I’m excited
to announce that I will be moderating a panel at the Left Coast Crime
conference in Reno, NV this month. It’s titled “That Old Black Magic:
Paranormal Suspense.
My panelists are:
Alice
Henderson (Voracious, Shattered Roads)
Alice has an
interesting background in science and paleo-climatology, and she has traveled
to wild places around the globe, so I’m sure she will have much to say about
the accurate portrayal of “place” in fiction.
I’d also
like to find out how she landed her sweet gig of writing books for Star Wars,
Buffy and Supernatural!
Eileen
Magill (House of Homicide)
Eileen
actually lived in a house that was haunted by a serial killer, so the ghost
questions will be directed to her first.
Interestingly,
when the house was put up for sale, there was a bidding war and it sold for
$111,000 over the asking price!
Margaret C.
Morse (Murder Casts a Spell, Murder Lifts the Spirits)
Margaret was
a lawyer in her previous life, so we’ll delve into writing witchcraft as a
lawyer. That should be interesting!
Danna began writing
after a car accident left her faced with the challenge of relearning basic
skills due to cognitive impairment. That interests me since I have resumed
writing after suffering a stroke two years ago.
Danna says she
began her TV show to improve her speaking skills, and now she has two popular
segments airing in Sacramento and has won awards for a dozen short films, as
well as publishing a three-novel series.
Since the
audience will consist of writers and readers of suspense and crime fiction, I
think I’ll begin by asking, “What do you think is the main thing that
distinguishes paranormal suspense from other suspense and crime genres? And
what do readers demand from paranormal suspense books?”
Please help
me prepare for the panel by telling me: what questions would YOU like to ask a paranormal suspense
panel?
The
conference is next weekend, so I’ll report back here shortly and let you know
how it went.
Thank you in
advance for your comments!
Good
reading.
6 comments:
This sounds like a fascinating panel discussion, Sandy. Wish I lived closer. Your initial question--what makes paranormal suspense different from other suspense & crime--is a great question. Is it the incorporation of ghosts or other paranormal phenomenon? What other paranormal elements? I hope you enjoy the conference. I'm curious to hear how your workshop went.
What a wonderful experience this will be--for you and everyone who attends. In addition to your questions, I'd be interested in knowing what panelists consider weaknesses in the genre--what tends to turn readers off or make them hesitate to grab a paranormal book? What do your panelists' find overused or negative in the genre and what remedies they suggest. And, of course, what marketing tips specifically for the genre have they found effective. I'm looking forward to hearing about the discussion and wish I could be there! Thanks so much for your post!
Wow that sounds like such a fun experience and awesome panelists. I have to admit I never hear it referred to much as paranormal suspense- but I absolutely love that! I'd also love to hear best marketing for the genre as some of my books would fit in this category.
Sorchia --
Great questions, thank you! I'll add them to my list.
Sounds like an interesting panel.
To answer your questions above -
1. Readers said they stayed away from paranormal in which the author doesn't seem to be "invested" in their paranormal elements. They want paranormal to be believable, ie, magic comes at a steep price, it doesn't just happen. And they want the rules of the world to be strictly followed, no easy work-arounds to get your character out of a jam.
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