Straddling the Line Between Paranormal Romance &
Horror
By Kelli A.
Wilkins
Greetings Romance Lovers!
It’s October, and Halloween is right
around the corner. At this time of year, horror movies are extremely popular
and everyone is focusing on the supernatural. Werewolves, vampires, and other “creatures
of the night” seem to be lurking everywhere, just waiting to leap out and
terrify an unsuspecting heroine…
But sometimes the heroine isn’t terrified. Sometimes she’s attracted to that vampire and can’t wait
for the sun to go down so they can roam the night together, like any couple.
That is, any couple in a paranormal romance.
Paranormals are a unique genre in the
romance world. (Where else can a woman make love to an undead creature and not
face criticism?) They straddle the line between traditional romances and the
supernatural/fantasy/horror realm. And to create a convincing paranormal
romance, the author has to do a bit of juggling in all of those worlds.
One of the most important elements in
writing paranormal romances is to invent a believable universe where shifters,
vampires, and other types of “otherworldly” characters are very real. Sometimes
these creatures interact and coexist with “normal” humans (everyday people accept
that vampires and shapeshifters exist), but most times they stay hidden in the
shadows.
Whatever the basic premise, readers need
to suspend their disbelief and lose themselves in the world the author has
created. The writer has to establish a realistic paranormal character (or
several) and take the reader on an exciting journey with the hero and heroine as
they fall in love. After all, this is
a romance!
The type of paranormal character that
stars in the story is key to the plot, and can vary from nearly human to
full-fledged monster.
For example, suppose the hero was once human
and has been cursed to live as another creature (such as a Bigfoot, or a
gargoyle). Can the curse be broken if he finds a human woman to love him? How
does he go about that? Does he retain his human memories? Is the woman repulsed
by him at first? Do they make love while he’s in his altered state? Variations
on this “beauty and the beast” theme have been used in many paranormal
romances, and usually there is a happy-ever-after ending for the couple.
But maybe the hero is an undead creature
(a vampire) or turns into an animal (a werewolf or a werepanther). How does
this change his personality and way of life? Does he resent humans and live
with others of his kind? What does he do when he’s not transformed? How (and
why) does he transform? What happens when he reveals his true nature to his
beloved? How do they live happily-ever-after?
As you can see, falling in love with a
non-human can create a lot of conflict and difficulties for the couple. And sometimes
it’s a challenge for the author to make the “monster” into a romantic lead.
Even though the hero isn’t human, he must
have a special appeal that makes the heroine overlook this fact and fall in
love with him. Basically, the hero-creature has to remain true to his
paranormal status and still be attractive to humans (and human readers), just
like a traditional romance hero. (If not, then he’s the lead in a horror story,
and that’s an entirely different realm.)
If the author doesn’t create a believable
paranormal hero, readers won’t buy into it, and there certainly won’t be any
sparks flying in the romance. Writers must make the “monster” as real as any
other human character and flesh him out completely with a backstory, goals,
motivation, and conflicts.
Another challenge for the author is to keep
a balance between the paranormal elements and the romance. There needs to be realistic
supernatural details added to the love story, but the author can’t gross out
(or turn off) the heroine… or readers.
If a paranormal romance includes too much violence
or gore, it could turn into a horror story. (In fact, with a little bit of
rewriting, practically any paranormal romance could be transformed into a dark
and disturbing horror tale.) To avoid this, the author has to find a way to
deal with the bloodier or unpleasant aspects of being a monster, while still keeping
the hero attractive.
For example, if the hero is a vampire, he’ll
have to feed at some point during the story. The writer and the other
characters must address this. How does the heroine deal with her boyfriend’s
need to drink blood? Does she accept it? Ignore it? Does he feed “off page”
where she can’t see? Does she ever let him feed off her? What if he loses
control and goes wild?
These are all crucial things the author
has to consider when developing characters and plotting a paranormal love story.
Readers want to fall in love with a “safe” creature and live vicariously
through the heroine as she navigates the paranormal world. But the monster/hero
shouldn’t be dull or boring, or too predictable, either.
It’s always refreshing when authors break
patterns and have paranormal characters go against stereotype. (Why do all
vampires have to be suave, live in large houses, and dress well?) When I wrote
my paranormal romances, I always tried to give readers something unexpected,
turned a cliché on its ear, or used a different point of view to liven up the
story.
In Killer in Wolf’s Clothing, my
“werewolf” didn’t turn into a four-legged animal; he became a super-aggressive
Alpha male. Beauty & the Bigfoot is a paranormal comedy that explores
the legend of Bigfoot through quirky characters (and some hot love scenes!).
Rothgar, the hero in The Viking’s Witch doesn’t
believe that the heroine has supernatural powers—until she proves it. Confessions
of a Vampire’s Lover is told in first person from the hero’s point of
view and takes place at the beach—and that’s not where you expect to find a
vampire.
As Halloween approaches, take a closer look
at the “monsters” and other supernatural creatures you encounter. But don’t be
afraid… you might just fall in love with one of them!
Happy Haunting,
Kelli
A. Wilkins
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelli A. Wilkins
is an award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 19
romance novels, 5 non-fiction books, and 2 online writing courses. Her romances
span many genres and heat levels, and she’s also been known to scare readers
with her horror stories.
She
released Extraterrestrial Encounters, a collection of
18 sci-fi stories, in August 2019. If you like horror fiction, don’t
miss her disturbing novella, Nightmare in the North.
Her latest historical romance, The
Viking’s Witch, was released in June 2019. This full-length novel takes
place in Celtic Scotland and blends a sensual romance with paranormal
elements.
In March 2019, Kelli published Dangerous
Indenture, a historical mystery romance set in Colonial Pennsylvania.
She released the second half of her flash fiction series, Cupid’s Schemes, in early
2019. These two volumes of lighthearted mini-romances are perfect reads for a
quick lunchtime escape or an after-work indulgence.
Kelli released her
latest Teachable mini-course, Fiction Basics: Finding Ideas in
February 2019. She authored Fiction Writing for
Beginners through Teachable in 2018. These courses are
perfect for anyone who wants to learn how to write. Visit: https://kelliwilkins.teachable.com/ for more details.
Not
just an author, Kelli is also an amateur photographer. Visit her pages on Shutterstock
https://www.shutterstock.com/g/kelli+wilkins and iStock https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/kelliwilkins to
view her photos.
Kelli posts on her
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor.
Visit her website www.KelliWilkins.com or
blog http://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/ to learn more
about all of her writings.
No comments:
Post a Comment