Intelligent and dynamic, USA Today bestselling author J.R. Ward knows her bad boys, falls hard for her heroes, and offers up the low-down on why we love a band of brothers. Read on …

MB: What or who inspired your novel?

JRW: Ive always been a Dracula fan, that's for sure! I mean, vampires captured my interest from early on, but I was frustrated that so often they were the bad guys. So that was my basis ... But as for what inspired me, the Brotherhood did! They just came to me in a big rush about two years ago. The world appeared in my head, all the conflicts and the rules and how it fit together. And the Brothers ... yes, the Brothers showed up as well, all 2,000 pounds of them. Faced with this overwhelming onslaught, I was like, okaaaaaaaaaaay, guess this is what I'm writing next. I'm so happy they came and found me!

MB: Why are vampire romances so popular now?

JRW: Vampires are inherently sexy and powerful and make for excellent heroes! I think they're popular now because for a long time, their potential wasn't explored in the romantic context and finally they're getting their due. But then I'm biased.

MB: What do you like most about your novel?

JRW: In "Lover Eternal," I think I like ... Rhage the best. And the reason is because I wasn't head over heels in love with him in the beginning (although of course I thought he was an amazing alpha male). The thing is, he's beautiful. Jaw-droppingly beautiful. And there's something about a perfect man that is hard to connect to. At the start, all I saw in Rhage was the perfect face, the perfect body, the sexy, sexy, sexy attitude. But as the book progressed, I got to know his struggles and his fears. And I fell for him hard!

MB: Who is the most heroic person you know?

JRW: I know a lot of them. I believe people are heroes in their every day lives if they take care of their families, they relish their friends, they do good where they can and avoid hurting others whenever possible. It takes quiet courage to live a good life. That's to be lauded.

MB: Who's your romance hero: dark brooding bad boy or white knight in shining armor?

JRW: Dark, brooding bad boy! Definitely! I can't get enough of them... I mean, of all the brothers, I love Zsadist the best, so yes, the bad boys are for me. I think the appeal is in their redemption -- they have farther to come, more to heal, a harder road to find and accept love. The struggle is the thing that gets to me.

MB: How do you decide which Brother to feature in each story?

JRW: OK, this is going to sound a little strange, but they tell me! The order of the first six books came to me very clearly. Each one builds on the one before it and the progression into the world is logical. As for the four after that, I'm getting a sense of who comes after whom -- but they'll let me know ...

MB: Why do we dig the "Band of Brothers" concept with regard to heroes of series?

JRW: I think the paradigm is very enticing because you get to know and become invested in the future heroes. If the band of brothers set up is done well, the nuances of the men or males are revealed over time and in different ways. It's the tapestry effect, a layering that results in heroes that are very vivid. And hopefully appealing!

MB: Tell me something about an aspect of the Black Dagger Brotherhood you didn't realize until someone pointed it out to you.

JRW: Ummm ... jeez, I hope this doesn't come across badly, but it's my business to know about the world. That's my very enjoyable job. I need to be the expert and that means that I have to be so seeped in it that I've thought of all the corners and contradictions, the rights and wrongs. I will say, that some of the readers have guessed a few of the surprises -- and I love that! It means that they're reading carefully!