The Uncertain World of Paranormal Romance

By Patricia Elmer (Guest Blogger)

Paranormal romance is hot right now. Everyone knows it. Nobody’s denying it. Heck, anything paranormal is hot right now. The romance element just makes it even hotter. Long before a certain tousle haired young man took on the role of a sparkling vampire on screen those of us in the romance field have known just how sexy something with a little bite can be.

The question I keep asking myself though is this: where are we going next in paranormals? If you’re like me you’ve heard that “vampires are over” or “if I have to read another book with … I’ll slit my own throat”. Well slitting your throat would certainly give the vampire authors something to write home about. Anyway, that’s neither here or there. The real question is where do we go next? What’s the hot new thing?

Is it demons and angels like my newest book series? Or is it Greek/Roman Gods and Goddesses like Aimee Carter’s The Goddess Test? Steampunk like Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate? New forms of shapeshifters like Nicole Peeler’s Jane True series? Who knows? I’m batting around ideas in every category I just mentioned.

Honestly? That’s the fun part in my opinion. That’s what makes paranormals such great books to read and to write. There are no rules beyond the Golden Rule of Storytelling to constrain us. Write a Good Story. Everything after that is up to you. Because that’s the best thing in paranormal and fantasy writing – the world you build and that you take your readers to is only constrained by the limits of your imagination.

So, while people on the street love to tell me how they heard from a reputable source who knows these sorts of things that paranormals are dying post-Twilight, I just smile and walk away. Because one thing I know for certain is this. While we might change our labels or tweak our characters slightly to find new ways to tell a story one thing is for certain. Paranormal writers and readers aren’t fading away anytime soon. We’ve got too many places and people and things yet to explore together after all. And if we run out of worlds to see? We’ll just make a few new ones.

Bio:

After a stint of “practical thinking” in her twenties where she earned degrees in Business and Economics, Patricia Eimer gave in and followed her passion for books. Her first novel, Luck of the Devil, is coming out August 2011 from Entangled Publishing.

The Next Big Thing

By Cassandra Gold (Guest Blogger)

Paranormal romance isn’t just for Halloween anymore. In fact, it hasn’t been for a long time. In the 1990s, vampires entered the romance world in a big way. Since then, paranormal romance has gone from a tiny niche to a huge market. There are old-school vampires that can’t walk in the sun, new kinder, gentler vampires, psychic vampires, and pretty much every other possible permutation of vampire characteristics.

On the heels of vampires came werewolves. Different authors created different werewolf mythologies. Like vampires, the werewolves of romance can be good or evil, and immortal or mortal. Some change on the full moon, others change whenever they need or want to. Other shapeshifters soon came on the scene, from werecats to weresnakes (and pretty much everything else you can think of). I’ve even read a book with an octopus shifter!

As a paranormal romance lover, I really enjoy the diversity available in vampire and shapeshifter romances, but I am always on the lookout for something new. I admit I have a small (okay, huge) demon fetish. Anything with demons is sure to catch my attention. I also enjoy a good old-fashioned ghost story, the spookier the better. I admit that it often annoys me when one of the protagonists is a ghost, because I start getting hung up on the mechanics of ghost sex, and how unlikely a happy ending between a dead person and a living person is going to be. But maybe I’m the only one who does that.

Lately, I’ve also seen a sudden uptick in zombie romance. Zombie fiction has been around for a long time, but zombie romance? It’s weird, but if done well I think it actually works. Squeamish readers might disagree, though. *g*

I’ve read vamps, weres, demons, ghosts, various psychic phenomena, and now zombies. What other kinds of paranormal romance are out there that I need to try?

And readers, what kind of paranormal romance would you like to see more of? I’ve tackled werewolves, and demons (of course), in my Outcasts series and in a couple of standalone stories. I’ve even done werelions in a short series with Beth Wylde, but I haven’t branched out too far into the paranormal world so far. What kind of paranormal plots / characters do you think aren’t done enough? Which ones are overdone?

What’s going to be the “next big thing” in paranormal romance? Anyone care to hazard a guess?

Whatever the next big thing turns out to be, I can’t wait to read it…

Cassandra Gold

www.cassandragold.com

Cassandra’s latest release— Outcasts: Unleashing Ciaran (ISBN: 978-1-60088-590-7)

Blurb: After all they’ve been through together, werewolf Drew and his half-demon mate Ciaran are more than ready to live a normal life. Then Drew’s peace of mind is shattered by a mysterious 3 a.m. phone call. A new threat has emerged, from a direction he never thought possible. This time, it may be up to Ciaran to protect Drew…

Read an excerpt.

Buy the book at Cobblestone Press.