Tag Archives: paranormal romance

September 1, 2013 · 9:52 pm

paranormal vs supernatural

I’ve been thinking about genre classifications.  I used to think paranormal meant ghosts and poltergeists, and supernatural meant creatures that were super… vampires, werewolves, zombies and such.  I’m not so sure about that anymore.  It seems like the market is using these terms interchangeably.  Sometimes they are accompanied by other adjectives like dark and urban.  So, what does it all mean? And do I need to care?

As an author, I think I do need to care. I need to understand how my readers are going to find my work. It is important to label the work in a manner that truthfully describes the work.  If it is a vampire love story, it’s paranormal romance right? Wrong? Maybe it’s dark urban supernatural? What?

A search on Amazon for paranormal romance (kindle store only) gives us a Dark Wolf, Dark Angel, vampire, and Immortals in the first 4 books. Book #5 has shifters and witches, and then there  is a demon slayer who is a biker witch (this one is in my queue!)  No ghosts or poltergeists here.  So, paranormal has all kinds of “monsters” and beings that are supernatural in nature. So, what’s supernatural?

That same search done with “supernatural” gave me a couple of books based on the TV series of the same name, and one empathy book. Still no ghosts.

Dark Urban Fantasy gives similar results, but there is a slightly different flavor to these. Check out S.M. Reine’s Descent Series for an example:

The Descent Series has paranormal creatures: angels, demons, and more. The primary setting is urban. There is some romance, but it is secondary. Reine’s series is one of the best written examples of Dark Urban Fiction out there.

Kim Harrison’s Hallows series with Rachel Morgan is another example.

The main thing that seems to differentiate these genres is romance as a primary element or not. If it is primary, it is paranormal romance; otherwise, it is dark urban fantasy, supernatural, or just paranormal. You could just search for whichever flavor your want in your moster: angel, demon, vampire, werewolf, or whatever…

So, where does my book fit in? It is definitely closer to Dark Urban Fantasy. Romance is a secondary element and it has vampires in it (and more…) So, check it out with these others:

Whether you dig vampires, werewolves, or bears… romance or not… urban or whatever…. you can find tons of great books out there that will satisfy your paranormal/supernatural urges!

1 Comment

Filed under authors, creative, dark fantasy, e-book, fiction, genre, para normal, Uncategorized, urban fantasy, vampire, witch, wolf, writing

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

August 25, 2013 · 6:16 pm

Writing, writing, writing…

I was surprised to see how long it has been since I posted a blog! I knew it had been a while, but 6 months? Wow! Why so long? I’ve been wrapped up doing other things like writing, writing, and more writing. My classes have been more and more challenging, which is great, because I’m honing my skills! The drawback is that I have little time for other things. I have managed to finally publish Summer Blood to Kindle:

406430_485396718151991_2027837019_n
http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Blood-Desolate-Incubus-ebook/dp/B00EH1WLHS/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_3_ZF79

So, check it out – only .99!!
I’m working on the cover for the paperback to put that out also. I’d like to finish it before my next classes start at the end of September. I start the first part of my thesis then… Woo-hoo… as they say, “What a long strange trip it’s been!”

So, look for more posts soon friends!

10 Comments

Filed under authors, characters, creative, dark fantasy, e-book, inspiration, learning, literature, para normal, school, success, Uncategorized, urban fantasy, vampire, writing

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

March 13, 2013 · 2:55 am

What I’m learning Part II

Ok, I’m learning lots of new things in my writing class… here’s something else I’ve learned.  This is my post for scenarios. It is like an expanded outline – very rough draft. Then, my comments on what I got out of the experience.  I got great comments from my instructor, so I think I should share it!!

 

SCENARIOS FOR INK MAGIC:

The Zoran repositions Kaydan, and starts tattooing a different spot. Kaydan drifts back into her memories in order to withstand the pain of the needle.

Kaydan finds a knife and cuts a small hole in the back of the canvas tent and slips into the woods. She runs blindly afraid the army is going to catch her. She uses magic to hide her tracks and continues moving south. She wants to avoid the next town, circling to the south, but catches a whiff of bread baking and realizes how hungry she is. She tries to sneak into town to get some bread, but notices men from the army around. She uses just a thread of magic to make herself insignificant to the soldiers, and slides out of town, but she didn’t get any food.

She opens her eyes. The buzz has stopped and the Zoran is patting her shoulder. Kaydan wants to know why she is stopping, and the Zoran answers that she thinks Kaydan has had enough. Kaydan disagrees and they argue briefly, but Kaydan gets her way and the tattooing begins again. The buzzing lulls her back into her memories.

This time Kaydan comes upon the Zoran’s cottage and it is surrounded by soldiers. They have the Zoran on her knees in front of the small cottage. One of the soldiers is screaming at her and calling her a witch, making Kaydan think he is going to hurt or kill her. Kaydan knows she has to do something. She has been trained in combat, and now that training comes back to her. She uses magic to sling the stones at the soldiers and knock them out. Her heart is pounding and she is terrified that she killed them.

Kaydan comes out of her memory again. The dragon is done, but Zoran makes her rest and Kaydan falls asleep.

COMMENTS:

I think this process is not only useful but essential. I still have a few more to do for this story, but writing out scenarios for the story before you actually write them is like making a complex outline. I can quickly look back over it and see if I have the beats in the right place, if the pace is moving quickly, if the tension is escalating. In this story in particular, I want to feel the seriousness of the war increasing as Kaydan moves through her memories. Once I have it outlined, I can easily shift things around and play with the elements to get the story where it should be even before I even really start writing. I enjoyed doing this, and will use these scenarios to write this story. I think there is more on either side. Once I started writing, it really got things flowing. I felt I could quickly capture the most important elements in each movement of the story. That allowed my creativity to really explode as well; something to remember for those writers block moments.

 

 

Leave a comment

Filed under authors, characters, creative, dark fantasy, editing, education, fiction, learning, para normal, school, short story, Uncategorized, urban fantasy, witch, writing

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

September 15, 2012 · 10:41 pm

REVIEW: Save My Soul

I just finished reading Save My Soul by K.S. Haigwood.  WARNING… there may be spoilers ahead…

http://www.amazon.com/Save-My-Soul-ebook/dp/B007LB76A8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1347746654&sr=1-1&keywords=save+my+soul

This is a story of one woman’s struggle to save her own soul by saving someone else’s soul. That someone happens to be her soulmate, but she doesn’t know that yet.  The action starts right away when Kendra makes a deal to save Adam’s soul, but she was tricked. If she doesn’t succeed, she loses her own soul.  Wow… throw in a guardian angel to help and a guardian demon to mess it all up and you have a thrilling, hot roller coaster romance.   The only thing that was difficult at all was that this Kendra seemed to have multiple men falling at her feet. While that seemed a bit far-fetched, it wasn’t impossible and also the rest of the plot wouldn’t have worked without it.  It wasn’t too hard to swallow, and not everyone in the story was on her side, so it was good.  The characters were interesting and each one’s personality came through. It was well written and once I got into the zone, I didn’t stop reading until my kindle died!

It was worth the read.

Leave a comment

Filed under characters, creative, para normal, Uncategorized, urban fantasy, writing

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

August 30, 2012 · 9:09 pm

School Update

Finally, the last week of class… I really enjoyed British Literature. The class was not what I expected. There was a theme of revolution through the years, and we read literature related to that theme. We read Dickens, of course, but we also read Wollstonecraft and others that I would not have ever read on my own. Yes, I finished with an ‘A’.  But, I feel like I got a lot more out of it than just a grade.  I’m a school-nerd!

So, now I have 2 weeks until my next class starts and I’ve been looking forward to the break. The only problem is that we have so much reading for the next class (American Literature) that I’ll have to do as much as I can during the break.

I also plan on spending 4 solid days during the break on editing Summer Blood, my novel that was supposed to be done by now…. Hopefully, I’ll get it done by the end of the year. Stay tuned…

Leave a comment

Filed under authors, creative, editing, fiction, literature, school, Uncategorized, writing

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

February 26, 2012 · 3:15 am

cover art

What do you think? I have a new ebook coming out soon, and I’m trying to get the cover done. So, I’m going to give you a sneak-peak. I can’t decide which way to go. Tell me what you think.

Here is cover #1

This was fun to make using clip art and color.

I like the girl’s hair with the streaks of red because it matches my main character.

The draw back on this one is that I don’t think it is professional enough and I couldn’t get my name right.

This is cover #2:

I like the play with colors on this one and cutting down to just her eyes. I’ve seen a lot of covers with just wolf eyes over looking a girl or guy, so this is that idea revised. I like to do things different.

This still keeps the coloring of the girl’s hair, but using just the eyes makes it a bit more interesting.

This is cover #3:

This is almost the same as cover #2 only I move the eyes to black and white, but still a darker shade than the wolf. I tried one the same shade as the wolf, but then the entire cover kind of disappears. So, I like this one.

I put a bit of shadow around the picture of the eyes too.

I’m not sure, but I think this is my favorite. I keep going back and forth.

Here’s the last one #4:

This one is almost the same as #3, but I didn’t skew the picture of the eyes. I left them straight on. 

So, which one do you like best and why?  I’m not good enough with Photoshop to do much else, but I want to come up with something that looks decent. I don’t want to feel like I’m just ending up with what I can get away with, but I don’t have the funds to purchase anything either.

The ebook is a novella, and I plan to put it out for $2.99, so keep an eye out for it.  Here’s the description:

Selena competes for much more than the alpha spot during her summer spent in her favorite game. Science Fiction and fantasy combine together in this shape shifting tale of intrigue and dominance.

3 Comments

Filed under authors, characters, creative, dark fantasy, e-book, fiction, sci-fi, Uncategorized, writing

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

February 5, 2012 · 6:15 pm

Who are you?

One of the most frustrating things I’m facing in my writing journey is naming my characters. I want the names to fit the character. Some times it comes to me quickly during my outlining stages. At other times, I’m frustrated.  The perfect name doesn’t want to come to me. I think this happens when I’m trying to write the story quicker than my brain wants to process.

In any event, here is a link to a blog with five tips for picking names. They are really good pointers to keep in mind:

http://voices.yahoo.com/five-tips-naming-characters-fiction-228710.html

Here is a slightly different take on naming that is entertaining to read. This one uses some great examples to emphasise important points and perhaps some inspiration can be gleaned:

http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/write18.htm

Finally, Writing World offers these tips. I particularly like the one about not using names that end in S. Also, there are some good points about considering how your character might translate on the back cover.

http://www.writing-world.com/romance/names.shtml

This last article also spells out some differences in naming in genre stories. I think that is important. I tend to write dark fantasy or urban fantasy and some of it is futuristic. You can have a lot more leeway in naming, but if the name is too far out, it isn’t effective within the story. There is a purpose to a name and whether the story is in modern-day real life setting or a futuristic alternate universe or another planet, it has to work in the story.

Ultimately, I want a name that fits the character, flows well, doesn’t end in S, and is just otherwise perfect for the story.

Yeah… easier said than done.  Time to put on my thinking cap and get creative.

4 Comments

Filed under authors, characters, creative, dark fantasy, e-book, fiction, horror, inspiration, names, sci-fi, short story, urban fantasy, writing

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

January 20, 2012 · 1:33 am

Query This?!!?

With my novel, Summer Blood, finally finished and sitting with my Alpha-Readers, I’ve decided to write a query letter to send out to potential agents. So, what goes in a query letter? How do I capture the attention of a good agent when I know 50,000,000+ other writers are trying to do the same thing? I have to stand out somehow, right?!

So, I google’d it. Of course…. I found a decent website right away. Thanks Google!

http://www.writing-world.com/basics/query.shtml

This site says there are five points to a good query. They are as follows:

  • The hook
  • The pitch
  • The body
  • The credentials
  • The close

I think the hook is the most important. If you don’t grab the agents attention in the first two sentences, I think you’re screwed. RIGHT~?!~!?

So, what’s my hook?  According to the writing-world website there are many ways to grab the agent’s attention, and many ways not to.  The “don’t do this” section seems pretty common sense to me. So, what about the “do this” part? None of these really work for me. These seem to be good ideas for non-fiction writing. But, I get the idea.

Be real, be interesting, but don’t come across like every other ding-dong writer begging for attention.  Then, the right agent will pick me!

Here’s my first paragraph:

Stories like True Blood and Twilight have been breathing life into the old classics making vampires HOT right now. My adult novel, Summer Blood, takes some elements of the classic vampire stories and adds new twists. These vampires leave blood, violence, and sex in their wake, and readers that love that will also love Summer Blood.

Does that grab your attention?

6 Comments

Filed under agent, authors, creative, e-book, fiction, horror, query, sci-fi, short story, survey, tweet, Uncategorized, writing

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

January 11, 2012 · 3:55 am

My characters are hi-jacking my brain!

I just finished editing my first novel, Summer Blood, and I’m discovering that the characters are not finished with me!  I can’t stop thinking about them. When I drive to work in the morning, they start having conversations and doing things… I think that means I need a sequel… hmm.

It is an odd sensation. I thought I would be starting a new project by now, but I can’t let these guys go yet. Their story isn’t finished.

Summer Blood is about two wicked and powerful vampires that find love and their humanity when they kidnap a strangely attractive human – until their makers step in and change everything!

Gwinafel O’Dale is a sexy, flirty, and very tough vampire. She kicks ass or kisses it on her own whim.  She meets Tobia. He’s the broody dark one that hates himself.  Their relationship causes them to grow up a bit. She finds she can make a commitment past a few hours and he learns he doesn’t have to cast a gloomy shadow over everything in his life. Then they meet Matthew.

Matthew is an enigma. Gwinafel is drawn to him in a supernatural way… 

That’s all I get to tell you!!  I hate spoilers! But, I hope you’ll be interested in finding out more about these characters from the Desolate Incubus series. Summer Blood will be the 2nd installment.  I’m going to release Blood Pact, The Desolate Incubus Histories first.  

I had to cut a lot of juicy material out of Summer Blood, and it will end up in Blood Pact.  Yes, I do mean juicy!

So, I’m excited about these characters!  I hope others will be too… and I hope I can write enough about them so they’ll get out of my head.

3 Comments

Filed under authors, characters, creative, e-book, fiction, horror, inspiration, review, Uncategorized, writing

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 23, 2011 · 10:40 pm

Crimson Wind is Red Hot!

Finally! I got to read Crimson Wind! It has been on my read list since before the publication date even came up. The first book in this Horngate Witches series, Bitter Night, grabbed my attention and made me fall in love with Max, the bad-ass Shadowblade. So, when Crimson Wind hit the shelves, I wanted to read it immediately, but alas, things get in the way, and I have not had the opportunity to move it to the top of the list. Until now.

So, did the sequel live up to the first installment? HELL YEAH! It is one of the few books that I read non-stop, straight-through. I loved every page. Except the last one. I did not want the story to end. I won’t tell you why except that the third book, Shadow City, will be out this December, and I don’t think I will wait nearly as long to move it up on my list.

So, for those of you have not read Bitter Night and Crimson Wind, you are really missing out on a great series. The witch is a dark and complex creature intent on doing bad things for good reasons. One of those things is creating Max, her Prime Shadowblade. Max is a kick-ass powerful magic-made creature of the night. Sunshine will kill her, but not likely much more than that. The Shadowblades have their counterparts, Sunspears, that do the Shadowblade job during the day. These two work together in shifts (obviously) to protect the witch and her coven.  What they need to protect the coven from gets bigger and bigger (and badder) as the series moves along!

Got that? Good, because that’s all I’m saying. Anything else would be a spoiler, and I don’t do spoilers. So, read this one!

1 Comment

Filed under authors, characters, creative, fiction, review, Uncategorized, witch, writing

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,