Nothing Abnormal about the Paranormal

Happy Tuesday! I’m guest blogging today, at the invitation of Rebecca Royce, even though I’m not thought of as a paranormal author. As I thought about what topic to blog about, I came to realize that maybe I've got some paranormal in me after all! 

What is paranormal? Anything outside the norm? Websters says it’s anything “unable to be explained or understood in terms of scientific knowledge”. In that case, we live in a paranormal world. Who can explain a man’s superhuman strength when he lifts a vehicle off of a trapped child?

What about the church explosion that should have killed the usually punctual choir members, but no one was injured, when each of them was late to practice that day due to varying reasons?

So many things in life can’t be explained. How did my mother know to show up at the hospital when I was in labor with my third child, before I called her? She said she just knew she had to be there, and so she went. (This also explains why I never got away with anything growing up, but that’s another post.)

My book Préjà Vu could be called a paranormal story. Although I don’t have any shifters or vamps, the heroine Ryann is a psychic, who sees glimpses of future events each night. Then she has to make sense of it, and live with the consequences. Here's a little excerpt:

Ryann grabbed her purse and the folder with the sketches she’d done the night before, then hurried out the door and into the waiting car.

“You look like shit.”

Ryann looked at her friend, who was steering back into early morning traffic. “Thanks a lot, Ashley. I know I can always count on my best friend for some encouraging words.”

“You also know that you can count on me to tell you the truth.” She shot another appraising glance at Ryann who had flipped the visor down to check the truthfulness. “Did you stay up all night working on those drawings?”

“No, actually they came together surprisingly fast. I was done by ten. Wait ’til you see them; I added an atrium on the south facing entrance. Remember how Mr. Brackus wanted to bring the outdoors in?”

“Yeah, I can’t wait to see them. Your architectural genius never ceases to amaze. Now, tell me what’s up. You had a dream, didn’t you.” It wasn’t a question.

Ryann sighed, and pressed three fingers against her forehead, as if that would keep the vision from beginning again. “I had a dream,” she said simply.

Ashley kept silent throughout the remainder of their commute. Ryann was glad for it; Ashley seemed to know when to push and when to back off. Soon she drove the little four-cylinder hatchback into the covered parking garage and parked. It took a moment for them to adjust their eyes to their dim surroundings. Ashley cut the engine and turned toward her friend. “So do you want to tell me about it? I assume it was a death dream this time, otherwise you wouldn’t be looking like a corpse yourself.”

Ryann’s dreams had been a daily discussion since the two met in college. Ashley was the first person Ryann trusted enough with her secret, and since she believed Ryann without question, she’d become more than just a confidante.

Ryann met her best friend’s gaze. “Yes, it was a death. A murder.”

“Oh, God.” Ashley groaned.

“I know.”

A murder meant that Ryann and Ashley would spend the next few days trying to find the victim before the event. The possibility that the complete stranger would be found before being murdered was practically impossible, but Ryann couldn’t pretend that she didn’t know about it. If there was any way she could save a life, she would.

Albert Einstein once said, “There are only two positions you can take. Either you believe that nothing in life is a miracle or you believe that everything in life is a miracle.” Makes sense, huh? The next time I credit good luck, coincidence, or a crazy dream...I'm going to think twice.

Thanks to the ladies at Paranormal Romantics for allowing me to meet you all. Take a moment today to appreciate the paranormal in your lives.

~Alanna Coca