Guest: Pamela S. Thibodeaux

When I was invited to be a guest on Paranormal Romance blog my initial thought was, “I don’t write Paranormal.”

Hmmmm….on second thought, I guess I do! (sort of)

My debut women’s fiction novel, The Visionary (2011) has paranormal (or supernatural) elements. The heroine, an architectural designer has a unique gift….

            A glimpse of splendor, a glimmer of brilliance caught her eye, like fairy dust dancing on sunlight. She turned her head with caution when a pulse at the base of her skull began to throb and familiar vibrations stole over her. She lowered herself to the floor and let the sensations envelop her. Her eyesight blurred, fingers trembled and heartbeat quickened while her mind swam with images. Visions guided her hand until she filled the remainder of the sketchbook.

Her twin has a supernatural experience….

            Once ensconced in his apartment, Trevor allowed his emotions to run their course. Exhausted and in pain, he took a couple of pills, stretched out on the couch, fell into an uneasy slumber, and dreamed.

            He stood alone in a meadow. Two lions approached, one scraggly and unkempt, the other stately and regal. He turned as they circled in on him, closer and closer until he could almost feel their breath on his neck. One grunted, growled, and snarled. The other responded likewise. They crouched, prepared to attack, then lunged. He ducked, rolled out from beneath the tangled mass of muscle and fur, and watched them go at each other in a battle of wills. Within moments, the large, regal cat had the other pinned beneath his huge paws, his teeth clasped in the throat of his foe. He snarled, shook his head, and released the lesser animal which then pounced to his feet and ran off with his tail tucked between his legs. The big cat roared in triumph then sat, head high, and eyed Trevor.

            Trevor kept a wary eye on the lion and inched backward until a tree stopped his escape. Though his eyes followed his every step, the animal never flinched. Trevor watched and waited for him to pounce, but the lion didn’t so much as twitch a muscle. That’s when he noticed the crown. Trevor shook his head and rubbed his eyes. Sure enough the crown remained, embedded in the animal’s scalp. The crown turned to thorns. The lion’s face changed into that of Christ crucified and then back into a lion’s face.

            Trevor rubbed his eyes again and shook his head. “Who are you? What do you want?” he felt compelled to ask.

            “I am the Lion of Judah, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Come, Trevor, follow me,” the cat answered and turned to walk away.

Some may consider this Sci-Fi or Fantasy, but this is an example of a supernatural experience based on the book of Joel (2:28), where the Lord says, "I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions."

My latest release, Keri’s Christmas Wish also contains paranormal (or supernatural) aspects.

An image began to form in her mind…a young girl being led around on a horse by an ethereal figure. As the trio came closer, Keri felt as though she looked in a mirror. Her heart swelled. Tears clogged her throat, filled her eyes, and slipped down her cheeks.

“Hi, Keri!”

The childlike voice reverberated through her entire body. Keri smiled and whispered, “Hello.”

Excitement lit the youngster’s eyes. Brilliant colors vibrated around her. “Do you know who I am?”

“You’re me as a little girl. That’s Spark, my horse who died when I was a teenager.”

Spark nodded his head as the girl giggled—a joyous melody that rang through the atmosphere. “No, silly, I’m your big sister. Only, I didn’t live very long.”

Tension seeped in, a mixture of shock and awe.

“Don’t be afraid. Ask mom.”

And then the mirage disappeared.

Here’s the Scoop: I don't write Sci-Fi, fantasy, or paranormal novels. I write romance & women's fiction with an occasional suspense thrown in (although I never intended to write that either — it just sort of showed up in the story LOL!).

Therefore I thought I’d clarify the difference in Sci-Fi, Paranormal, and Supernatural.

According to the definitions I found, Science Fiction is based on "imagined future scientific or technological advances."(IE: Time Travel).

Paranormal is defined as, “Beyond the range of normal experience or scientific explanation: such paranormal phenomena as telepathy; a medium's paranormal powers.”

On the other hand, Supernatural elements, are, "manifestations or events considered to be of supernatural origin. Attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature."

Supernatural are events like those listed in the Bible ... Parting of the Red Sea, burning bushes that are not consumed, God speaking through a donkey, fire from heaven burning up sacrificial offerings that have been so heavily doused with water there is no natural way fire is possible, feeding thousands with five fish and five loaves of bread, walking on water, etc.

Do I consider myself a “paranormal” writer?

Not at all.

Am I upset when the term paranormal is associated with my writing?

Again, not at all–especially if having ‘paranormal’ applied to the book will cause someone who wouldn’t normally pick up an “Inspirational” or “Christian” title to read the story and have their own personal experience with a supernatural God, and/or get a clearer picture of Him, then I'm all for it!

Blurb for Keri’s Christmas Wish:

For as long as she can remember, Keri Jackson has despised the hype and commercialism around Christmas so much she seldom enjoys the holiday. Will she get her wish and be free of the angst to truly enjoy Christmas this year?

A devout Christian at heart, Jeremy Hinton, a Psychotherapist, Life Coach, Spiritual Mentor and Energy Medicine Practitioner has studied all of the world’s religions and homeopathic healing modalities. But when a rare bacterial infection threatens the life of the woman he loves, will all of his faith and training be for naught?

Purchase Links:

Kindle: http://amzn.to/2ePnias

Amazon Print: http://amzn.to/2g4o4yG 

CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/6653689

Blurb for The Visionary: A visionary is someone who sees into the future Taylor Forrestier sees into the past but only as it pertains to her work. Hailed by her peers as “a visionary with an instinct for beauty and an eye for the unique” Taylor is undoubtedly a brilliant architect and gifted designer. But she and twin brother Trevor, share more than a successful business. The two share a childhood wrought with lies and deceit and the kind of abuse that’s disturbingly prevalent in today’s society.  Can the love of God and the awesome healing power of His grace and mercy free the twins from their past and open their hearts to the good plan and the future He has for their lives?

Purchase Links:

Amazon Hardcover http://amzn.to/n8as1b 

Paperback: http://amzn.to/1uROE2o

Kindle http://amzn.to/1s23QYv

Print @Create Space: http://bit.ly/1lNvyWD  

B&N Print: http://bit.ly/1oGbV6S

Nook http://bit.ly/1Qjo3AJ

Smashwords http://bit.ly/167J9So

Deeper Shopping http://bit.ly/19lw1Kc  

Author Bio: Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.”

Links:

Website address: http://www.pamelathibodeaux.com    

Blog: http://pamswildroseblog.blogspot.com 

Face Book: http://facebook.com/pamelasthibodeaux

Twitter:http://twitter.com/psthib @psthib

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pamelasthibodea/ 

Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/1jUVcdU 

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/pamela-s-thibodeaux