Get ready to learn more about the book Blood as Sweet as Roses in this discussion with sapphic author Remi Lebeau.
Join us for an exclusive peek behind the scenes as we quiz Remi Lebeau about Blood as Sweet as Roses, writing, reading, and more.
This book is part of the Dark Romance category in the 2025 IHS Reading Challenge.
Why did you write Blood as Sweet as Roses?
This book is a spin-off of my sapphic vampire trilogy Fangs and Feuds. Once I finished writing that trilogy, I immediately missed the characters and the world so much. I felt like I had more to explore, and I wanted to write something even darker and spicier. I was also craving a love interest who’s the leader of her clan, who’s the “villain.” And I thought it would be fun to write a human main character who isn’t very knowledgeable about the magical world, so readers get to experience what it’s like to fall into this dark, dangerous underworld.
Who is your favorite character in the book?
Definitely Crimson. Another reason I really wanted to write this book is because I wanted to write a sapphic masc character who’s incredibly powerful, dominant, and shows everyone who’s boss. She’s really the king, and she knows it. Other vampires challenge her throughout the book, but she always puts them in her place, and it was SO much fun to write. She does have her own inner demons to conquer as part of her character arc, and that’s really where she grows.
What part of Blood as Sweet as Roses was the most fun to write?
Honestly, this whole book was so much fun to write. It’s almost impossible to choose just one part, but if I had to, I would say the initial scenes between Paige and Crimson were super fun. Paige really has no idea what she’s getting into when she becomes a blood donor and she immediately gets swept up into the conflict between Crimson and the other vampires. In their first interaction, Paige is so nervous that she breaks a glass and cuts her arm, and you can imagine how that goes.
How did you come up with the title for your book?
The original title for this book was actually “Blood and Roses,” because of the scene where Murad quotes “hearts starve as well as bodies” to Crimson. But I was worried if it was called “Blood and Roses” it might get confused with other books with a similar title. Then when I was writing the scene where Sabina reveals the full prophecy to Paige, the line “with blood as sweet as roses” was just perfect, and it ended up becoming the final title of the book. Paige is compared to a rose often throughout the book – she’s sweet but her beauty is described as subtle, like the subtle sweetness of a rose, the kind of beauty that settles on you rather than hitting you over the head.
What is your writing process like?
I’m definitely a plotter! I go off the rails very quick if I don’t have an outline. But I’m also flexible when I write. My characters walk onto the page fully formed, and they sometimes have different plans than the outline I originally came up with. That can be tricky when I have to rework things, but it’s usually worth it. And sometimes twists come up that I didn’t see coming, like when Paige meets Lily at the Respite hotel. I couldn’t NOT take advantage of that twist. I’m always going to raise the stakes if I can! (But I won’t say what it is because it’s a major spoiler.)
How do you celebrate when you finish your book?
I celebrate finishing a book by immediately spiralling into a panic attack about whether people are going to like it or not. And my girlfriend usually takes me out to dinner and she gives me a very well-worn speech about how I get nervous every single time I release a book, but it always works out. Which it does, but I’m an anxious person and I can’t help it!
Do you have a pet who helps/hinders your typing?
My personal assistant is a three-year-old husky mix, who looks like a wolf and has the personality to match. She loves to help me out by photobombing all my tiktoks, howling uncontrollably when I’m trying to get a newsletter out, and panting loudly at me while I’m writing an important scene. I pay her in freezedried chicken and squeaky blue balls (NOT orange balls – she only likes the blue ones). She’s a terrible employee, but I don’t have the heart to let her go in this economy.
Have you ever cried when writing an emotional scene?
I cry a lot while I’m writing, and this book was no exception. I cried the most when I was writing the scene where Crimson breaks down in front of Paige. It’s the first time that Crimson has ever let someone to take care of her, and it was very emotional for me to write. One thing I love about writing (and reading!) is being able to connect to characters even if they’re totally different from me. Obviously, I am not a super-powerful, 300-year-old vampire, but I do know what it’s like to feel alone for a long time, and then to suddenly have someone there who’s willing to hold you through it, even though it’s hard. The line “It’s only then that the pain comes. It comes in through the door she’s opened” really gets me every time. Crimson’s always had walls up that stop her from processing the pain she’s experienced. And it’s only when Paige allows her to be weak that she can finally feel it. You don’t need to be an ancient vampire to understand what that means.
Do you feel bad putting your characters through the wringer?
I LOVE putting characters through challenges and raising the stakes through the roof. This is probably going to sound terrible, but it’s actually one of my favourite things about writing! And I do think it’s important for character growth. Characters aren’t forced to change unless they have to go through difficult things, and a happily-ever-after is so much more satisfying if the characters really have to earn it. Some things I feel bad about, like what Crimson had to do in Chapter 31 (“The thing that’s heavy”). But that’s what helped her to ultimately be able to open up and confront her trauma, so it had a purpose.
What books have you read more than once in your life?
I don’t often read books more than once, but I have an old copy of “Fingersmith” by Sarah Waters that I love coming back to. She’s such an incredible writer, and the twists are so good!! I wish I could read it for the first time again. It’s period fiction, and she really makes you feel like you’re in that time period. And I love some sapphic yearning, but it also doesn’t feel too slow.
Do you only read books in one genre or do you genre hop?
I’m all over the place – I love reading widely. Plus I get easily bored so I need to switch things up. I read graphic novels, memoirs, poetry, romance, lit fic, fantasy, psychology, and WAY too many productivity books. Oh, and I love reading about history, especially ancient history. The only thing I can’t read is horror, I get scared easily!
