Please welcome author Cara Bristol back to the blog. I’m sure you’ll enjoy her post on paranormal romance as I did. Please make Cara feel welcome by leaving your questions and comments for her in the comments section following this post.
Moonlight (The Television Show, Vampires & Paranormal Romance
By Cara Bristol
I’d read Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot, but never gave much thought to vampires until Moonlight appeared on television.
Alex O’Loughlin played Mick St. John, a vampire who worked nights (for obvious reasons) as a private investigator. He’d made it his mission to watch over internet news reporter Beth Turner, played by Sophia Myles. They had chemistry up the yin yang.
S-E-X-Y.
Something about Mick’s power (super strength, exceptional speed, immortality) combined with his vulnerability (his angst at having been turned, his need to feed and his near-miss encounters with death) grabbed me by the throat and hooked me. I never missed an episode. It was a sad, sad day when CBS cancelled the show.
A vampire hero embodies the very traits that make a contemporary or paranormal hero appealing: a strong alpha male who has a soft spot. The contrast of strength with weakness seduces me every time.
Once I got hooked on vampires, I started reading other paranormal books. Some I like; some I don’t care for so much. I prefer paranormals in which the characters are more humanlike such as vampires or psychics to non-humans such as elves, fairies, extra-terrestrials or shape-shifters.
It was only matter of time before I was compelled to write my own vampire story. A Scent of Longing, my first foray in the vampire paranormal world, is an erotic romance under contract with Decadent Publishing. A young woman, betrayed and turned by her vampire lover, longs for everything she’s lost as a human. She seeks companionship through Madame Eve’s 1 Night Stand matchmaking service.
What I discovered in writing A Scent of Longing was the tremendous freedom and creativity the paranormal genre gives to the author. You’re not limited to what is “possible” – the genre opens up entirely new possibilities, making it so much fun to write.
I’m now working on a second paranormal, this one a reincarnation story.
My question for readers is this: what kinds of paranormal stories do you enjoy and why?
I love paranormal because of the escape it offers. I get enough ‘real life’ at work and in the news, and sometimes I just want to get away from it all. What better way than with a sexy vampire or shifter, one of those alpha males, the ones with the hard as nails attitude and soft as a marshmallow inner softie.
There is something about the contrast between hard as nails attitude and the inner softie when it comes to heroes isn’t there?
I love that contrast in heroes. YUM.
Hi, Laurie, Gabrielle, Mary! I was out of town until this afternoon, so I didn’t have a chance to stop by until now. Here’s a little blurb of A Scent of Longing (which has a tentative April release date):
The last time she trusted a vampire, twenty-eight-year-old Lily Dansen was turned into one. A graphic artist working from home, Lily is becoming reclusive, shying away from human and vamp contact. A concerned friend signs her up with 1NightStand in hopes an evening of passion with a sexy hunk will draw Lily out of her shell. Lily reluctantly agrees, but is adamant about one thing: no vamps.
A 376-year-old Half Breed, Luc Fortier walks in both the human and vampire worlds, but has no place in either. He has abandoned hope of ever meeting his prophesied mate and vows after he bedazzles Madame Evangeline’s latest client, he’s calling it quits with 1NightStand. He can’t continue to satisfy the fantasies of young ladies while his go unfulfilled.
Neither Luc nor Lily have high expectations of their date, but they hadn’t counted on the superior matchmaking skills of Madame Eve.
Sounds like a fun read Cara. Do keep us posted when it comes out.
Can you tell us a bit more about your upcoming paranormals? Kind of the blurb version of them? I’d like to know more.
I think the thing that I like most about paranormal romance is the breadth of creativity within the sub-genre. Because authors in the fantasy and paranormal romance genres can create their own worlds, their own unique beings to populate those worlds, their own societies within the worlds, and unique rules that govern how their universes work authors can be very, very creative.
One of the things I like when I read paranormal romance is a story that makes me go WOW! What a unique idea…I never would have thought of that.
I’ve seen that flavor mostly in paranormal romance but also occasionally in Christmas stories which have magical Santas, elves and the like.
In paranormal romance (or any romance) I like characters I can relate to. I don’t care whether they are vampires, shapeshifters, ghosts, Santas, angels, witches, or psychics as long as I can relate to them…as long as I can feel their emotions…worry about what they worry about…rejoice in their happy ending.
What I don’t like about some paranormal romance is when the world-building overtakes the characters…when more focus is on the rules of the universe than the characters or the situations they face.
Thanks for the great discussion topic Cara.
I love paranormal romance and vampires were my first taste of it. The 1 night stand series is a great series I have enjoyed many of the stories. I cannot wait to check out your story. It sounds like a good read.
Do Angels qualify as Paranormal? I do hope so, because I am drawn to these stories. It’s the fall from Grace & the search for redemption.