PNR Inklings

Topic is inspirational paranormal: Do paranormal elements have a place in books that adhere to a religious standpoint.

Kristy says ~ Last week we talked about demons as heroes, so this week we’ve asked the question about paranormal elements in inspirational romances. I’ve always been fascinated with stories that were taken on faith but could not be readily explained by conventional reality.

In many religions there are tales of the paranormal from Angels in Christianity to Hindu Goddesses. At the same time though, there’s a bit of a taboo attached to writing a faith based romance and including the supernatural. In a way though, I think the two go hand in hand. If a character prays and finds peace after seeking guidance, it is taken on faith that their peace was given to them by a higher power.

As a writer who wants to pen faith based tales that include the paranormal, the key would be extensive research into what is acceptable to the general population of that religion. While an angel can protect and perhaps even offer guidance in a Christian inspirational, the angel would have to adhere to strict guidelines that would not go against anything said in the Bible.

So my answer to the question of whether or not paranormal elements have a place in books that adhere to a religious standpoint would be yes, but with caution as to not offend one of the readers you are writing for.
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Jackie says ~ This is a deeper question than may perhaps be assumed at first glance. Many members of practicing religions find it hard to come to terms with the paranormal aspects of religious life. And yet…

Given that angels, devils and afterlife (in Christianity the resurrections of Christ, for example) is a part of the four major global religions, I find it hard to understand the intransigent stance some practitioners take against the paranormal.

So after all that, does paranormal have a place in inspirational stories? In my opinion, yes they do. But… and yes, there is a but; every writer attempting to blend the two is writing a tight line. To me, every paranormal book that successfully blends the two is due to the skill and sensitivity of the writer.

Many of the wonders of science we take for granted in our lives today, began as features in Sci-Fi books, the blending of paranormal with inspirational will do the same.

This weeks Question: Do Demons make good heroes? Can Demons be good?

Kristy says - A magazine article that I’ve read recently found here stated that demon and angel-themed series are becoming more prevalent. I thought I’d take a moment to discuss demons today. Demons are a particular favorite of mine, because they are seen as bad until proven otherwise. Like the vampires of the past, and the tortured werewolves, Demons are the new bad boys on the block and they are good at what they do.

I like my bad boys as much as any other lady, but I like my bad boys good. That poses the question, can Demons be good? We’ve seen saintly vampires who won’t touch human blood, and shape-shifters that would rather die than harm a single hair on the head of the woman he loves. Can Demons reach that status? I can’t believe, as a writer, that I’m even asking that question. Demons can be good, bad and sexy given a great scene to drop them into.

Demons weren’t always the evil derelicts that they are portrayed as. In many cultures they’ve held neutral standings as well as both good and evil. I think what makes demons unique is the rampant freedom with which one could write about them. Because the range of their actions in mythological history is so great, they could be anything, do anything and still fall under the blanket of being a demon.

So, Do Demons make good Heroes? Absolutely. Can Demons be good? Only if you want them to be.

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Jackie says - The Uprising of demons is a bit of a puzzle to me as I keep hearing that paranormal/fantasy as a genre is falling out of favour, and yet…

Everywhere I look the bookshop shelves are groaning with them, Amazon, and other websites are highlighting them are their main features, so why the dichotomy?

Can you have a ‘good demon’? Well yes, our own Kristy is busy writing a book where her demon has turned almost saintly. We’ve all fallen in love with him instead of the ‘good-guy’. That’s not to say we’ve fallen out of love with the ‘good guy’, we haven’t. But a GOOD demon? Boy oh boy, is that something for the reader to battle with?

It also kind of blows away my intended comments, that without a demon terrorising the plot, the reader could lose out on some serious conflict. We all love to hate the bad guy, don’t we?

Like everything/everyone else, demons have their place in the story, and if not used to their full potential, then you may as well leave them out altogether. But then who would the reader get to ‘hate’?

Better keep them in, then, especially as they seem to be on the rise.

Last week we discussed sex in paranormal and that got me thinking of men. (Go Figure!) I looked on my book shelf and asked what male hero did I like best? There are so many to choose from; Rich and suave, dark and brooding, strong and unwavering. What book did I find myself running back to when I’m in need of excitement? Then my mind went to my favorite villain turned hero. It is official, I like the bad boys.

When he’s bad, he’s very very bad, but when he’s good… look out! C.M. Moss portrayed a character over a series of for stories in the Si’ Ludo series named Cor. Cor defines degenerate behaviors until he’s humbled by the love of the right woman. He’s my favorite paranormal hero, because C.M. Moss did a wonderful job bringing him full spectrum from bad to good.  A very close second was Zarek from Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dance with the Devil. He went from a slave to an incredibly powerful being. He is one hero I will never forget.

So, who is your favorite hero? What is it about him that makes you fall in love? For me it’s simple… give me a bad boy and possibly leather. Leather just makes any man more appealing.   ~ Kristy

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How to choose?  What to choose?   I have to go back to Nora Robert’s Irish/Galleger Trilogy.  Where across three books she takes her readers into the world of Ardmore and Carrick the Prince of the Faeries and thwarted love.  To a place where tempter tantrums spark thunder storms and love produces diamonds and emeralds and pearls of immense beauty.  A place where pub landlords are bested by Carrick the faerie prince and the tenants of an isolated cottage share the space with a golden haired ghost who gave up love for duty.

While she guides her tenants to their destiny, the faerie prince demands they fulfil his demands because if they don’t his destiny will once again be thwarted and this time for all eternity.  Over the course of three books, Carrick manipulates the humans who can reverse the actions and decisions of time gone by.  When things begin to go pear-shaped, he’s not backward in coming forward with scathing comments on their inadequacy in following his demands.  Far from accepting blame for any part of the calamities that befall his chosen vessels to achieve his own ends, he bewails their ineptitudes and foolish pride.

As it is his own pride that has led to his disastrous situation and the threat of the permanent loss of his only true love, you’d think he’d find a less abrasive method of achieving his heart’s desire.  That the three pairs of heroes and heroines are also in danger of losing their soul-mates ups the ante in the faerie prince’s efforts to ensure they all find true happiness.

Carrick is a feisty character who has you falling in love with him, in spite of his devious methods of achieving his dreams.

It is hard to choose one from such a vast pool of options, but there you go, for me Carrick for all his faults is my favourite supernatural Hero.

So, who is your favourite supernatural Hero, and why? ~ Jackie

This week’s blog topic:  Hot Paranormals.

A member on one of the email loops asked ‘can a paranormal story be written without a great deal of sex’.  I thought we’d use this as a discussion board for our first blog. At first, I thought what does one have to do with the other. Sex sells and paranormal romance sells. I tried to mentally go through the different Paranormal Romance books I’ve read. I went over the ones I’ve reviewed and I came to a quick conclusion. I like sexy books!  The ones that appealed to me the most were dark and sensual with enough sex to curl my toes.

Does this mean I wouldn’t like a sweet paranormal romance? Nope, I’m sure I’ve enjoyed plenty, but my preference would have to be one filled with heat. I still need the emotion and the romantic tale to captivate me, but a story that has it all blows me away. There’s plenty of paranormal tales that range from sweet to erotic. There’s room for any level of heat.

When I think of vampires that have sex appeal oozing from their pores, or werewolves that shift into masculine hunks, I want to read all aspects of their personality; including how they are between the sheets. The culmination of emotion and lust coming together in a scene that would melt ice in the arctic defines my ideal romantic scene.  A perfect example of this is His Final Seduction by Scarlett Childs.
So my response to ‘Can a paranormal story be written without a great deal of sex?’ Sure.  For me though, I want the book that has it all; imagination, adventure, and plenty of sex. ~Kristy

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In response to the first ‘member question’ in our new discussion about paranormal romance ‘Can a paranormal story be written without a great deal of sex?’, I have just finished reading Diana Castilleja’s 2nd book in her  Aiza Clan series, which is a short paranormal romance, with no sex, and it works!! Beautifully.  That doesn’t mean there’s no emotional or sexual impact, there is, but it is implied rather than explicit.  It is fast paced, tightly packed with emotion, mystery and suspense, all in just over one hundred pages.  If she’d stopped to add in hot steamy sex, I feel it would have obstructed the impact of her story.

When you pick up a paranormal romance is it for the quality of the writing or simply to see how the writer incorporates sex with paranormal?  Whether sex is included in the book or not, it is the quality of the writing that will sell the title.  It is the quality of the writing that will call you back to pick out your favorite author on your next trip to the book shop, or e-book site.

Some writers portray a sex scene effortlessly while others are obviously not comfortable with writing such scenes.  I have read romances classified as steamy and enjoyed them, as I have other romances classified a ‘sweet’, and still enjoyed them.  It all comes down to the quality of the writer, and a good writer of paranormal will sell her story because the reader, firstly enjoys her style of writing.  If that style includes a hot sex scene or two, then ‘her’ fans will be happy.  If another reader picks up the same book but don’t enjoy explicit sex scenes they are unlikely to read her books again, but if her writing is of a quality that surpasses the reader’s initial reserve, that author may yet add another fan to her list of faithful readers.

In answer to the question -  ‘Can a paranormal story be written without a great deal of sex?’  Then I have to say, ‘yes’ I think they can.  But it is the quality of the writing that will ultimately sell the next, and the next paranormal romance book they write, not the amount or lack of sex scenes.  ~ Jackie

Hi! I’ve met so many wonderful people from PNR’s The Haunt that I wanted to meet more, so here I am. My name is Kristy Bock. I write paranormal romance, read it, and review it. I am also the co-host of PNR’s The Haunt.  What better way to share opinions and ideas than a blog? Paranormal Romance is such a diverse genre that I’ll even have a partner in crime for this blog; she’ll introduce herself in a moment.  Once a week, we’ll pick a topic that relates to Paranormal Romance or the industry in general and discuss it.

My initial question to any reader today is what type of paranormal romance reader are you? Do shape-shifters appeal to you? Perhaps vampires are more your cup of tea? Maybe an angel or two? The ones that tickle my fancy are the ones that are so far removed from reality that you’re left wondering where on earth the author came up with that! I enjoyed Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series a great deal.  I recently read ‘The Lure of the Wolf’ by Jennifer St. Giles and it was right up my paranormal alley!

I often wonder how many writers of the supernatural use lure that they’d grown up hearing, or create their own guidelines for their paranormal creatures. I think that while the established lure offers a connection to readers, creating your own would be more satisfying.  What do you think? I think it’s wonderful to read a book written by an author that mixes up lore. There’s so much creative material to work with.

In the coming weeks we’re going to discuss all things paranormal from reading to writing. We’ll post comments that further discussions and just run with it. Want something discussed? Just let us know. Now I’d like you to meet my partner in crime, Jackie.    ~ Kristy

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Hi, I’m Jackie, and apart from being Kristy’s ‘partner-in-crime’ in this new venture, I am a reader, writer and reviewer of contemporary and other genre romances; and a healer and empath.  Kristy introduced me to PNR, and recently I joined another romance review site, an experience that has widened my reading to other romance genres.

What aspects of the genre entice you to read some books, why do you enjoy certain authors and not others?  Do you write them?  If so what stirred you to hit the keyboard?  These are just a few of the questions that may come up for discussion.

Yesterday Kristy introduced me to Karen Marie Morning, and am thoroughly enjoying her writing.  I also read many Nora Roberts books, and marvel at where they and others writers get their ideas from?  They blend reality and paranormal so smoothly it’s hard to see any form of divide.  It’s such a vast subject I look forward to meeting and sharing this experience with all of you.

“A stranger is a friend you’ve yet to meet.”  I look forward to meeting and making many new friends here.  ~ Jackie