Today I’m happy to have my good friend, J.R. Pearse Nelson, as a guest on my blog. We agreed to trade posts on “Why Paranormal Romance?”. So here’s J.R.!
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Why Paranormal Romance?
Hi! My name is J.R. Pearse Nelson, and I’m a fantasy and paranormal romance author. I want to thank Lauralynn Elliott for having me on her blog today. We are trading guest posts on the topic: Why paranormal romance? Lauralynn’s post on my blog can be found here.
I’m excited to talk about this, because I’ve noticed something. Paranormal romance readers come from all kinds of different backgrounds. I didn’t realize when I was holed up in my own little world reading paranormal romance just how many others shared my passion for the paranormal. I could have guessed at the romance part. But what is so interesting, to such a wide variety of people, about paranormal romance?
Let’s start with what’s interesting about the genre for me, personally. I unabashedly read – and write – for escape. Seriously. The more “real” a book feels, the more it turns me off. I haven’t gotten all the way through a non-fiction book in the seven years since graduate school. I credit six years of college for my dislike of preachy ranting. But I digress.
The mysteries lying just beyond our understanding, the earth moving under our feet as we live out our mundane everyday existences…when I pause and think about what I don’t know, that’s when I feel truly alive. It’s when I think about how truly vast this world is that I feel invigorated and emboldened by the possibilities.
And the possibilities are endless. Who hasn’t dreamed about monsters, or flying horses, or having a magical power? Well, I get to turn those dreams, those fantasies that have always captivated my imagination, into tales that allow me to share what enchants me with others. It is so satisfying to surprise people, to take a reader back to a primal place of dream, and that connection we all feel with the mysteries surrounding us in this world.
So what happens for me when I combine the paranormal with romance? In a word: Fireworks!
I’ve loved romance stories since I was a preteen – a fact that always horrified my mother. (Sorry, Mom!) It went right along with my love of soap operas. I’ve been a fan of General Hospital (now the sole surviving ABC soap – boo, hoo!) for twenty years now. It’s funny that I love to consume media with boatloads of drama, because I’m a pretty low-key lady in real life. My husband may disagree. Am I on a tangent again?…
The best romance, and the best stories in general, build in tension with every scene. Romance features snappy dialogue and lots of physical description – the very elements that, in my opinion, help a story move along quickly. I love stories that whip along, and surprise me around every turn. That’s what I try to write – stories that will take my readers on an exciting ride, a total escape from the mundane.
Romance and paranormal put together means plenty of punch packed into every scene. What’s not to love?
Click the cover for the Amazon link to Tribute.
Visit J.R.’s author page here.
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J.R. Pearse Nelson is an indie author of fantasy and paranormal romance. Her work is fast-paced, adventurous, and sometimes dark. Her novellas, Tribute and Vessel, are the first two books in the Children of the Sidhe series. While the genre of these novellas is paranormal romance, J.R. doesn’t limit her reading or writing to one type of fantasy. She loves it all, from the epics to the dark beasties to the mythological, sociological side. An urban fantasy novel and two more Children of the Sidhe novellas are in the works for 2012.
J.R. is a native Oregonian, living in the beautiful Portland area. She lives with her husband, two small daughters and the family dog. Self-publishing is the realization of J.R.’s life-long dream to write fiction for an audience. You can connect with J.R. online at her blog, twitter, and Goodreads. Visit http://www.jrpearsenelson.com.
lauralynnelliott.com 