Top Five Reasons Why I Love
Paranormal Romance
by Laurel Richards
1.
Superpowers — Let’s face it. Whether we’re
talking wizards, shape-shifters, or Elementals, the supernatural characters in
PNR have some awesome abilities. They can control weather or turn into animals,
run really fast or heal at super speed. Who wouldn’t want that skill set?
2.
Perspective—When the hero or heroine shifts
into another creature, the reader gets to go along for the ride. For instance,
in my werewolf romance, Wild Side, I describe the heroine’s transformation in
detail. Smells get stronger, hearing grows keener, and suddenly she can see the
world from a different perspective. Or in my new release, In Her Element, the
hero is a Water Elemental whose magic comes from his element. Ethan can shift
into a sea serpent or, even in human form, can extend his senses beyond his
body. When he’s tracking down a rogue in a storm, he reaches out with his magic
to feel every raindrop—what those droplets touch on the way down and how they
soak into the earth. Readers get to experience this change of the senses along
with the characters.
3.
Mash-ups—Not only is pairing Paranormal with
Romance a mash-up, but PNR lends itself to mixing with other genres, as well.
In Her Element is a contemporary romance and an urban fantasy, in addition to
being a paranormal romance. Others have written historical romances for werewolves
or futuristic novels about vampires. When magic is the cause behind the
paranormal character’s abilities, then PNR can mingle with fantasy. Or a science
experiment gone awry might create the character’s superpowers, in which case
PNR meets science fiction.
4.
Flexibility—As part of speculative fiction,
paranormal romance has almost limitless possibilities. Writers can draw from
folklore, mythology, or religion, or they can make up new supernatural
characters out of whole cloth. Imaginations are free to run wild.
5.
True Love—A common theme in most paranormal
romance is that of mates. The werewolf recognizes his mate immediately, or the
Elemental, once having chosen a mate, is bonded to her/him forever. Even if the
couple has issues to overcome, the reader can rest assured that the characters
have found true love. It would be nice if more people in real life could have
that assurance.
Blurb for In Her Element:
Darya Drake is a Water
Elemental who has lived a difficult life. She’s raising her younger brother,
Matthew, who is mentally ill, and she has had to fight off Phages—Elementals
who kill and cannibalize other Elementals to steal their powers. It isn’t until
she meets Ethan Zale, a Water Elemental with stormy blue eyes and a body to die
for, that she dares to hope for a better future. Ethan is everything she has
ever wanted, but trouble looms when a Phage begins stalking her. Can Ethan find
out who is after her and keep her safe? Will her brother accept another man in
her life? Darya discovers true love in the midst of strife, but for a girl who
has lost almost everyone she has ever cared about, it’s hard to believe in
happy endings.
Excerpt from In Her Element:
A frisson of fear and magic skittered down Darya’s spine as the killer
stepped from the shadows. She was close to her apartment but not close
enough—stuck on the dark side of the building where the security lights were
broken again. What she could see of his face was human: dark eyebrows, high
cheekbones, and full lips that might have been sensuous had they not been
curled in a sneer.
Appearances could be deceiving. Like her, this man was no ordinary
human. Although she didn’t know what type of Elemental he was, his power
crawled over her skin like angry wasps.
“I’ve been waiting for you.” His gaze slid over her in appreciation and
then burned with excitement when she stumbled back.
Her heart pounded, and she choked back a whimper. There would be no
reasoning with him, no chance for reprieve. He was like the others of his kind
she had run into. He was here to kill her.
“You look tasty,” he added with a lick of his lips. It was the last
thing he said before he pulled the knife.
Time slowed down, but panic only froze Darya for a moment. She didn’t
bother to scream. Screaming was useless with a being who could manipulate the
mind of anyone who might come to help. Instead she whirled and ran, pumping her
legs until her feet barely skimmed the ground. The cold night air slashed at
her hair and eyes, leaving tears whipping off her eyelashes.
Adrenaline and the will to survive spurred her across the parking lot.
She could hear the Elemental’s breathing and heavy footfalls behind her as he
chased her. Ahead, the traffic in the distance offered a glimmer of hope. The
night was still early enough that plenty of cars passed by, filled with people.
Join the herd and find safety in numbers
was a motto she had lived by her whole life.
The back of her neck prickled in warning a split second before her
pursuer snagged her shirt. Her feet lost their rhythm as he yanked her back and
sent her flailing to the ground. Pain singed her left elbow as it scraped the
pavement, and the force of the fall jolted her.
By some miracle, her purse stayed with her. She jumped up and swung it
when he lunged at her. Her bag connected with his shoulder, but he merely
snatched the strap and yanked it out of her grasp. She stumbled and couldn’t
get her balance before he grabbed her. A scream ripped out of her chest this
time, high and panicked. The sound cut off as he used his magic to snuff the
oxygen around her.
It wasn’t even a matter of strangling. There was simply no breathable
air—proof that he had to be an Air Elemental. Her legs failed her, and her lips
and face burned and then numbed as she continued to struggle for oxygen. She
had no fuel to fight as he fisted her hair and dragged her farther away from
the glow of the streetlight. Then he was yanking at her clothes, but her fading
vision outweighed any other fear.
The world narrowed, reduced to a hazy speck at the end of a dark tunnel.
With her last ounce of will, she lifted her hands and summoned her own magic—a
surge as powerful as the mightiest flood. Raw energy ripped out of her and
plowed into her attacker. He grunted as he was thrown a full ten feet.
She was instantly free. Her lungs burned as she heaved in air and
sputtered and coughed. Unable to stand, she was forced to crawl on her hands
and knees. A sound behind her told her the killer was already getting to his
feet. Her palms grated against the rough surface of the parking lot until they
were scuffed raw, but she couldn’t move any faster. Still breathless, it was
all she could do not to collapse, and her pulse pounded in her temples. There
was no moon to cast a shadow, but she knew the moment the Air Elemental loomed
behind her.
Darya thought of her younger brother, Matthew, and felt a stab of
regret. Who would care for him? Who would look out for him once she was gone?
She had made the mistake of being caught alone, and at twenty-one years old, it
was the last mistake she would ever make.
When black shoes appeared in front of her face, she braced herself to
feel the cold blade kissing her throat. Instead, she lifted her gaze and was
nearly engulfed in a fiery hell.
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1 comment:
Thanks, Dawn :-)
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