I’ve grown up and understood the world around me, I agree. There are little things that can change moods that seem like nothing to someone else but it depends on your association with them. And something less creepy is humour. I like to put things in my books that are funny to me. Especially because they’re darker themes and I’m a person who deals with things by laughing about them.

What’s next on the bookshelf for you? Anything you can tell us about a future project?

Finishing the trilogy after the second book was left on a literal cliffhanger. There’s a secret project that I’ve been working on as a bit of a mental break that isn’t quite as dark, but it’s adopted siblings who are chaotic and he yearns for so long it’s a personality trait.

When you write these stories, what are you hoping your readers will feel?

I’ve never thought about anyone reading what I write. I usually just write for myself and then if someone else likes it that’s cool.