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 a 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 who 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 write
paranormal romances, I always try to give readers something unexpected, turn a
cliché on its ear, or use 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 the heroine has witchlike 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. Eddie, my “ghost cop” from In Another World has a lot of supernatural talents most ghosts don’t— including the ability to pull the living into an alternate realm—and make love to the heroine!
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!
Here’s the summary and links to In
Another World, my latest paranormal romance.
In Another World
A
Paranormal Mystery/Romance Novel
Disgraced psychic medium Julie Kershaw has finally met
her soul mate. The problem is he’s dead… and his spirit haunts the car she just
bought.
The spirit of Detective Eddie Mahoney is determined to
find his killer and needs Julie’s help. At first, she refuses. She’s tired of
being called crazy and swore she’d never use her abilities to speak to the dead
again—even if Eddie is handsome and charming.
Eddie persuades Julie to contact his former partner,
Lou Kaplonski, to ask him to reopen his case. Skeptical, Lou dismisses Julie as
a fake—until she proves she can communicate with the dead—and he finds out
Eddie has a lot to say.
Julie channels Eddie’s spirit and together with Lou,
the unusual trio tracks down leads and follows clues to solve Eddie’s murder.
The case takes them down a dark and dangerous path filled with secrets, where
nobody can be trusted.
As they work to find his killer, Julie falls for
Eddie. Funny, smart, and sexy, Eddie is the guy of her dreams—and he doesn’t
look or act the least bit dead. To her surprise, Eddie discovers a clever way
they can be together, and they begin an ethereal romance.
When Lou’s investigation brings him too close to the
killer, his life and Julie’s are put in danger—and Eddie may be the only one
who can save them.
Order
your copy here:
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09R11STRN
All other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/bpw16g
Read reviews here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/in-another-world
You can catch up on all of my romances
here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/romance and if you like
to be scared, don’t miss my horror fiction: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/horror
Happy Haunting,
Kelli
A. Wilkins
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has
published more than 100 short stories, 20+ romance novels, 7 non-fiction books,
and 5 horror ebooks. Her romances span many genres and settings, and she likes
to scare readers with her horror stories.
Her latest novel, In Another World, was
released in early 2022. This contemporary mystery/romance is set
in the world of the paranormal.
She also released two horror shorts, More
Than I Bargained For and Silent Sentinel in 2021.
In 2021, Kelli published Journaling Every Week: 52 Topics
to Get You Writing. This fun and innovative guide to
journaling is filled with hundreds of thought-provoking prompts designed to get
you writing about your feelings and emotions.
Kelli posts on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor.
Visit her
website/blog www.KelliWilkins.com for a full title list and to find all her
social media links.
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