Josh Lucinio

Oh My God… Josh Lucinio. He’s such an in depth character with sooo many layers. He’s dark and downright scary. His humor is as black as his soul. He’s by far, the most fun I’ve ever had with a character, but also the most heartbreaking and soul crushing. He’s had a long, torturously painful journey. To  read more about Josh and how he evolved into the Mafia King, keep reading! 

Josh, Josh, Josh. You started out my villain and made me fall in love with you. 

Yes. You read that right. Josh was never meant to be a character that lasted beyond Billion Dollar Love Story. Alex, his twin brother, was going to kill him for all he had done to Jessa over the years. It was going to be painful and torturous. Alex wasn’t going to survive it. 

But I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t write it no matter how hard I tried. Something about Josh had me. Something deep and dark. Something he kept hidden. Locked away way down in the midnight depths of his soul. I wanted to explore it, so I created an entirely new character that had no redeeming qualities. Someone so bad and who could stand out and be my villain. Someone who could redeem Josh in ways. Make him look better in everyone else’s mind. I wanted everyone to see him through my eyes. 

Enter Matthew Lucinio. Their father. A true evil being whose only possible ending was death. 

But that wasn’t it for Josh. Josh is the reason the Lucinio Family Series came to be. He needed to come full circle and get his happily ever after. I played with the idea of having him get back together with Lyric and make it all a second chance romance, but it didn’t feel right. It’s not what Josh wanted. Josh needed a fresh start. A whole new beginning. Something to show his growth, even through his demonic soul. 

I needed someone who could both stand up to him and submit. Someone as strong as him. While Lyric fit the bill, it still just didn’t feel right. As I was writing Josh, I knew who it needed to be and why. Josh needed someone who could be his light, but who also had her own dark. Someone who went through something so horrific, that she could understand him on a level no one else did. 

Dallas. 

I also needed Josh’s book to be as dark as him. I needed to really show how damaged he is. What he really dealt with all of those years ago, and how it takes time to truly recover and heal. Phoenix Rising is purely symbolism. Josh was left in complete ruins. There was nothing left of him but a shell. Still, he rose, with the support of his loved ones, to become one of the greatest mafia leaders of all time. 

Just like a Phoenix. 

Through Josh, I got to show that healing from abuse is a long road that is often dealt with for years. And I got to explore a type of writing I haven’t before. Writing mental health, PTSD especially, from the perspective of a male.

I love Josh for so many reasons, those are just a few, but I think my favorite part was showing that despite what he thinks, he’s truly capable of giving love and receiving it just as deeply. I loved showing his fears and vulnerabilities, stuff he hides behind very strong armor. He has the ability to shut off emotions, or feel them on a deeper level than most. I loved showing true masculinity and Alpha male dominance from the perspective of a man who isn’t just faking it all. Isn’t toxic. 

I hope you all love Josh as much as me. Let me know if I redeemed him from Billion Dollar Love Story and showed his growth as much as I hope I did!