Posts Tagged With: paranormal

I ♥ Books Valentine Blog Hop

It’s almost Valentines Day, a holiday dedicated to love. If you’re newly divorced or on the heels of a bad break-up, Valentines Day can often be a reminder of what you lost or what you’re longing for. If you’ve been settled in a relationship for a long time, Valentines Day might just be an ordinary day–working, taking kids to school, tackling that growing mound of laundry. But, fear not! Valentines Day is for everyone. You can still feel that spark. You can still fall in love. All you need is an active imagination and a good book.

Even though I’ve been married for a long time, I still have the pleasure of falling in love on a regular basis. While no one could replace my husband in my heart, when I dive into a good book, I have an opportunity to fall in love with a dark, enigmatic romantic hero. Just recently, I fell in love with Mishal, a character from Book One of the Redhaven Saga by Victoria Barrow. Be sure to buy a copy when it releases this spring! You’ll fall in love too.

When writing, I often fall in love with my own romantic heroes. It might sound crazy to fall in love with a character I created from my own imagination, but I’ve heard other authors say the same thing. So, either we’re all crazy or none of us are. Okay, so we’re all a little off. Hey, you have to be a little off your rocker to be a writer!

Today, I’m going to share an excerpt from Demon Fire, which is the sequel to The Claiming Words and is scheduled to be released this Summer.

“It’s crowded in here,” Bryce whispered in my ear. “How about breaking the no kissing in the training room rule?” He nuzzled my earlobe and my resolve slipped away.

“It was more of a guideline than a rule,” I whispered back. “Let’s go.” I was ashamed at myself for how easily I gave into him. I had no willpower where Bryce was concerned.

When we entered the training room, Bryce pushed me up against the wall and kissed me until I was dizzy. My breath came in shallow gasps and his body pressing against me was the only thing that kept me upright.

“Oh, God, Alisa,” he groaned in my ear. “I have no control around you anymore. It’s almost dangerous for me to be alone with you.” He trailed kisses along my throat, and then lower. With a moan, he pulled away from me and placed both hands on the back of his head as if trying to hold it onto his shoulders. I knew the feeling; my head didn’t feel like it was on quite straight when I was with Bryce. It sure wasn’t in charge of the rest of me.

He shook his head. “Let’s go upstairs and watch TV with my parents, otherwise I won’t be responsible for my actions.” Bryce shook slightly as he led me up the stairs.

 

Please be sure to check out these wonderful authors on the Valentine Blog Hop!


Now, for a lovely song…

 

Categories: author, blog hop, books, demon fire, the claiming words, writer, writing | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Paranormal Property Hunters

If you’re anything like me, your imagination goes into overdrive the moment you see a creepy old house or a crumbling castle. Picture this: You’re driving down an old two-lane country road. There are fields as far as the eye can see. Tall stalks of corn tower overhead, blowing gently in the breeze. The setting sun casts an eerie orange glow over an abandoned house set a few yards away from the road. The weather-beaten wood siding is gray with age; shutters hang loosely, the slats broken or missing; the windows boarded; the front porch steps are cracked and splintered, buckled in the middle; a broken screen door opens and closes, slapping the door jamb rhythmically. It’s easy to imagine a ghost moving slowly through the dusty inside, drifting over cobwebs, through walls, waiting out its eternity in a place doomed to be destroyed when the property is zoned for commercial development. It seems like it would be easy to to structure a horror screenplay or paranormal novel around such a desolate structure, doesn’t it?

Think about the venues for your favorite paranormal novels. Not every paranormal or dark fantasy novel is set against the backdrop of a haunted house, gothic castle or crumbling urban decay. Vampires have left their Transylvania castles in favor of penthouses, country estates, or small Washington high schools. Werewolves have fled the deep, dark woods and walk (and hunt) among the New York City elite. Witches have abandoned their cauldrons to pursue university degrees. Demons have set up shop in beachfront cottages. Ghosts still hang out in ancient monasteries and eighteenth century inns, but you can find them in brand new suburban homes too.

Paranormal settings aren’t limited to graveyards and haunted mansions. Paranormal characters can (and are) branching out and going mainstream. And, while I sometimes hear lovers of classic vampire lore complain about modern vamps and werewolves hanging out in high school, I think it’s great that we have such variety in paranormal literature. If I want to read classic vampire horror, I can grab a copy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Or, if I’m in the mood for a sexy, sophisticated vampire with expensive taste, I can read The Vampire Lestat. I don’t have to limit my reading choices and neither do you!

What kind of paranormal novels do you prefer? Gothic horror or urban fantasy? Classic vampire or paranormal romance? Those of you who write paranormal or dark fantasy, tell me about the settings you’ve used in your own work. What do you look for when you go paranormal property hunting?

Categories: books, paranormal property hunters, paranormal romance, vampires, vamps, werewolves, witches, Writerly Posts | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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