Guest Post: A History of Paranormal Romance With Nicola R. White
Most romance readers have no trouble spotting a paranormal from a distance. Like all subgenres, the covers tend to identify the subject matter – a tough heroine wearing leather, a cityscape, glowing eyes, and magic symbols are all signs that a paranormal experience waits for the reader between the pages. Heroes are often depicted as tattooed alpha males, or covers may signify that the paranormal goes hand in hand with humor by use of cute, clever graphic design with a clear paranormal theme. One great example is Kristen Painter’s Nocturne Falls series.
The content of paranormal romance plots are a combination of both the romance and speculative fiction genres. (Speculative fiction refers to anything that comes from the imagination and not real life. I think of it as the “what if?” genre). Paranormal romance can include elements of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and historical fiction. The setting can be one that incorporates magical realism (magic that supposedly exists in the “real” world, as in Nora Roberts’ The Cousins O’Dwyer trilogy) or it can be more fantastic—another time, or even an alternate universe.
Legendary creatures like werewolves and vampires are common protagonists in paranormal romance, along with mermaids, witches, demons, angels, and just about any other supernatural character you can think of. My own New England Furies series is inspired by Greek mythology.
Paranormal romance, as we know it today, has room for just about any plot, setting, character, or theme an author can dream up, but it has its roots in the older literary tradition of Gothic romance. “Gothic” is a term used to describe a mood as much as particular story elements, when romance and horror are combined with classic (sometimes melodramatic) settings. According to Wikipedia, one of the first Gothic romances (possibly the first) was Horace Walpole’s 1764 work, The Castle of Otranto, which included an ancestral curse, secret passages, and a fainting damsel in distress. Other early, well-known examples of Gothic fiction include Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
All over the world, Gothic fiction seemed to flower in the public imagination in the 1700s and 1800s. In Germany, we find the Schauerroman (“shudder novel”), while in England, the Penny Dreadful achieved huge popularity in the Victorian era. These serial novels could be produced cheaply and sold for a penny, with a target audience of working class young men. Varney The Vampire, or The Feast of Blood was especially popular, with a confusing, convoluted plot and a truly epic length of 220 chapters and nearly 667,000 words.
Title: Fury’s Kiss (New England Furies Book 1)
Author: Nicola R. White
Blurb: Tara Walker dreams of more excitement than slinging plates of seafood for Cape Cod tourists, but as she learns when she is attacked and forced to fight for her life, fate sometimes has a funny way of giving you exactly what you wish for. Faced with strange new powers and embroiled in a murder investigation, Tara must now race to uncover the secrets of the ancient Fury that has woken inside of her – and of the evil that stalks her.
As if Tara’s life hasn’t gotten complicated enough, she is forced to ally herself with Jackson Byrne, witness to her assault and uncle to a pint-sized oracle whose fate is intertwined with hers. Skeptical, stubborn, and oh-so-sexy, Jackson wrestles with demons of his own. He is determined to ignore the attraction rising between them even faster than the body count, but like it or not, he and Tara need each other if they are to unravel the mysteries that surround them.
Title: Fury Scorned (New England Furies Book 2)
Author: Nicola R. White
Blurb: Tattoos? Check.
Stripper heels? Check.
Ancient Greek Fury living in her head? Check.
Born on the wrong side of the tracks, Alex Hughes has always known what people think of her—and working as an exotic dancer hasn’t exactly helped her image. But since bonding with a Greek goddess of vengeance six months ago, Alex has had bigger problems. Like dealing with the Spartans, the outlaw biker gang with supernatural connections terrorizing Boston.
And then there’s Tyler Kelly…
Tall, dark, and sexy, the ex-Navy SEAL is a deadly fighter and a potential lover. But Alex is more comfortable kicking ass than facing her feelings, and none of the men or women she’s dated in the past have made her feel the way Ty does. As if her life wasn’t complicated enough, she discovers there’s no wound like a bruised ego when she takes on the goddess behind the Spartans’ reign of terror—and loses. Alex’s faith in herself is shaken as enemies turn out to be allies and friends offer betrayal. But as the saying goes…
Hell has no Fury like a woman scorned.
Title: Dark Fury (New England Furies Book 3)
Author: Nicola R. White
Blurb: In the year since Rachel Underwood was blessed—or cursed—with legendary powers, her life has changed more than she could ever have imagined. Being transformed into a badass, crime fighting, femme fatale should be a dream come true for a bookworm like her…if it wasn’t such a nightmare. At odds with the ancient Greek Fury who shares her body, Rachel struggles to stay sane and avoid losing her identity.
To make matters worse, just when her lifelong goal of obtaining an Ivy League education is finally within reach, fate brings Rachel face-to-face with a major distraction in the form of Ethan Graves. The former director of the FBI’s Extrabiological Investigations unit is the one man she hoped never to see again, and battling her attraction for the man who betrayed her is hard enough. Too bad she also has to fight the forces of evil that are hell-bent on starting a war of mythological proportions.
With time running out and no way to tell new friends from ancient enemies, Rachel soon discovers that sometimes the only way to beat the enemy…is to join them.
Giveaway
Nicola R. White is giving away a copy of her first book to all interested readers! So enter by answering the following question in the comments:
What is your favorite paranormal creature?
Must comment before January 15th.
About the Author
Nicola R. White is no stranger to the fantastic. Although there are no Furies in her family tree (that she knows of), she comes from a small city on the east coast of Canada where ghost stories and superstitions abound. She has worked on movie sets, as a bartender, in a lighthouse, and as a lawyer, and though she’s never been an exotic dancer like her character, Alex Hughes, she does know how to pole dance.
She has always been fascinated by the strange and morbid, and often stays up too late reading books that give her nightmares. She believes truth is stranger than fiction, and just a few of her heroes are Buffy, Dana Scully, and Xena.
Nicola is a member of Romance Writers of America and Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada, and is an active member and supporter of the award-winning Romance Divas website and online forum.
Author website: www.nicolarwhite.com
Twitter: @Nicola_R_White
Facebook: https://www.facebook.
Great post! I actually read The Castle of Otranto in college although I don’t remember discussing its possible standing as ‘the’ first gothic romance. I’m a fan of the gothic style and, of course, paranormal romance. 😉 It’s interesting to see where it got its start. My *favorite* paranormal creature has always been vampires, and although I love reading about all kinds and am warming up to many others, vampires will always hold a special place in my heart. 😀
I agree that vampires are quite the special paranormal creature 🙂 I do like to read about more unique ones now, but vampires were my first favorite and will always remain 🙂