Paranormal Romance Blog

Author Stephanie Draven wouldn’t want many elements of paranormal romance in real life…but real-life events influence her paranormal romances for Silhouette Nocturne Bites instead! Learn more in Stephanie’s guest-post for our Paranormal Party!

by Stephanie Draven, author of Midnight Medusa and Wild, Tethered, Bound

What elements of paranormal romance do you wish were real?

Alright, I’m just going to come out and admit it–I’m not altogether turned on by the undead. Oh, vampires have a sophistication that pull me under their fictional sway, but in real life, I prefer a lover with a heartbeat. I guess that also rules out ghosts and zombies. And I don’t mind being nibbled on, but if werewolves were real, I’d be a little nervous about those fangs. And the whole peeing on things to mark territory could really spoil the mood.

I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want an Angel or a Demon as a lover because I like to be the center of attention, and those creatures are likely to have much higher (or lower) cosmic priorities than spoiling me rotten. Witches, wizards and magic users might put me at a serious disadvantage. How would I know if I was really turned on or just under a powerful spell?

My stories for Silhouette Nocturne have all featured ancient gods and monsters of Greek mythology, and I suppose in some sense I do believe that they’re real. Our oldest stories are a manifestation of archetypes. It’s not that Ares actually walks the earth–but as a representation of mankind’s most brutal and warlike nature, his influence seems ever present in today’s world. And while I’ve never met an actual gorgon like my heroine in Midnight Medusa, I’ve certainly seen the power of righteous feminine rage. For example, my modern day gorgon, Renata, was able to turn war criminals into statues by virtue of her sculpting, but more recently I had an odd little gorgon-like experience of my own.

One of the villains in my first full-length novel for Silhouette Nocturne was inspired by Congolese General Laurent Nkunda. I had no sooner finished typing out a (now deleted) scene in my book where this villain was arrested than I got a Google Alert telling me that the rebel leader had just been arrested in real life! Coincidence? I think not!

I think I need a nice snake wig for Halloween…what’s your costume going to be?

~Stephanie