Have you even noticed that subgenre ‘paranormal’ only seems to exist in YA and Romance books? When you’re looking for a good vampire/shifter/ghost book in the book store you have to scour the horror and fantasy sections. Why is that? Paranormal has been around since long before Twilight made it a common genre. Some of my favorites over the years have been authors like Anne Rice, Clive Barker, and Jennifer Rardin. Yet all these are billed under the broad label of Horror. I suppose the biggest difference, for me at least, is that there’s always the off chance that someone might get their face eaten off.
There’s not enough of that in YA and Romance. (Joking, well…sort of.) Because, let’s be honest, real vampires bite. It’s that edge of danger that makes us both enthralled by them and determined to save them. I was always the girl who rooted for Darth Vader. What can I say? I like my characters best when they are redeemably evil.
And these are what I’ve been reading since I could read. Oh, I’ve had my flights of fancy here and there, not to mention my twelve year affair with a little series called Harry Potter, but at the end of the day I always go back to my first love.
Horror.
And by horror I mean, of course, vampire novels. For me, the love isn’t necessarily with the vampires themselves, but with the humans who surround them. I mean, Angel was cool, but wasn’t Buffy so much better? I love seeing humans, the ‘normals’ of a story interact with the paranormals.
Which brings me to my new book series, Palmetto Moon. Book One is Born of Blood. It’s not a book about vampires. My heroine Sophie exists in a world where vampires are out of the coffin, so to speak. They are an everyday part of her life (to her great annoyance) and what makes her a really great character is the way she deals with that aspect of her life. Don’t get me wrong, the vampires are very cool too. Sexy and dangerous, just the way a vampire should be. But then, even vampires have their issues.
When I began writing, Twilight had just hit the market and no one would look at anything without a vampire or shifter in it-which my first books did not. I don’t write to the trend, I never have. And though I always knew I’d do a vampire book eventually, I hadn’t yet.
When the idea for Born of Blood came to me, I was so excited. Finally, I’d had the burst of creativity to do that vampire story I’d always wanted to. And then I realized something. Most publishers now consider vampire a four letter word. I’d almost given up on what is by far the best thing I’d ever written when the great folks at Tell-Tale found me. Lucky for me, they love the paranormals just as much as I do. Hopefully, you will too.
So if you’re a paranormal junkie or horror lover, join me on June 29th over on ParaYourNormal on BlogTalk radio where I’ll be talking about the new book and all things paranormal. Log on and tune in at 4:30. You can call in or message the show with questions and comments. Here’s the link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/parayournormal
Find out what I did with a book that’s funny, but not a comedy. A book that’s flirty, but not a romance. Since there are vampires, it’s perfect! I love a book with bite!
