Feels like Magic by Michelle Rowen

Author Michelle Rowen, best known for funny paranormals like Tall, Dark & Fangsome, makes her Harlequin Blaze debut this month! But she hasn’t abandoned paranormal romance–far from it! Read Michelle’s guest-post to find out about her sexy story Hot Spell, featuring paranormal investigators, an enchanted bedroom, and more…

by Michelle Rowen, author of HOT SPELL (Harlequin Blaze)

I once asked myself why I like writing and reading paranormal and fantasy fiction so much. I mean, in real life I don’t believe in ghosts. Or vampires. Or magic.

But that’s just it…in real life I don’t believe in magic. That’s why I need to write about it.

About a year and a half ago, I decided to try my hand at writing a book for Harlequin Blaze, which is one of my favorite category lines. I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could write something sexier than my single title books had been. After all, no one could say that the Blaze line isn’t sexy. So I tried writing something that I felt would fit in well with that line.

My first proposal fell flat and didn’t feel believable. Which was funny, since it was contemporary about very real, very non-magical people.

What went wrong?

Well, there was just no getting away from the fact that I am a writer of paranormal fiction. Even if this subgenre disappears off the maps (which I sincerely hope it never does!), I would still want to write about the fantastical. That’s just the way it is! So I sat back down and wrote my proposal up without “trying to fit in” with what I thought the line wanted.

The result was HOT SPELL, a story about two paranormal investigators who are forced to work together despite their mutual dislike—at least until they come in contact with an enchanted clock that reveals their true feelings for each other. The result? Love and magic. And, uh, lots of sex.

Some people are curious why I am writing category now—they see it as very different from single title. I beg to differ. I approach the writing of my Blazes (and I’m currently writing my second right now with a third waiting in the wings) exactly the same as my single titles. Same voice, same humor, same love of the characters. The difference? For me it comes down to length. Blazes are nearly half the word count of what I’m used to writing. But that’s okay, because it means I get to concentrate nearly entirely on the relationship between the hero and heroine. It helps to give the story a sharp focus—and makes these books, no doubt about it, real romance novels.

Also, they’re way sexier than my other books. While my heat level has definitely been rising in my other paranormal romances (hey, my characters always dictate this sort of thing! Not me!), they’re still not quite “Blazing” hot.

No matter the length of the book, all of my novels or short stories share the fact that they’re paranormals. And because of that, I’m lucky enough to have a job that fills my very non-magical life with magic that I can share with my readers. I couldn’t ask for anything more!

Do you believe in ghosts and magic in real life? Or do you think they’re just found between the pages?

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