I always wanted to write ever since I was little. My next door neighbor was an author of etiquette books. I used to scoff at romance novels until I actually read one. I love reading romance novels. I never really read before I found romance novels (which were my mom’s). No, I didn’t read Nancy Drew or that twin series that was so popular. I never read “Hello, God It’s Me, Margaret.” I know I don’t deserve to call myself a girl. I skipped the kid stuff and went straight to adult.
So I’ve always wanted to write and I love romances. Great, so why paranormal? Because it’s hot right now? Because everyone else is finding their inner paranormal themed book? Well, let’s go back to what romances I read. I started on category romances, Silhouette Desire. Then came the historicals. I totally loved historicals which led me to Jude Devereaux and Johanna Lindsey. Some of my favorite Jude Devereaux’s were the time travels and Johanna Lindsey’s futuristics were awesome. I’ve always had a thing for the bad boy, alpha male hero, the destined lovers, and who better to encompass that than a vampire. I gobbled up anything vampire.
Back in high school, the first novel I outlined had a ghost/poltergeist in it. The novel I plotted while at college had a vampire. If a book has something paranormal going on in it, I want to read it, so wouldn’t it make sense that I want to write what I read, what I have a passion for? Well, yeah. So here I am writing away at my paranormal romance (well) over 20 years from where I started as a little starstruck neighborhood girl. I’ve dabbled here and there over the years, but this time I’m sticking with it.
Great post, Amanda.
Why do I write paranormals…? Because I like the freedom of them. I can’t *not* write paranormals.
Like Amanda, I have a thing for the bad boys. The badder the better. Some of mine are more pigheaded than others, some of my alphas really don’t deal well with the fact that some mere mortal can defeat them with such a silly thing like love.
Yeah, my para’s tend to be the guys. They all have an axe to grind, usually, and they all prefer to stay a million miles away from those hoomans.
There is a lot of freedom in writing paranormal romance, but you’re also bound by constraints. Yeah, I can make it up as I go along, but while a Regency writer knows a lot about the Ton… I know about Vampires. Werewolves. Ghosts. Ghouls. Zombies. And I know way –way– too much about demons.
I watched a TV program a while ago and to my horror had to discover that the “designs” they used in it were actually demonic sigils. Eeek.
The fact is, I got hooked some time back.
And now I can’t help myself.
2008
Silke