Paranormal is scorching hot, burning through the pages of books and jumping out of movie screens. Look around you, at the success of the Twilight series books and movies. Look at the Harry Potter phenomenon. I haven’t read the Twilight books, but I’ve read all the Harry Potter books and seen all the movies. I love Harry Potter. I love the world J.K. Rowling has spun. I hate to leave that world when a Potter book or movie ends.
And who can forget sexy vampires? They’re all the rage now, and they’re everywhere – in books, movies and television. True Blood is a tremendous success. Friends of mine love it. I admit I’ve never watched it, for the same reason I’ve not read the Twilight books or seen the movies: I’m afraid of vampires because I believe they exist. I know the new vampires are sexy beasts, but I can’t get past the old image of Bella Lugosi who played Dracula in the movies for so many years. He scared the heck out of me. I tried to read Ann Rice’s first vampire book and had to put it down. But I loved her Mayfair witches series.
One movie in particular stoked my fear of vamps and made me believe they’re real. That movie was Dracula’s Daughter, a little known black and white Forties-something movie. One night when I was a young teen, my parents went out and left my Aunt Rose to babysit me and my younger siblings. It was a school night, but Aunt Rose let me stay up and watch a movie with her. That movie was – you guessed it — Dracula’s Daughter. The movie was so realistic, and although the female vampire was tortured and conflicted, she kept sucking the blood from unsuspecting victims. It scared me so much I didn’t sleep at all that night and I’ve been petrified of vampires ever since.
But like so many today, I love the paranormal- witches, ghosts, werewolves. I loved the movie The Sixth Sense, and I loved the TV series Ghost Whisperer. I believe spirits exist and that they speak to us. But, unlike vamps, ghosts don’t scare me. I believe in animal spirits too. I know I heard my dear cat Sabrina’s cry soon after she had to be put down. I still feel she’s with me in spirit.
I especially like witches. Remember Samantha from Bewitched? Don’t you wish you could twitch your nose and get anything you want? Sometimes when I’m cleaning house, I wish I could be Samantha. I’d twitch my nose and my house would be sparkling. Or if I had a party to attend, I’d check out the fashion magazines, see a dress and shoes I liked, and Voila! A twitch of the nose and they’d be mine.
But real witches can be quite dark. That’s okay. Sure there are the scary, ugly witches like in The Wizard of Oz. But there are sexy witches too. I’d like to write a story about a sexy witch with awesome powers. It’ll be fun.
I like werewolves too, not the Lon Chaney type werewolf in the old Wolfman movies, but the werewolves we see in today’s romance novels. In those stories, as in my paranormal romance, Cursed Mates, the beast shifts into the form of a real wolf. In my story, my hero, Nick transforms into a white wolf with yellow eyes. I love real wolves. When I worked, my cubicle was decorated with wolf pictures. I have some wolf pictures in my office at home now. I wanted to write a werewolf story that would be a tribute to the real animals, those magnificent creatures so maligned through the ages.
Shifters of all kinds and demons are also very popular in romance novels now. Fallen angels are gaining in popularity. I’ve read stories about men and women who shift into mountain lions, panthers, jaguars. I love them all. My villain in Cursed Mates is a very evil and ancient demon. I’m fascinated by fallen angels. How about a fallen angel who redeems himself for the love of a woman? I’d read that story. Maybe I’ll write it. Or maybe it’s already been written. It sounds familiar.
The paranormal is exciting and makes us forget, for a while, the real dangers and problems in our world. Some who study popular culture say that people turn to the paranormal when things around them begin to go awry. Makes sense, doesn’t it? But then maybe the paranormal speaks to that hidden, primal part in each of us, that part that civilization can’t quite suppress. Or maybe we all long to have supernatural powers which will give us more control over our environment. What do you think?
Please visit me at www.caramarsi.com
0 COMMENTS
Tess
13 years agoI often wish I had Samantha’s powers–twitch my nose and everything be all right. Or fold my arms and blink like Jeanie!
And I try both every so often…just to check!
Great post, Cara
sue fineman
13 years agoAs the mother of a psychic daughter, I love using light paranormal elements in my books. What seems otherworldly to some – like ghosts and visions and past lives – is normal everyday life to others.
Kim Watters
13 years agoHi Cara,
So glad to see you here. I love reading paranormals, but haven’t had a chance lately with judging the Rita’s etc. Can’t wait to sink my teeth into Cursed Mates. (every pun intended:) )
Aileen Fish
13 years agoCara, I love paranormals, too. Especially werewolves! I can’t wait to read Cursed Mates – it’s in my TBR pile, if my Nook can be said to have a pile.
Robin Kaye
13 years agoCara –
Great blog! I love paranormal and maybe you’re right, when life spins out of control, you can grab a paranormal, and for once, experience what it would be like to travel to a far away place or read someone’s mind… the imagination is the authors only limit.
Miriam Newman
13 years agoCarolyn, I’m beginning to think there’s some value to scaring the you-know-what out of our kids with scary movies. Apparently it produces writers of the future. Look at your experience. And we all know what happened to our of our writing partners when she was petrified by “Jaws!” Three books later… 🙂 Well, you just keep on going!
Adele Dubois
13 years agoCara–Your lifelong fear of vampires following a movie scare reminds me of my fear of sharks after watching “Jaws.” That movie scared me so badly I closed my eyes half-way through and refused to see the rest of the film. To this day, I have not watched a sequel.
Best of luck with your new releases!
Adele
Vikki Bakus
13 years agoI always appreciated the line from ‘Practical Magic’ – “there’s a little witch in all of us.”
Sums up paranormal for me.
Great post, Cara, you really created a shifting stroll down memory lane.
Allure Van Sanz
13 years agoI love reading paranormals and writing them, though I do a lot of contemporary. When I feel limited by reality, it’s refreshing to write along with my wants instead of being limited by what is truly “possible”.
Great blog! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
All my best,
Allure Van Sanz
Robin Haseltine
13 years agoLike you, I love almost all paranormal, but not vampires. Can’t get into the blood drinking aspect. I love any fantasy romance that will sweep me away, and adding paranormal elements open up new possibilities for romantic liaisons.
P. L. Parker
13 years agoHi Cara – Great Post and Bewitched is an all time favorite of mine. I love the paranormal in any way, shape or form. I have to agree about Bella Lugosi, pretty creepy. Loved this!
Patsy
Susan
13 years agoI agree with what you said, “the paranormal speaks to that hidden, primal part in each of us, that part that civilization can’t quite suppress.” I think of ancient Celtic rituals, Druids, fairies, magic. There’s just something about those things that calls to me. I also agree that maybe we all long to have supernatural powers which will give us more control over our environment when things around us go awry. When you read novels of witches casting spells, shape shifters, fairie enchantment, they all do have more control over their physical environments than the average person does and that power is seductive and empowering.
CaraMarsi
13 years ago AUTHOREveryone, thank you so much for commenting. I think we’re in agreement about the appeal of the paranormal. I know I’d like powers that give me more control over things I can’t control. That’s why I enjoyed the TV show, Heroes, too. Ordinary people who suddenly found themselve with supernatural powers. Thanks again, everyone. I enjoyed your comments.