Categories: October Paranormal Party • contests


Posted by Amy - October 30th, 2009 Comments 11

Silhouette Nocturne author Linda Thomas-Sundstrom rounds out our Paranormal Party Blog Bash with this post on something from paranormal romances that she thinks isn’t a fantasy at all. Read her blog post and you might win a book, too!

by Linda Thomas-Sundstrom, author of BLACKOUT and WOLF BAIT

Linda Thomas-Sundstrom — Nocturne author — faced with this thought-provoking question:

What elements of paranormal romance do you wish were real?

Honest answer: What? Paranormal romance isn’t real?

And: Since when?

And finally: Why didn’t somebody tell me?

Because: My life is full of paranormal romance elements. I mean, isn’t yours?

On the serious side: Most important, I think, and absolutely real . . . is the almost psychic connection between a man and a woman. SNAP. Who can explain that? We write about it all the time, but in fact, this happened to me. First eye-to-eye contact between myself and the man who was to be my husband, and — voila! Done deal. I consider it a supernatural spark. Fated mates meeting, against all the odds. When this happens, you are together for life. The spark animates you both, ties you together, binds you willingly. And my husband is quite the animal. He doesn’t just turn into one when the moon shines, it’s 24-7. (No, I won’t loan him out).

Since I can relate to this fated mates phenomena first-hand, and it was so incredibly rich for me, I include this element in all of the books I write. In my “Wolf Moons” series for Nocturne, which began in Jan 09 with Blackout, and will see three back-to-back releases in Jan, Feb, and March 2010, I call that magical instant when the eyes and souls of two people meant to be together meet, imprinting. It’s an unbreakable bond that happens on some sub-level of their beings that recognizes it. Since it was such a strong point for me, in my own life, it’s therefore a major deal for my characters. It drives them forward, creates passion, and sometimes angst. But there it is.
Done deal. I don’t think there’s anything more romantic than the knowledge that you’ve found “the one.”

On the lighter side, the paranormal world I’m involved in has brought me many friends. My days are seeped in the paranormal. Since my closest friends write about Weres, Vamps and Witches, our conversations frequently (okay, most of the time) turn toward the bizarre. We have to whisper in restaurants. One of us has a T-shirt bearing the legend: “We are what we write.” I’ll get phone messages saying: “Full moon tonight. Take care!” And what about a bracelets that say: “Team Jacob” or “Team Edward” — dangling on the wrists of many females well over the age of sixteen? Well over.

If people only fessed up the extent to which our love of the paranormal exists, it would indeed be a mad, mad world, eh? (And yes, I secretly write about the lighter side of paranormal romance also. Check out this year’s Barbie and the Beast from Dorchester)

I think writing about the paranormal is romantic and truly rich fare. I can’t write in any other genre. My favorite characters are werewolves. Sexy, warm-blooded alphas who get the job done – in a dashing good way. I’ve spent the last couple of years getting to know them, studying them, honing them on paper to suit the bill as the perfect supernatural heroes. They seem as real to me as any leading men, maybe more so, since the danger associated with being attracted to a werewolf is fragile, and at the same time vastly alluring. Love those guys! Hope to know them for a long, long, while.

In sum, life, for me, has always been a romantic supernatural romp, filled with spectacular and ongoing tidbits. Nothing normal about it. No sir-ee. Magic is everywhere — if you know where to look. And trust me, my eyes are wide open.

I’ve really picked one element of paranormal romance here, out of so very many. But I can’t help but wonder which thing you’d choose in regards to the question that was posed to me here. Which paranormal elements you’d like to see exist? Maybe one thing you couldn’t do without? In your own life, or vicariously through what you read?

Please do leave your mark here. Some thoughtful person will receive a free book, where you can take a walk with me on the dark side. Grrrr….

Love,
Linda

www.lindathomas-sundstrom.com

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October Paranormal Party, contests