It's a good time to love the paranormal...

I remember growing up and wondering why there was so little to watch on television. Sure we had SOME good shows but for the most part there was nothing like what I wanted to read or was reading.


Oh, how things have changed!


The "X-Files" was one of the first new generation of shows to deal with the paranormal with a dash of romance, enough to fuel a million fanfics and energize fans who are still calling for more movies. Recently there's been a return to the television set for those looking for paranormal thrills and chills - let's look at what's been churning the waters as of late!


"Sleepy Hollow" on FOX.


If you haven't caught this show then I weep for you. It's an excellently written fast-paced rush through a world of demons and rewritten history, of a man out of time and a darned good love story stretching across centuries. The love between Crane and his wife, caught in Limbo, is so good and he's SO hot... and the jokes are faboo!


"Bitten", "Being Human", "Lost Girl" on SyFy


I know a lot of these shows are on other networks so I apologize in advance for getting it wrong depending on where you are.


"Bitten" is new this year, a series based on the Kelley Armstrong series of books. Jury's still out on this one given it's only had a handful of eps but it can't be all bad to have a shifter series on board, right?


"Being Human" is a remake of the UK series about a ghost, a vampire and a werewolf living together. Yeah, I know - it sounds like a punch line but it's an excellent series. Well worth catching!


"Lost Girl" is a Canadian import about a succubus and her relationship with the fae society around her and a wolf shifter committed to protecting her. Very adult and NOT for the kiddies but great watching!


That's all I can think of right now... but let's share! What are YOU watching and what do YOU think we should be watching???

Ghost!

I am one of those people who really doesn't like being scared. I don't find it fun or invigorating. I find it to be very terrible and it makes me want to hit things (my poor husband found this to be true when he snuck up on me when I was in the shower--bloody nose and a lesson learned).


So why the heck did I write a scary story?


I do like to try new things when I write--and I suppose I was due for a shake up. I've really traveled into the fantasy side of fiction, and I love it there. In some ways I was able to disassociate from Midnight at Ripley Inn, and treat it like fantasy. Yet, it  hits so close to home because I'm a mom. The two sides of that, I think, helped me make it real without freaking myself out too much (though, I did).


I also fell in love with Winney. More than any other character, Winney has been one that walks around with me. This imperfect ghost, existing on grief and denial and certainty she's really not good for much. And yet...she pulls of a mega upset.


I hope you'll give your chills recepticals a workout with Midnight at Ripley Inn, available now at all major ebook sellers.



Rene only wanted to temper her mommy guilt with a nice family vacation to the coast. Waking up to a room covered in blood and her youngest child biting herself never entered her plans. With her seven-year-old trying to hurt the ones around her and no way off the island, Rene and her husband rely on the help of the locals.

While storms rage on, both outside and inside the Ripley Inn, Rene must decide whether to trust the kind island pastor, or the ghost trapped inside the walls of the hotel. One claims to want to help them, the other wants them gone before what’s inside Rene’s daughter bursts free and kills them all.


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Nothing too scary for you! I promise!


Take care,
Stephanie Beck
www.stephaniebeck.net
www.facebook.com/StephanieBeckAuthor
www.twitter.com/StephBeck123

Ages, and what (if anything they mean)... cancelled due to inclement weather!

So it seems every time I've got something planned, something topical comes up and interferes. Graduation, the first day of school, holidays, life just doesn't stop! But today I've carved out some time to talk about something I deal with a lot; what age means and what it doesn't mea...


...what's that? Huge snowstorm headed for the Northeast? Again!?


So, okay, another topical post. This time, on something that affects me in a fairly serious way, even if most of us remember them fondly: Snow Days!


As a kid, I'd watch the snow come down, hoping it would start to pile up. I remember looking out and seeing piles of snow in my back yard, but never hearing my school number called. I recall days I couldn't see a single flake on the ground, but we stayed home. It made no sense to me then. Now, of course, I know why we get off school and why we don't, both the practical safety reasons and the stupid political ones.


The practical reason, of course, is the safety of the students. Since most schools in the Northeast are built to ignore a little snow, the problem isn't the safety of the children in the school, it's getting them to and fro. There can be piles of snow everywhere, but if the roads are clear, school's open. Alternately, if the roads are icy, even if there isn't any snow, the kids are staying home that day.


Pretty simple, but you do need to take into account getting the kids home, too. If the snow is scheduled for ten in the morning, you're better off not bringing the kids in. Sending them home before the midway point of the day (usually noon or one), the day doesn't count anyhow.


Now, if those practical concerns were the only things going, you could check the weather report and know if you're going to have school the next day. Unfortunately the folks making the call worry that the weather man is wrong. If he is, they'll get angry calls from parents. Some of those guys are elected, so they hold off until other districts make the call, at which point they can hide in the herd. The safety of the kids gets kinda lost in the shuffle. Yeah, that kinda annoys me.


Anywho, I still remember those snow days as a kid. Kinda funny, but they're fundamentally the same for me today; I wake up late and wander to my computer. Todays is an Alienware MX-11, instead of my old Vic-20, but I still fire up some games and kill time until my brain thaws out enough to function. After that, I get some food and, if the snow isn't actively falling from the sky, bundle myself up to go play in the snow. Then I'd go by myself and hope to find some friends, now I follow my sons out and make sure they play in the field across the street rather than in the street itself.


Finally, when they're worn out and cold, I bring them in and feed them hot chocolate. After that we sit around covered in blankets and watch some TV; Doctor Who and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic FTW! Eventually they start to nod, and I take them up to bed, and then my wife and I repeat the same thing, only with Elementary and Almost Human.


So... what do you guys do when weather interrupts your otherwise well planned (really, I swear!) life?

A Plug for the Paranormal Romance Guild

 Hi Everybody -

 I'm Victoria Danann and it's my day to blog for Paranormal Romantics. Today I'm going to tip my hat to the Paranormal Romance Guild.

Didn't know there was a PARANORMAL ROMANCE GUILD? There has been since Halloween of 2009. Here's the mission statement.

Mission Statement

The sole purpose of the Paranormal Romance Guild (PRG) is to support and promote all authors of the paranormal romance genre and their works through its website and events.

When I burst onto the scene by Indie publishing my first book in May 2012 - okay, that may have been an exaggeration. I suppose I more snuck onto the scene unnoticed. However I arrived, it didn't take long to realize that it takes more than writing a good book and putting it up for sale on Amazon. It may seem inconceivably naïve now, but I actually expected to enjoy Kresley Cole's notoriety within a month and surpass Karen Marie Moning within a year.

I think I sold seventeen copies of My Familiar Stranger the first month. Looking back knowing what I now know, it was a miracle that I sold ANY copies at all. 

Shortly after I began poking around to see what must be done to get the attention of readers, I was fortunate to find the PRG. They were responsible for my first review and I still have the first two lines of that review memorized. At the end of the year My Familiar Stranger was nominated by PRG for Best Paranormal Romance of 2012. That nomination gave me the confidence to believe that my original goal, which I won't tell, might be a reality someday if I kept writing.

Who we are

     The Paranormal Romance Guild, AKA("PRG"), was formed by the banding together of paranormal romance genre readers and writers, through the internet, with the sole purpose of supporting and promoting authors of the paranormal romance genre through the organization's website and special events.

As an author, if you're looking for a professional organization, I couldn't give them a higher recommendation. You can find a great online community, member only workshops, and even people who are willing to mentor you.

As a reader, you can find new writers, access an extensive archive of works in a wide variety of Romance subgenres and read what the experts thought about their books.

http://www.paranormalromanceguild.com

This year I received three nominations for PRG REVIEWERS' CHOICE AWARDS, two for novels published during 2013 and one for best paranormal romance series. Still pinching myself because it's so hard to believe that all three won their categories.

Best Paranormal Romance Series - Order of the Black Swan (http://www.amazon.com/Black-COLLECTED-TALES-Books-Knights-ebook/dp/B00BH68UCG/)



Best Paranormal Romance Novel - A Summoner's Tale (http://www.amazon.com/Summoners-Tale-Vampires-Confessor-Knights-ebook/dp/B00BC1SYKE/)

Best Vampire-Shifter Novel - Moonlight  (http://www.amazon.com/Moonlight-Wolf-Knights-Black-Swan-ebook/dp/B00CX9ZYW0/ )

 To see all this year's winners go here, http://www.paranormalromanceguild.com/2013reviewerschoice.htm

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2014! I hope your New Year is going well. Right now it’s up and down for me but I’m sure it will get better, in fact, I know it will get better. I haven’t made any resolutions. I decided last year not to do that anymore. Instead, I make small goals that I can reach, or so I think before life takes hold and shake things up. Right now I have a goal to kick off a new series and focus on that series this month. So far it’s going slowly but hey, progress is progress. In the meantime how about a look at a book set at New Years and a peek at my latest release?

Dragon New Year: Dragons at Midnight

Excerpt Rating (PG-13),  

OUT NOW!  

Series: Dragon New Year: Dragons at Midnight

Genre: Paranormal, Interracial, Ménage, Dragons

Novella

Blurb:

Tiger shifter Louisa thought she’d ring in the New Year all alone little did she knew that three, sexy, younger dragon shifters plan on making sure she celebrates things right. Add a little steam, some dragon shifters with a dirty mind and some creative use of furniture and you’ve got the perfect party for four.

Buy Link:

ARe

Kindle

Nook

Excerpt:  

The plan was set, or at least Torsten had thought so. Every angle had been considered, from the food to the sex toys to when they were going to leave the bar and take her home. Fletcher had agreed to stay behind and clean up, and Brent had volunteered to cook breakfast for all of them. Tor had seen to making up the guest bed so that once everything was over she’d have her own space and wouldn’t feel overwhelmed by dragon-male testosterone.

He just wanted to make sure Brent and Fletch had everything down before they started the plan. “So we do it tonight?” Torsten asked. He looked at his best friends Brent and Fletcher. He prayed they would take tonight seriously. Lately, he’d begun to think of Louisa as his. The dragon that dwelled within him and lent him his strength had started to act territorial toward her. Any time a man came up and flirted with her, the lizard would roar and hiss and try to bring about the change.

It had taken all his strength to keep the dragon back. The New Year’s plan came out one drunken night after another unsatisfying bout of masturbation and wondering what Louisa was up to. He’d glanced at the calendar and realized they were only a week from the New Year. And once the Chinese New Year kicked in, all dragons would feel a sense of empowerment that would last the year. He figured starting early and going after what he wanted on January first would kick off the year just right.

Fate had been on his side when, the next day, still hung over and feeling bold, he asked Louisa her plans. None. Not a single thing. Maybe watching the ball drop and curling up with her furball companion Whisper. The cat had taken a liking to the boys, which Tor had taken as a good sign. If a woman’s pet hated you, then you were royally screwed, and if she got rid of it for you then stay the fuck away.

When he proposed the plan of a night of debauchery and seduction to Brent and Fletch, whom he knew were interested in Louisa, they’d been all for it. Now was the time to enact it, and if the other two weren’t organized, Tor knew he’d have to do it on his own. There was no one else he wanted to share Louisa with. If he couldn’t share her with his two best friends from flyling stage then he couldn’t trust anyone. He just hoped they felt the same way about Louisa as he did. He assumed they did, since they got just as territorial as he did when a guy hit on her.

Brent stood in front of a mirror, making sure his ink-black spikes tipped with green looked just right. Tor resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The man was always making sure his hair was just right. If his mug could be attached to a mirror without interfering with his sex life, Brent would do it.

Brent pulled one spike up and smoothed down the back of his hair before he turned around. His sky blue eyes danced with mischief. “Yup. It’s the New Year, and I heard the boss man say she’d be the one to close up shop tonight. Pretty sweet timing. But are we sure she’ll go for it? She hasn’t exactly told us she wants any of us. If we show up there and she turns us down we’ll have to find new jobs, and I for one want to keep mine.”

Tor resisted the urge to smack the younger dragon. At twenty-two, Brent still tended to act like a moron so as not to take too much responsibility. Louisa had exuded an arousing musk whenever she was near one of them. Her pupils would dilate, and her body temperature would go up a few notches whenever she was around one or all of them. Of course she was sexually attracted to them, but Tor didn’t want to point that out. He didn’t feel he should have to. Fletch saved him from stating the obvious.

Fletcher rolled his eyes. “Of course she wants us. She just refuses to admit it. You know what tiger shifters are like. Don’t worry—we’ll have her purring in acquiescence in no time. Just don’t forget the lube and the toys. I had a bitch of time shopping at Deluxe Delights. They keep looking at me funny.”

Trust Fletch to front a cocky attitude, even though doubt tainted his tone. Fletch didn’t believe anything until it was stated, even if he did use his brain and enhanced senses. He would still act confident just so he wouldn’t be seen as wrong.

Tor pushed aside Fletch’s distrust and snorted. “Maybe it was because you keep looking over the bondage gear and stroking the leather, you freak. All you bought was lube, flavored condoms and some scarves.”

Color spread through Fletch’s cheeks. “We don’t want to scare her the first time out.”

Brent laughed. “Of course we don’t. Which means” —he clapped Fletch on the shoulder and gave it a squeeze— “that Tor and I do the talking. You just shut up and try not to turn into a walking tomato.” He gave Fletcher’s short, dark red hair a quick ruffle before going to grab the bag of things for their celebration tonight.

Tor wouldn’t press them on the emotions or important issues like binding her to them all by the time the clock struck midnight. It would be lost on them. He’d just keep it in mind. At least he intended to be mated by this time tomorrow night. There may not be a mating heating—a fire that would consume him once he’d found his mate—to confirm his urges but he didn’t care. Especially since they were two different species and only in the last fifty years had the tiger shifters and dragons come to a peace agreement to stop killing each other. None of that mattered.

“So do we bring the champagne with us or use some of the good stuff at the bar?” Tor tucked a strand of dark blond hair behind his ear. He eyed the liquor cabinet with interest. Getting her drunk would defeat the purpose of tonight. Fun as it was, he wanted her clear-minded and sober. Besides, there were other ways to get a person drunk. He grinned at the idea of getting her intoxicated on them.

“Bring a bottle and the rum. And whipped cream,” Brent called out from the hallway. Fletch rushed off to take care of some last minute things while Tor headed to the wet bar.

Tor took down the bottles and added them to his bag of things. They’d already decided they would grab some food for later on the way to Dragon’s Lair. Once everything was packed, he called out to the other men. “Move your asses. I’m not wasting any more time waiting for Louisa.”

Time to bind you to me, sweetness. And if we’re lucky, you’ll belong to all of us. No more flirting and innuendo. He just hoped that the confidence that empowered him held out. If she did turn them down he wasn’t sure his dragon wouldn’t demand that they kidnap her, bring her back here, and force her to admit she wanted them all. Nothing would get a tiger’s back up more than force and action. She’d be more inclined to beat the shit out of them, leave them bloody, and never speak to them again than fuck them all night long. Not only would they have lost a chance with her, but also their jobs. There would be no way they could work with her and not try again. At least he wouldn’t. Fletch and Brent wouldn’t want to show their faces in front of her again, despite this being a small beach town. There weren’t many places a dragon could go and feel comfortable. They had mountains to the east and the beach to the south and forested land to the north and west. This was home, and it wouldn’t be anymore if Louisa turned them down.

BUY LINKS:

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Kindle:

Nook

New Release!

Draven's Crossing 4: Poisonous Desires  

Excerpt: Dream Encounter

Out Now at Purple Sword Publications

Draven’s Crossing: Poisonous Desires

Genre: Paranormal/Interracial

Novel

Blurb:

It’s time for the Werewolf Summit and this year it’s taking place in Draven’s Crossing. It’s a huge headache for Vampire Mayor Draven, and Chief of Police Torger. With the issues they’re having with the Council and the fallout of the serial killings both men want things to go smoothly so Torger asks his brother, Urban, to make sure the meetings go well. But this is Draven’s Crossing; what can go wrong will. Bodies start to show up and a drug epidemic hits in the feline shifter community. Two things Urban doesn’t need. When his sometimes lover Nadia is thrown into the mix, things go from bad to worse. Not only is he trying to hide his feelings for the fickle feline shifter but she’s also trying to put some distance between them, and she’s keeping something from him. How can he concentrate on his job when things are getting too personal and Torger is breathing down his neck?

Nadia has finally shown up in Draven’s Crossing after being held for a “talk” with the head of the Feline Shifter Quorum, Zerik. Zerik wants her to go to Draven’s Crossing and figure out who’s making and distributing an addictive drug killing feline shifters and breaking up families. She thought she could get into town, find the culprits and blow out with no problem. Now she’s assigned to help her lover, Urban, with his werewolf problems. Her emotions for him are growing and for a woman who’s tried so hard not to form attachments, she fears her independent ways may have met their match. How can she keep her distance from the one man who could tear down her walls and stomp on her resistance?

Together they must stop the deaths, keep peace in the werewolf community and figure out where their relationship stands before everything is blown apart. Piece of cake, right? Not in Draven’s Crossing.

Buy Links:

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Excerpt:

Urban strode into the room. “Didn’t hear me? I said take off your clothes. Now.” Urban moved with predatorial grace. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched him glide forward, smooth and liquid. The soft light of the space illuminated his form until she could see him properly. He wore a black-and-white, checked carnival mask rimmed in gold. His torso was bare, but scars turned his rich golden skin into slices and swathes and a patchwork of healed and not so healed areas. She could see some bruises around his ribs and on his stomach. If he ached, it didn’t show. She didn’t ask him what happened. Nadia never asked. It was their rule. Even if she wanted to know, yearned to ask, had the questions on the tip of her tongue, the words never found their way out. If she allowed her curiosity free rein, that could open a door into her own past, and she didn’t want to go there and taint their relationship. He stopped moving and stood out of reach, a few feet away. Her heart flipped in her chest, and anticipation wove around her veins.

“Do I need to say it again?” He crossed his arms over his chest, showing off the sleeping wolf under a full moon tattoo that decorated his upper arm.

No more stalling, she told herself. Rather than reply verbally, she answered him with actions and stripped off the loose-fitting, Grecian-style chiton she’d appeared in. Only her shoes and the chandelier earrings remained. Through the eyeholes, she could see his green eyes blaze with passion. For a moment she hated the mask that caressed his face and hid his reactions from her. She wanted to trace the contours of his cheekbones, coated in a layer of golden stubble, see his sensuous lips that she’d kissed and nibbled at and yearned to feel in her loneliest hours. Another whimper formed in her throat. A question formed on her tongue, but again she let it fade away. Instead she focused on her body’s reactions to being so close to him once again. Her skin heated, and prickles of fire danced on her arms and legs. Arousal swirled in the pit of her stomach as her pussy throbbed with need. Her clit pulsed with anticipation. She fisted her hands to keep from touching herself. Urban hadn’t given her permission yet. Nadia wished he would order her to do something, anything. She needed this release, if for only a moment.

Urban reached down and undid his fly, much to her annoyance. She’d wanted the honor. Maybe she should give him a little taste of her impatience with a few brushes and accidental presses to his groin. The thick, ruddy crown of his shaft peeked out from between the V that formed at the front of his pants. This time, the whimper she’d been holding back slipped out. She wanted to tease that cockhead, swirl her tongue over the wide cap, and take him into her mouth. Instead, she clenched her fists and dug her nails into her palms. Sparks of pain rushed up her arms and added to the yearning that swirled around her body. Her skin felt too tight as her labia and the skin on her inner thighs tingled with anticipation and arousal.Urban tested her control further by pulling the panels of his pants apart a little more so she could see the start of his thick cock that disappeared into the ink-black leather.

Another sound slipped past her lips, unintelligible to her ears as he hooked his thumbs into his waistband and pushed them down until his cock was halfway out. He slipped a hand into the front opening of his pants. She watched the hidden show of him stroking his cock from base to tip and back down again, hiding the full display from her view.

“Want this? Need to taste me as much as I want to eat you out?” He pushed more of his pants down until only his balls were stuck.

She let out an anguished cry and started to move forward, only to stop herself.

Urban tsked at her and shook his head. “Did I say you could move?” Behind the mask, she could see his green eyes darken and harden.

Nadia bowed her head. “No, Sir.”

“Stand up and look at me.” His tone brokered no retort or smartass remark.

She did as she was told. Nadia hungrily watched as he continued to stroke his cock. A single clear tear wept from the slit at the top. With each downward action of his hand, she felt the shadow of his touch against her sex and deep inside. She could feel the ghost of calloused fingers and palms against her sides, her breasts, her back, her ass, her legs, all over until she stood before him, shaking with desire.

“Look at you, so beautiful, every inch of you perfection. I can’t get enough of you.” He moved forward, his cock bobbed with each step. Urban stopped an inch or so away from her. His body heat beat against her skin, adding to her own need. “Kneel and taste what you do to me.”

She sank to the floor and waited for him to bring his cock closer to her lips. Her heart pounded against her ribcage as the heavy throb of need in her womb reminded her that she still needed him inside of her. Urban sifted his fingers through her hair, brushing it away from her shoulders. He brushed the tresses back into a ponytail and gripped her hair, pulling back her head before he pushed his hips forward. His cock brushed against her lips. Her tongue darted out for a taste before she swirled it around the thick crest and then took it into her mouth. With a moan she teased the slit, lapping up more of his precum before taking him further inside of her. The heat and width of his cock burned her lips and stretched them to the limit.

He groaned and flexed his hips, pushing more of his shaft into her mouth. She traced the veins that her tongue could reach and teased the sensitive flesh. Her arousal built up with each thrust as her vaginal walls clenched and flexed and fluttered in time with each push. With a grunt, he pulled away from her. “No more; on the chaise, spread your legs.” His voice sounded harsh and torn, frayed around the edges.

Urban produced a condom packet from the pocket of his pants, tore it, and rolled it onto his flushed cock. His chest, shoulders, face, and ears were all red; sweat beaded on his brow and formed a fine sheen over his skin. He tugged off his boots and pants and strode toward her.

Nadia laid back on the lounge and watched his actions with amusement and impatience. “Please.” She dug her nails into her thighs to keep from working her clit and alleviating some of the need that had built to the point of discomfort. She needed release, now, to be ridden hard and fast; there was nothing tender about this encounter. Later, they could take it slow.

He didn’t answer. He climbed onto the chaise, wrapped her legs around his waist, and positioned himself at her dripping entrance. “Hold on, honey; this isn’t going to be sweet, not in the least.”

She thrust her chest out. “Don’t care, fuck me!” Her body was already at the edge without him touching her properly. Her nipples ached, and her skin felt too hot and tight. Every nerve ending was alive and burning with desire.

He didn’t punish her for that outburst. Urban thrust into her in one move. She was already so slick, there wasn’t any resistance. Nadia squeezed her inner muscles around his thick shaft.

“Touch yourself, honey,” he ordered. He paused to grip her hip and dangle her upward while balancing on one hand on the edge of the couch. Nadia ran her hands over his chest, raking her nails over his bright red skin. He let out a deep growl, pulled out of her, and slammed into her. With each thrust, he rocked her body and pushed her further over the edge

until she was clawing at her self-control to keep from coming without him.

“Urban.” She moaned and rocked against him as she touched a finger to her oversensitive clit. Shards of fire burst in her gut, inflaming her body until she felt she would drown in fire. He fucked her hard, his cockhead rubbing against her G-spot with each thrust, setting off more sexual sparks.

Urban bent his head and took her mouth in a demanding, possessive, biting kiss. Their tongues dueled as she tightened her legs around his waist. She dug them into his ass. She worked her clit faster and faster until she couldn’t hold back her orgasm. The pressure increased until it burst and overwhelmed her. She stiffened as her nerve endings fired and her muscles shook. Urban continued to thrust into her, drawing ore orgasms out of her until she couldn’t move or think. Nadia became nothing but sensation and pleasure mingled with pain. Urban let out a howl as he came, pumping his hips until he softened inside of her. His breath fanned her face as he gazed down at her, pupils blown wide.

“My, Nadia,” he murmured.

“Urban—”

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The Strange and Unusual

Among the many writing tips I’ve come across, one that has stuck in my mind is to incorporate an element of the strange and unusual in your book. My debut Urban Fantasy series involves a necromancer, zombies, and demons. It doesn’t get much more unusual than that, but I guess it depends on how you look at it :).

We all have odd things that happen to us in our day-to-day lives. Things we shrug or laugh at, then keep shopping or walking. A friend once told me of a homeless man who entered the bus she was riding, holding one of those red viewfinder toys, empty of a picture wheel. (Talk about the strange and unusual. The pictures in those wheels could be downright weird.) He rode the bus and pointed the viewfinder at riders, clicking away, as if taking pictures. He was harmless, and the passengers, including my friend, found it amusing…and strange.

The story made an impression on me, obviously. I wrote a sequel with my necromancer heroine riding the subway when a homeless man steps on with a viewfinder toy, observing people through the toy. Of course, I upped the creepy factor, and it gave an edge to the sequel. It played up how my heroine was feeling insecure after a particularly stressful scene where she learns important, but disturbing things about her past.

I also like incorporating unusual settings. One of my scenes takes place at the Mechanical Museum in San Francisco. The museum harkens back to the days of old carnivals and beachside boardwalks, housing a collection of antique arcade machines, some dating back to the 1800s, all in working condition. If you’re ever visited it, it’s one of those unique places you don’t often find. If you haven’t, check it out!  It’s so much fun. My heroine meets with an old friend at the museum, and the weird kookiness of the exhibits serves as a great backdrop to show how my heroine’s life has just crossed the normal boundary from which she will never return. And then I end it with her playing a guillotine game…

With Urban Fantasy or Paranormal, the story and characters are strange and unusual, so what’s the point? Even though the characters are supernatural and deal with supernatural problems, they still live in the ordinary world and cope with ordinary life issues: death, love, acceptance, loyalty, and friendship. Not so strange after all. So, as we may sometimes experience for ourselves, when the lines separating the normal and abnormal, natural and preternatural become blurred, it can provide a moment for the character to question how they chose to cope with their power, or question their very sanity, which is always fun.

Or, the strange and unusual can actually ground the story in reality, which seems contradictory, but we all have those, what the…? moments, where truth is stranger than fiction, and when a book stumbles upon such a moment, the reader can sometimes relate more to the oddity than the sword wielding demon. (Of course, nothing wrong with sexy, sword wielding demons!)

As with all things in writing, anything can be overdone, and throwing things in that don’t relate to the overall conflict or theme will take the reader out of the story, but incorporating a small moment of strange and unusual can add power, provide a weird juxtaposition or fun moment, test your characters, highlight a character strength or flaw, or add humor. Does anyone have any strange happenings or examples from their books or life to share?

Mimi Sebastian