Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Why do we love Paranormals?

Weeeee! thanks so much for all the comments they were fun to read! The winner of a signed copy of HIS DARKEST HUNGER and a coverflat of HIS DARKEST EMBRACE is "Crystal" who commented on June 9th at 19:27am....yes, team Damon all the way! Email me at juliana at julianastone dot com with your information and I'll get those items in the mail!

Hello everyone! A quick introduction as I'm pretty much the new kid on the block. I'm Juliana Stone, a Canadian writer who lives with the hubby, 2 offspring and an adorable golden retriever. I love to play baseball, golf and sing in an 80's retro band.

Now, I can add author to that list! I had my debut book, HIS DARKEST HUNGER release from Avon in April and am terribly excited about the second in this series, HIS DARKEST EMBRACE, coming out in November! My books are about Jaguar Warriors, strong alpha type men and the women who tame them!

So an interesting conversation was started yesterday amongst some writers as to what constitutes a paranormal romance or Urban Fantasy. Was high fantasy considered to be a fit? Futuristics? It totally got me to thinking about all the amazing sub genres that exist today. I remember reading romance when I was teenager, stealing books from my mom's room, hiding them under my bed...they were mostly historicals and contemps.

How did the paranormal evolve into such a hot product? My take is that it was a slow build with a few key players. Anne Rice being the first. Interview with the Vampire rocked my world, (Queen of the Damned was my fave in the series). I think that Christine Feehan's Dark series brought the vampire out into mainstream romance in a way that was fresh and different. For me personally, I'd picked up a copy of Dark Prince about five years ago now and was hooked. Holy Crap, dark, brooding angst filled alphas...and they were vampires? That book made me want to write my own. (thanks Christine!)

There was also televison...The X-files, man I crushed huge on Mulder and so wanted to be Scully. I'm also a Star Trek geek and still have my poster of Captain Picard (Make it so Number 1).

These pioneers paved the way and fed a monster that has continued to grow and I don't think it shows signs of stopping. We now have a whole host of authors writing these fab books ranging from paranormal romance, to urban fantasy to high fantasy, horror, futuristics and all of these can cross over as well!

On televsion we have True Blood (weeeeee! season 3 this sunday peeps!) Supernatural and I'm team Damon all the way on the Vampire Diaries. I think that the paranormal genre is stronger now than ever and I for one am thrilled to be a part of it!

I know why I love these books so much, but why do you? What makes you pick up a book by Frost, Ware or Marr? (maybe Stone, too? LOL)

Tell me what you love so much about the genre, or what you'd like to see that you haven't before and I'll pick 2 winners of a signed copy of HIS DARKEST HUNGER and include signed copy flats of my newest! Trust me the cover is HAWT! I'll let the contest run and announce a winner on Sunday, June 13th!

62 comments:

Blodeuedd said...

Hi Juliana,
Have seen you around :)

I wonder what I should "blame" my love of the paranormal on. I did watch The X-files, then Buffy and then the great show Charmed. But it was only a few years ago I picked up my first book, Bitten by Kelley Armstrong. I was hooked, I wanted more, I wanted more weres, vamps, everything I could find. I started blogging and find so much more. Right now I am in a shifter phase, they are just so raw ;)

Much has been explored, so can't really say, well a nice little leprachaun finding love perhaps.

blodeuedd1 at gmail dot com

Mel Teshco said...

I too fell in love with paranormals after reading Kelley Armstrong's, Bitten (as did my daughter). I love werewolves, shifters and vampires, what's not to love about strong alpha hero's and kick ass heroines!? I read paranormals purely for the excitement and world building behind each one.

Juliana Stone said...

Goodness I can't believe I forgot to mention buffy and Angel....though, I really, really liked her and Spike....anyone else have a preference?

Tanya said...

Paranormal books are my vice. I never leave home without a great book in my hand. I'm drawn to the danger and excitement in these books. I'm a mother of four, so when I read I get taken away for a little while in these extraordinary worlds. Vampires and shifters are my favorite, but my hubby asks me which I would be if I could and my very quick answer in vampire. I'd have to get in a little better shape first though. Don't want to go around for the next few centuries with a poochy belly. Thanks Juliana!

Tanya said...

I always went for the bad boys, so I am definatley a Spike and Damon fan.

Kylie Griffin said...

What do I love about paranormals?

The unfamiliar and the familiar combined with imaginative world-building, the adventure, and the romance (if the plot has one).

I step into another realm once I open the cover of a paranormal and I love the ride the author takes me on.

It's as simple as that. :-)

Mandy P. said...

I've always loved paranormal. In Jr. High, I read L.J. Smith's The Secret Circle, and The Vampire Diaries. I also read Christopher Pike and Fear Street books. My favorite subject was witches and vampires. The Lost Boys was one of our favorite movies, as well as funny ones like Once Bitten and the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. That all evolved into reading Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, and the modern Buffy and Angel. Now it's so easy to find a movie or book about my favorite subject. There are so many! I love it! My friends used to make fun of me for my interest in the paranormal. They don't anymore. :)
Thanks for feeding my 20 year old obsession. :)

Mandy P. said...

I forgot to say WHY I loved the paranormal so much...

It's an escape for me. Escape from mundane reality. To worlds that are dangerous, exciting, full of adventure, and magic, and so much that is unexplainable. I love that possibility. :)

elaing8 said...

I love all the supernatural tv shows.Charmed was a favorite as was Buffy.
I started reading paranormal books after Twilight. I wanted a little more,so I grabbed a Kelley Armstrong book and haven't looked back. I love the world building authors do and to escape into their world.Through online friends and blogs my TBR list is so big its taking over.there are so many great authors/books that need to read.

Grace Conley said...

Hey Juliana,

For me, a love of paranormals definitely started out with Anne Rice -- her stuff kicked off my interest in Buffy (oh, that Angel -- sigh), Vampire Diaries, etc.

There are so many amazing heroes and heroines in paranormals today -- but everything leads back to Lestat. :-)

Tracey O'Hara said...

Great post Juliana - I love paranormals and I love SciFi. As I mentioned previously - Enid Blyton started me off - then Stephen King cemented my love of a good scare. I like my vampires with bite - and I also like my vampires evil and deadly. So I write both.

Weres and shifters are also great.

As for TV - yes to Buffy & Angel (though def team Spike) recently it has been True Blood (oh yeah baby - can't wait for that) and a UK series called Being Human (brilliant) I will be talking more about Movies and books and TV shows in my post on the 20th.

Terri Garey said...

Ah, Lestat... *dreamy sigh* followed quickly by one for Louis. :-)

And yes, I was a major Mulder fan... that Scully just didn't know what she was missing!

If I try to trace it back, though, I think my earlier leanings came when I saw reruns of a campy old vampire soap opera called Dark Shadows. I was around 9 or so, and those Gothic images and spooky music really took me out of the ordinary old living room and into another time. The Munsters and the Addams Family showed me that spooky didn't have to necessarily be scary, and I've never looked back!

Nicole said...

I love the paranormal world because of the differences from my boring life. I enjoy reading about the unknown, and stretching the imagination to encompass things that are out there. I just love it!

Joss Ware | Colleen Gleason said...

I've always thought about the Buffy love triangle in this way: She can have Angel, which leaves Spike for me!!

Interesting that you brought up paranormal romance versus urban fantasy. The line is very blurry, and when I first started talking to my editor about the Envy Chronicles, we weren't sure whether they should go the UF route or the paranormal romance route. Obviously, we decided on the latter, and I'm happy we did.

But my first series, The Gardella Vampire Chronicles, really should have been positioned as Urban Fantasy (historical UF, to be exact), rather than paranormal romance--because the story line follows one main character over five books.

To me, that's the key to UF versus paranormal romance. The settings and worlds dictate the "otherworldy" aspect--whatever it is--but it's whether the series is built around one main character or a series of characters.

Except then Jeaniene's series would be an exception to "my" rule...so, what do I know?

Heh.

Nicole Morgan said...

Hi Juliana,

I can honestly say that when Twilight hit the theatres and my daughters were screaming over it I was not the biggest fan of paranormal in any form. It hasnt been until recently that I have shown an interest. And, if truth be told I enjoy the paranormal writing more than I do what you can see on the TV or silver screen. For me, I enjoy the descriptive nature that authors choose to use when writing. With paranormal it seems there are almost no rules and the possibilities of character types can be endless.

And If I am chosen to win a copy of His Darkest Hunger you'd hear me screaming like a school girl at a Justin Beiber concert. I've been wanting to get that for a month now!

Nicole :)

Joss Ware | Colleen Gleason said...

Oh, and Mulder....sigh.

Cecile Smutty Hussy said...

Hi Ms. Juliana!
Well... I will have to blame my love of this genre on Twilight. Okay say I knew it.. it's okay! But it did... It showed me a whole world of "make believe"! It took me away to another world, another time... and it fascinated the crap out of me! SO there you go....
Thanks for the chance to win!
alliwantandmorebooks@gmail.com

Sharon S. said...

My love of all things paranormal started with Stephen King when I was 12-ish. Moved on to Rice then to Hamilton and haven't stopped! I watched Buffy and Angel and X-Files religiously. I was a Spike fan. My fav right now is Supernatural. I love me some Dean Winchester . I like UF with a strong romance and a great mystery thrown in there. As to what I like to see more of...angels have been popping up more now and I like that. I wouldn't mind meeting Raphael from Nalini Singh's book "Angel's Blood". Something about being wrapped up with those wings ;)

tetewa said...

When a friend introduced me to The Dark-Hunter series many years ago I became addicted with the Paranormal genre. I'm always looking for new authors and series to read with vampires being my favorites! tWarner419@aol.com

nymfaux said...

When I was in middle school/high school I read a lot of Christopher Pike, L.J. Smith (Secret Circle/Vampire Diaries/Nightworld), Cate Tiernan (SWEEP), Meg Cabbot (Mediator/1-800-Where-Are-You) and some R.L. Stine. Then I started reading Harry Potter in college, and Twilight after it came out.

I have a memory of book I read in grade school; it was a series of at least three, but I could only read the first one or two, because the rest were out of print. It was about a girl who met a ghost in her attic and was helping him solve his mystery. I really liked it, wish I could remember it/look for it.

And I think that's what drew me in, the mystery, the unexpected, the fun, the secrets, the MAGIC

Drea Becraft said...

Hi Juliana

What I love so much about the genere is anything is possible. No gravity or minor things hold you back it can all be done. I love how you can just poof from one place to another. What I wouldn't do for that gift lol.

thanks for the wonderful contest

drea

dreabceraft520@aol.com

Unknown said...

Lets see where to start...I love the darkness behind it. You never know what to expect from each book you pick up. I think of it as my escape from reality. I do like both Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy but I prefer PR because I like the intense emotions and scenes between two characters that can't be found anywhere else. Also I'll just admit it, I like the sex :-)

Katie said...

Like has been mentioned previously, I love the possibilites. Anything can happen in the supernatural genre. As long as it fits into the world of the book, tv show or movie, you are not limited by the laws of the "real world."

To me that is fascinating and fun!

Thanks!
Katie

cindy said...

great post juliana! =DDD

i loved anne rice's vampire books. LOVED. perhaps i was a little obsessed with them. and every time i hear fox mulder, i sing in my head, david duchovny why don't you love me? =)

do you watch Fringe? say yes!

Crystal @ RBtWBC said...

The love for the paranormal started for me in high school with Anne Rice, Buffy and Charmed. I use to get crap from my friends about that too but now it's so popular everybody is into it. We're just all early trend setters! Now I love a ton of series but don't think I could live without my Night Huntress books! And True Blood, Sunday hurry up and get here! I love the paranormal/fantasy because it takes you away from the boring everyday blah and gives me some 'adult time' while being home with my little ones. And what would I like to see more of? The leading ladies falling for the bad boys more, I love me some bad boys! Oh and yes, I will admit I am a Twilight fan too, Team Edward YaY! LoL

Patricia Lynne said...

Oh this is so easy for me to know! I love paranormal (anything paranormal!) because of the shivers it'll send down my spine.
also because it's so free and unlimited. you can go anywhere, make up your own version of a myth or alter a myth, the possibilities are endless and I love reading new ideas on classic myths.
That's the thing I constantly tell my bf when he bashes Twilight, the vampires are a fresh take. sparkling? I had never heard of a book that made the vampires sparkle! (plus twilight got me back into reading and i have stopped!)
And even when an author goes back to the myth's roots, it's still fresh because the story is new to the reader.

Lea said...

Hi Juliana! Excellent post..

Please don't enter me in the giveaway I already have "His Darkest Hunger" and it rocks!

I love the thrilling goosebumps down the spine, heart in the throat - as in what will happen next dark PNR allows. I also think danger enhances the sensuality of a novel and this is certainly true with dark paranormal romance or UF novels.

Along with your debut novel, Larissa Ione's "Demonica" series is a favorite of mine. The books are dark and gritty with heros so tortured your heart bleeds for them. It makes that HEA that much more special.. ;)

I've glommed all of Ms. Ware's books - lol can't wait to dive in.

Oh yeah, I was a Buffy / Angel fan back in the day.. Starcrossed lovers - lots of angst...

Thanks for sharing!
L

Crystal @ RBtWBC said...

Oh, I forgot Fear Street as a pre-teen. I still won't stink my hand in the garbage disposal and then Harry Potter and X-Files as a teen. How did I leave out X-Files? Me and my friend use to have X-File watching parties! Mulder - Yummy!

darkstarpoet1 said...

well for me i have always loved the bad girls. vampires witches the more evil the better. no really for me i think it's the fact that paranormal/supernatural genre puts us in a world that we can envision, but never be part of. any type of fiction really when it comes to dragons, vamps, witchcraft, weres, or w/e it is i can feel as though i am there as long as the book draws me in. the thing is i can imagine being in a world that doesn't exist. then you add onto the fact that even though they are far superior to us strength, speed, age wise they still have the same issues that we deal with on a daily basis. i know i am being long winded, but that's the main part of what i love about them.

Anonymous said...

Well, I've enjoyed High Fantasy from the age of 9 thanks to The Hobbit (Really, you have to read this!:D), and I've been in love with paranormal books ever since reading Twilight near the beginning of last year, then discovering that there was SO MUCH MORE out there! Vampires, werewolves, faeries ... AAH!! ... so many novels that take you to unusual worlds and let you experience different, and really strange, things ... what's not to love!

Kt Clapsadl said...

I love paranormal because its an escape from the everyday mundane.

Rachel498 said...

I love the paranormal world because it's an escape and it's so different from regular life, and anything can happen in the supernatural world. It's exciting and thrilling, suspensful but romantic.
I like the tough heroines, like Cat from Night Huntress, Kate Daniels, Rose from Vampire Acedemy, and Faythe from the Shifters. They're awesome cause theyre so different from me and can kick butt while I probably couldnt even through a punch right. I love Buffy/ Angel and get made fun of for watching it in my house, but I dont care :)

Barbara E. said...

I've been reading everything I can get my hands on since I learned to read. One of the first books that made an impression on me was A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Ever since I've read science fiction, futuristic romances, fantasy, anything that pertained to characters that were other than the normal, every day human beings. So when books started coming out that were listed as paranormal, or urban fantasy, I was thrilled and I gobbled them up. I hope authors just keep writing these characters, and I'll keep reading their books.

Carol L. said...

I love The Dark Hunters and Lords of The Underground . Love the dark, and mysterious and gorgeous Alpha male. Always went for the bad boy. Super Natural is one of my favorite shows.Dean Winchester anyone. :)True Blood and someone mentioned Being Human. What a great way to slip off for a few hours and destress, in another world. Will have to read your books as well Juliana.
Carol L.
Lucky4750@aol.com

Suzanne Rock said...

Hi Juliana - great post!

In the beginning I read a few Harlequin Nocturnes...but then I picked up Christine Feehan's Dark series and I was hooked on paranormal romance for life.

I agree with others that the line between UF and paranormal romance is very blurry, and I think it might be because there isn't clear definitions. FWIW, I tend to think of it this way - In one the romance is the focus. Everything revolves around that. In the other, it is the emotional journey of the main character.

CrystalGB said...

I love paranormals because there are amazing creatures, incredible worlds to "visit", lots of action, adventure, AND a passionate love story all in one story.

Jessica @ a GREAT read said...

I love paranormals, and have since I was 13, because they take the mundane and ordinary and make extraordinary. My that's corny! But it's true! And so many authors take the same concept and twist it to make it their own that I love all these different writers of vampires or werewolves and no two tales are the same. Sure traits are similar but have different reasons behind it!

I love being able to get lost in these different worlds that for the most part coexist within our own. We're either not in the right state or we're just not looking in the right places.

I love the supernatural and have since before I was 13. Are you Afraid of the Dark?, So Weird, and some other shows that I can't all remember because they eventually got canceled because supernatural type shows weren't popular when I was growing up.

Now they are the BIG hot thing! Feeling a little betrayed by my friends who are now starting to accept vampires when they teased me for my passion back in high school.

But now I'm getting off topic. I just love the supernatural/paranormals because they take the ordinary and add hot vampires or really hot werewolves to the matter. Or some other supernatural creature, who's likely hot!

I love the weird! The supernatural. The extraordinary. Always have, always will!

RFTC Blog said...

To be honest I really don't know how I got into paranormals. Maybe it was all the R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike books I read in middle school. For some reason I have just always gravitated towards paranormals. Maybe I was a vampire in a past life. :) There is just nothing better than an alpha male in a paranormal book. Yumm!

jeanette8042 said...

I love the paranormal genre because it's an escape from the real world and I get to learn/read about different paranormal creatures/myths. Vampires introduced me to this genre and I'm loving it.

Alicia said...

What I love about the genre is that it is a way to get out of real life and experience something new and amazing.

moviefanatic1911@yahoo.co

Raonaid Luckwell said...

Ten to fifteen years back I thought vampires and werewolf books were SO cliche, but then, I was avid in the rp world, and when a new movie came out you had a slew of those types of character.

So the slew of werewolves and vampires just turned me off reading paranormal books. That all changed when I got interested in Kenyon's world.

Thanks to her I got interested again, I did not see vampires or werewolves so cliche. Now paranormal and Urban fantasy takes about 90% of my reads.

I guess I like the genre because it is so different from the real world-where I would like to have a break from reality.

Nicole Murphy said...

Hi Juliana

I remember the first time I came across science fiction or fantasy being used in combination with romance - it was in Johanna Lindsey's Ly San Ter books, and the idea blew me away. I could have my favourite genres in the one book? Colour me happy :)

What I love about urban fantasy is the angst of it all. I mean, as sexy as vampires are, you would enter the relationship knowing you were doomed for heartbreak as you got older and they didn't. There's a sensation of unbeatable hopelessness, and yet the love or lust tries its damndest to conquer it.

I'm particularly loving the Sookie Stackhouse books for this reason.

Juliana Stone said...

I love all these comments...so nice to see a truckload of Mulder and Scully fans...I once googled them and ended up on a fan fic site, um, with a graphic love scene involving Scully and Mulder...of course I had to keep reading it...you know, to see if they atually did it...which they did...oy....

Ann (AnnswerMe at yahoo dot com) said...

I LOVE urban fantasy and paranormal romances. I got into the Sookie Stackhouse novels and then Anita Blake. From there I went to Jeaniene Frost and Keri Arthur and SOOO many more. I also read YA fantasy like crazy. It's awesome to experience different worlds and creatures and hot romances that don't really happen in everyday life.

Jess Anastasi said...

I love that this genre gives the characters a bit more leeway to be alpha-types, old fashioned in a modern world, wild or primative when it comes to their actions.

I started watching the X-Files when I was probably too young, 13 years old! By then I'd already devoured Christopher Pike, RL Stein and Stephen King books by the truck load though, so scary wasn't a problem.

The Buffy/Angel saga probably started my love of paranormal romance, but the Buffy/Spike arc intrigued me more. I went on to love sci-fi because of Stargate and then Firefly.

I'm a Deangirl all the way (be still my heart!) and recently a Damon-covert on the vampire diaries. I'm even in deep obsession with Smallville's take on the Lois and Clark romance after just watching season 9.

If its out of this world, I'm there.

And if I could think of something different or new I'd like to see in the paranormal romance genre, I'd probably write it myself ;) !!

Cassay said...

I've liked supernatral stuff since I was little don't really
know why I find it interesting I just do. I prefer to read paranormal because it keeps my attention over books that are just like real life which is boring

Cassie c

TracyW said...

My love for paranormal started with Buffy (team Angel), but my love for paranormal/fantasy/romance books started with Twilight. To be honest I would consider my self to have been a non-reader befor I read the Twilight series. After I read it I decided I wanted more. I picked up Dark Lover by J.R. Ward and now I am a little obsessed with reading.

Ang from Oz said...

I just adore all things paranormal/urban fantasy. Mostly because it lets you escape to the writers world, where things are never quite like normal reality! And because the men in the stories are always smoking HAWT!!
(I would love a cover flat!!!)

Me said...

I got into paranormal/ supernatural books at a young age. I really wanted to read Anne Rice bc the movie "Interview with the Vampire" was out. My father challenged me to read two of the classic "monster" books as he called them and then I could read the book and watch the movie. I was hooked then on. I read everyone of the Vampire Chronicles by the time i was out of highschool and bought a book from Lynsay Sands bc I loved the book art. I then got addicted to her world. While I was waiting for the next book in her series I found an ad for Kerrelyn Sparks first book. I was hooked on the title."How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire" too funny. I believe I found Charlaine Harris the same way, I just dont remember where. Kerri Arthur was suggested by a friend. I can't say I'm a twilight fan. I have read all of them but it wasn't for me. As for TV, I LOVE Supernatural! Sam and Dean rock! I like Vampire Diaries. Huge fan of Buffy and Angel. Love True Blood! I really liked Moonlight but it got booted off after the first season. Hmm, I'm certain I could go on (seeing as I don't have many ppl that read the same way I do) but I won't bore you anymore lol. ;0)

s7anna said...

I think my love affair with paranormal fiction started as a young girl. I gobbled up stories of magic, mystery and unknown worlds and that love only evolved to include paranormal romances as I grew older. I am drawn to incredible world building that goes in to each of the stories. I am fascinated by the powers, abilities and skills of each of the characters. I mean every paranormal pushes the boundaries of our imagination...how can one not love that?

*hugs*
Anna
s7anna@yahoo.ca

Cylver said...

My first experience with paranormal anything was Dark Shadows when I was about eight. I turned on the TV to see what was on, and there was Angelique confronting a restless spirit, saying "Go back to your grave!" Very cool! I met Barnabas soon after and was totally hooked! Our local Creature Features fed me a steady died of Dracula (Lugosi and Lee both!), Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, and so many others. Then, I discovered Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Saint-Germain, and learned that vampires could be heroes as well as villains. Now, although I love shows like True Blood, Buffy, and Blood Ties, I prefer books. My fave writers are Yarbro, P.N. Elrod, Tanya Huff, Charlaine Harris, J.R. Ward, Lara Adrian, Christine Feehan, Jeaniene Frost, Kerrelyn Sparks, Alexandra Ivy, Lynn Viehl, and many others. While I enjoy PNR in general, I like vamps the best!

Nicole H said...

It was Buffy that got me thinking about Vampires being sexy. Although I have to say it was Spike that rocked my boat, Angel was too skinny for me (Boreanez in Bones is juuussst right).
Then my sister gave me Bitten by Kelley Armstrong to read and the rest is history. I now read paranormal romance/urban fantasy almost exclusively (I still have to read Nora Roberts releases).

Anonymous said...

For me, like others, my enjoyment of paranormals seems to be a continuation of my love of high fantasy and science fiction. I grew up watching Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, ET, The Dark Crystal, and The Labyrinth, and reading Heinlein, Lewis, Tolkien, Asimov, Terry Brooks, and Piers Anthony.

Enjoying the 'romance' part of this equation is relatively new for me as a reader. Early encounters with older romances totally turned me off, but these days I'm realizing that paranormal romances don't have to be as cheesy as I remember my aunt's favorite romances being. Thank goodness!

I like two strong characters. No wimpy damsel in distress, thank you. Tortured pasts, magic and/or mythology...all elements I like. There's quite a pull to reading about people overcoming heartbreak and betrayal to become a better person. Even better if they have someone to share their (new) life with!

Unknown said...

I love paranormal because I grow up on it. My dad loved the X-files, Star Trek, ans Star Wars. We would watch them to gather.

Buffy said...

It's the perfect escape from real life. Most days I don't get to have romps with vampires and run with weres, unless I read. I need that dark side, I crave the lust and the shadows.

enchantedweakness@hotmail.com

The Words I Couldn't Say said...

I think its the fact that "true" life is just so boring and I want to believe (even for a moment) that there is something else out there. And that's why I read paranormal. And I can't wait to pick up your book now!

(Christine Feehan was my first paranomrao author too! I love her for it!)

Jacqueline C. said...

I love the inherent blend of edge, intrigue, danger, wonder and sexiness that comes with paranormal tales. You can't quite find it in any other genre.

Anonymous said...

I started loving this genre when Buffy rolled onto the scene when I was in middle school! I love it because it is an escape from the everyday realities of life in the mundane world. I would love to see more books with ghosts entered into the vampire/werewolf/fairy world.

lavendersbluegreen said...

It started for me with fairy tales, now I watch tv and read paranormals of all kinds. I like everything from gargoyles to vampires to were... I don't know what I want to see that I haven't before... surpri
se me!!

Amy said...

There's nothing I can specifically say that keeps me coming back to the paranormal world, I think my love for the paranormal began at a very young age. My dad began buying me those Goosebumps books by R.L Stine, and just like that I was HOOKED! The stranger the story, the more I loved 'em! And then a few years later I found thins book called AMY GIRL by Bari Wood. Yes, I honestly bought it because it has my first name in the title!!! It was about a little girl who gets locked in a closet and witnesses something horrific and isn't found by the police for a couple of days, something happened inside that closet and now she can control people's minds. It just drew me in to that kind of world and from there it was an easy leap to vampires and werewolves and then on to enjoying everything else the wild imaginations of authors can dream up!

Yvonne said...

I love paranormal romance because I'm a big fan of of all things supernatural. The characters in these books are always so hawt and are not afraid to love fiercely. Most of the guys are suppose to be bad boys but when they meet their mates, there is nothing they wouldn't do for the love of that particular woman. I find that so sexy!

Unknown said...

Wow.. When DID my love for all things paranormal begin? Was is watching old movies with Chistopher Lee as Dracula? Or was it reading Stephen King? Remember his story Night Flyer?

Whenever it began it has had me Willing for a long time. :) I love the darkness, the danger, the rawness. And with so many wonderful authors to choose from now, with so many diverse characters... WOW. Its like a candy store! If I want a strong lead female character, I have Anita Blake, Cat Crawfield or Liz Phoenix. And the MEN?? Talk about Candy!!!!!! A girl could fall into a sugar coma. LOL But its not just that, the stories are action packed, heart breaking, filled with love and sex! What more could you ask for?