by Michelle Rowen, author of HOT SPELL (Harlequin Blaze)

I once asked myself why I like writing and reading paranormal and fantasy fiction so much. I mean, in real life I don’t believe in ghosts. Or vampires. Or magic.

But that’s just it…in real life I don’t believe in magic. That’s why I need to write about it.

About a year and a half ago, I decided to try my hand at writing a book for Harlequin Blaze, which is one of my favorite category lines. I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could write something sexier than my single title books had been. After all, no one could say that the Blaze line isn’t sexy. So I tried writing something that I felt would fit in well with that line.

My first proposal fell flat and didn’t feel believable. Which was funny, since it was contemporary about very real, very non-magical people.

What went wrong?

Well, there was just no getting away from the fact that I am a writer of paranormal fiction. Even if this subgenre disappears off the maps (which I sincerely hope it never does!), I would still want to write about the fantastical. That’s just the way it is! So I sat back down and wrote my proposal up without “trying to fit in” with what I thought the line wanted.

The result was HOT SPELL, a story about two paranormal investigators who are forced to work together despite their mutual dislike—at least until they come in contact with an enchanted clock that reveals their true feelings for each other. The result? Love and magic. And, uh, lots of sex.

Some people are curious why I am writing category now—they see it as very different from single title. I beg to differ. I approach the writing of my Blazes (and I’m currently writing my second right now with a third waiting in the wings) exactly the same as my single titles. Same voice, same humor, same love of the characters. The difference? For me it comes down to length. Blazes are nearly half the word count of what I’m used to writing. But that’s okay, because it means I get to concentrate nearly entirely on the relationship between the hero and heroine. It helps to give the story a sharp focus—and makes these books, no doubt about it, real romance novels.

Also, they’re way sexier than my other books. While my heat level has definitely been rising in my other paranormal romances (hey, my characters always dictate this sort of thing! Not me!), they’re still not quite “Blazing” hot.

No matter the length of the book, all of my novels or short stories share the fact that they’re paranormals. And because of that, I’m lucky enough to have a job that fills my very non-magical life with magic that I can share with my readers. I couldn’t ask for anything more!

Do you believe in ghosts and magic in real life? Or do you think they’re just found between the pages?

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by Livia Reasoner, author of THE VAMPIRE AFFAIR

I don’t mind admitting that I’ve never found vampires to be as sexy and seductive as some readers do. I was raised as a country girl with a healthy respect for snakes, so if I ever saw something with fangs coming at me, I’d be likely to grab a hoe and try to whack its head off.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t like to write about vampires. They make great villains. It’s a tradition in fiction that goes back more than a hundred and fifty years. So when I got the opportunity to write a book for Silhouette’s Nocturne series, using vampires as the villains immediately sprang to mind. I’d written paranormal historical and time travel romances before, but never anything about the undead. In fact, since I envisioned having a journalist as my heroine, the first title I came up with was UNDEADLINE, but what’s romantic about that?

Because I was going to have vampires as my bad guys (“really, really bad guys”, as one reviewer put it), I knew I needed a strong hero and heroine to oppose them. Michael Brandt comes from a family of vampire hunters who have been doing battle against the undead for two centuries, and his pose as a millionaire playboy masks his determination to wipe out a menace that he regards as an unholy plague because of a personal tragedy it dealt him in the past.

Tabloid reporter Jessie Morgan is just as determined to rise from her impoverished background and prove herself as a serious journalist by uncovering the story of the century. Their passions clash as the Brandt family’s war against the vampires sweeps both of them into danger, but their undeniable passion for each other proves to be even stronger.

Of course, a writer can’t take it too easy on her characters, so what’s the worst thing that can happen to a ruthless vampire hunter? Well, you’ll have to read the book to find that out.

Throw in some military action, some Native American mysticism (I’m part Cherokee even if you can’t tell it by looking at me), and some sizzling romance, and I think you have a pretty good book called THE VAMPIRE AFFAIR.

So what do you think? Do you prefer vampires as heroes or villains? ~Amy

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Silhouette Nocturne author Linda Thomas-Sundstrom rounds out our Paranormal Party Blog Bash with this post on something from paranormal romances that she thinks isn’t a fantasy at all. Read her blog post and you might win a book, too!

by Linda Thomas-Sundstrom, author of BLACKOUT and WOLF BAIT

Linda Thomas-Sundstrom — Nocturne author — faced with this thought-provoking question:

What elements of paranormal romance do you wish were real?

Honest answer: What? Paranormal romance isn’t real?

And: Since when?

And finally: Why didn’t somebody tell me?

Because: My life is full of paranormal romance elements. I mean, isn’t yours?

On the serious side: Most important, I think, and absolutely real . . . is the almost psychic connection between a man and a woman. SNAP. Who can explain that? We write about it all the time, but in fact, this happened to me. First eye-to-eye contact between myself and the man who was to be my husband, and — voila! Done deal. I consider it a supernatural spark. Fated mates meeting, against all the odds. When this happens, you are together for life. The spark animates you both, ties you together, binds you willingly. And my husband is quite the animal. He doesn’t just turn into one when the moon shines, it’s 24-7. (No, I won’t loan him out).

Since I can relate to this fated mates phenomena first-hand, and it was so incredibly rich for me, I include this element in all of the books I write. In my “Wolf Moons” series for Nocturne, which began in Jan 09 with Blackout, and will see three back-to-back releases in Jan, Feb, and March 2010, I call that magical instant when the eyes and souls of two people meant to be together meet, imprinting. It’s an unbreakable bond that happens on some sub-level of their beings that recognizes it. Since it was such a strong point for me, in my own life, it’s therefore a major deal for my characters. It drives them forward, creates passion, and sometimes angst. But there it is.
Done deal. I don’t think there’s anything more romantic than the knowledge that you’ve found “the one.”

On the lighter side, the paranormal world I’m involved in has brought me many friends. My days are seeped in the paranormal. Since my closest friends write about Weres, Vamps and Witches, our conversations frequently (okay, most of the time) turn toward the bizarre. We have to whisper in restaurants. One of us has a T-shirt bearing the legend: “We are what we write.” I’ll get phone messages saying: “Full moon tonight. Take care!” And what about a bracelets that say: “Team Jacob” or “Team Edward” — dangling on the wrists of many females well over the age of sixteen? Well over.

If people only fessed up the extent to which our love of the paranormal exists, it would indeed be a mad, mad world, eh? (And yes, I secretly write about the lighter side of paranormal romance also. Check out this year’s Barbie and the Beast from Dorchester)

I think writing about the paranormal is romantic and truly rich fare. I can’t write in any other genre. My favorite characters are werewolves. Sexy, warm-blooded alphas who get the job done – in a dashing good way. I’ve spent the last couple of years getting to know them, studying them, honing them on paper to suit the bill as the perfect supernatural heroes. They seem as real to me as any leading men, maybe more so, since the danger associated with being attracted to a werewolf is fragile, and at the same time vastly alluring. Love those guys! Hope to know them for a long, long, while.

In sum, life, for me, has always been a romantic supernatural romp, filled with spectacular and ongoing tidbits. Nothing normal about it. No sir-ee. Magic is everywhere — if you know where to look. And trust me, my eyes are wide open.

I’ve really picked one element of paranormal romance here, out of so very many. But I can’t help but wonder which thing you’d choose in regards to the question that was posed to me here. Which paranormal elements you’d like to see exist? Maybe one thing you couldn’t do without? In your own life, or vicariously through what you read?

Please do leave your mark here. Some thoughtful person will receive a free book, where you can take a walk with me on the dark side. Grrrr….

Love,
Linda

www.lindathomas-sundstrom.com

By Crystal Jordan, author of Wild (Spice Briefs)

There is so much about paranormal, science fiction, and fantasy romance that I wish were true. It’s tough to come up with just one thing. I mean, who doesn’t want a soul mate—a real, honest to goodness person crafted just for you? Also, who doesn’t want magical powers? Maybe you could clean the house with a snap of your fingers. Maybe you could have the ability to shift into a tiger, wolf, lion, or all of the above. The ideas are never ending. And endlessly nifty, I think, but I write in this genre, so I’m admittedly biased.

The one I’d pick is more cool than sexy. I want the magical ability to teleport.

Think about it…I could go from one place to another in the blink of an eye. I’d never have to sit in traffic ever again. I’d never have to shuffle through airport security or be cramped in a winged metal tube hurtling through the air. Can you tell I don’t like airports?

I’d also be able to visit anyone I’d like. I have relatives in England I’d love to see, and I could just pop in for lunch. Literally.

And! AND! I could travel more. See the world. Do a whirlwind tour of the Seven Wonders of the World in seven days or less. Take a wee jaunt up to the North Pole. Party hop from dance clubs in Berlin, Syndey, London, Beijing, New York, and Las Vegas all in the same evening.

Plus, there’s the added benefit of never having to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I could teleport out of the place the moment it seemed wrong time-ish. I’d never have to be or stay anywhere I didn’t want to. I could sleep in my own bed every night if I wanted to, and therefore never get homesick. The possibilities for cool and awesome are simply endless with this one. What if you could also teleport through time? See? Endless amounts of cool!

After teleportation? I’d have to say I’ll take something straight out of Star Trek and wish for a food replicator. I’d never have to pretend I could cook again!

Author Nancy Holder calls Halloween the fifth season of the year. Find out why in her post for Harlequin’s Paranormal Party Blog Bash!

By Nancy Holder, author of The Gifted Series

As far as I’m concerned, Halloween is the fifth season of the year! I love everything about it—the costumes, the scary movies, the chance to turn my house into a haunted house—and the birth of my daughter, just three nights shy of Zero Hour! Of course, living in San Diego, we don’t get much frost on the pumpkins, and we’re more likely to worry about overheating while dressed as mummies and vampires while overeating any chocolate in our treat bags (because it’s going to melt in the heat! You know it is! That’s why we have to eat it first!)

But what I love best about Halloween (aside from the arrival of my own little sugar plum) are the stories—freaky, scary, otherworldly tales that intrigue me, terrify me, and take me away…to the misty bayous of New Orleans; the centuries-old castles of France; to the fog-enshrouded docks of London, and the lairs of vampires, werewolves; magic men; and shape changers.

That’s why my Harlequin home is Silhouette Nocturne, with stories from my Gifted series—Daughter of the Flames; Daughter of the Blood; Sons of the Shadows; and my Nocturne Bite, Son of the Sea. I love writing about magic and the supernatural, and I love reading about it—and Nocturne is perfect for me on both levels. I have discovered fantastic authors who inspire me to dream of sexy alpha werewolves and devastatingly charming, immortal vampires…while sleeping with the lights on!

When I’m not writing paranormal romance, I write young adult (YA) fantasy, dark fantasy, and good old horror. I am the coauthor with Debbie Viguie of the New York Times bestselling series, Wicked (Wicked 1, Wicked 2, and Wicked: Resurrection) and I have a new series called Possessions about a haunted boarding school…where the mean girls are not just imperious queen bees…they are evil. I’ve also written Pretty Little Devils, a murder mystery I wrote about a crazy blogger who uses old horror movies as her (or is it his?) inspiration for doing in enemies…real or imagined.

I’m also writing a lot of paranormal romance short fiction these nights, with stories in: The Eternal Kiss; Immortal; The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance (with another Gifted story) and The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2. I am in the proud company of many Harlequin and Silhouette authors in all these anthologies.

When it’s October, you’ll find me at bookstore signings, blogging about the supernatural like a maniac (wahaha!) and trick-or-treating with my beloved kiddo and our Corgi, Panda. Panda owns four Halloween costumes and he carries his own treat bag in his mouth. He goes to all the houses with us and gets lots of dog biscuits (but no chocolate! It’s toxic to dogs.) So pour me some apple cider (on ice), hand me a great Nocturne to read, and please pass me the chocolate—yes, all of it—before it melts!

Please come visit me at www.nancyholder.com.

eBook retailer Omnilit and Sony are co-sponsoring an online Halloween Costume Contest with Harlequin — with a grand prize of a silver Sony Pocket Edition Reader (one of their new eBook reader designs, worth $199!). Other prizes include Omnilit $50 gift certificates for the Prettiest, Scariest, and Sexiest costumes!

To enter, take a photo of yourself in your Halloween best; then, become a fan of Omnilit’s Facebook page to post the picture on their “wall.” Your friends on Facebook can “vote” for you by clicking on your picture and posting a comment. No purchase necessary to win!

Deadline for photos and votes is midnight Pacific Time, October 31st, 2009. For full official rules, visit Omnilit’s Contest Page.

Good luck and Happy Halloween!
~Amy, Harlequin Digital

Today only, on October 27, eHarlequin.com is having an exclusive BOGO sale to readers of Harlequin blogs (like I Heart Presents!), Twitter, Facebook, newsletters, etc — that’s “Buy One Get One” Free. For every featured book you buy, get a 2nd title FREE with coupon code TWOFORONE*!

If you like this deal, don’t miss out on other offers like these. Just sign up for our Members-Only Deals newsletter; it’s free and sent directly to your inbox.

Happy shopping!
~Amy

*Valid until October 27, 2009, 11:59 p.m. EDT. One-time use only. Not to be used with other offers or coupons.

A while ago I posted about the redesigned cover for Rachel Vincent’s next Soul Screamers book My Soul to Save. And you may remember an older post about the new Harlequin TEEN imprint that is reissuing a couple of P.C. Cast’s fantasy novels, Elphame’s Choice (on sale now) and Brighid’s Quest in 2010 (and read P.C.’s thoughts on the reissues at the Readergirlz blog here).

Now here is a bit of news that combines both: Luna books, Harlequin’s fantasy imprint, has new reissues of P.C. Cast’s Partholon books–on sale tomorrow–with three brand-new covers that are very different from the originals.

First, here’s a look at the originals:

And here they are with the new look:

Which look do you prefer? Take the poll and tell us why in the comments!

Plus, there is a special eBook prequel (originally published as an eHarlequin Online Read called “Darkness Betrayed”) that you can download for FREE from www.ebooks.eharlequin.com called Divine Beginnings:

Go back in time, fifty years before the events of New York Times bestselling author P.C. Cast’s Partholon books…

Something isn’t right at Guardian Castle, and Aine can’t figure out what. As Healer, she’s supposed to be making things better, but there’s a darkness that can’t be brightened. And then Aine finds an injured Fomorian—winged, dark, blood-thirsty and inherently evil. Or is he? Because there’s something about Tegan that Aine can’t resist…and once they’ve shared blood, Aine realizes that everything she’s always believed is going to be cast aside….

Click here to get it now. Happy reading!

~Amy

by Michele Hauf

What elements of paranormal romance do I wish were real?

Well, I’m going to take a step away from the vampires and werewolves (though, don’t get me wrong, I can dig meeting one in real life, but no biting!) and go for something I think about a lot. Time Travel!

Have you ever wished you could travel to a different time period? I do. I think it’s a big reason why I write. I do write mostly contemporary stories for Nocturne, but I try to fit in some flashbacks to the times when my heroes and heroines were younger. And if you’ve read anything by me, you’ll guess that 18th century is one of my favs. Make it Paris, and I am so there.

Actually, I’ve published five historicals set in both 17th and 18th century Paris (those were out in late 90s, early 00s). It was all a part of living the time travel fantasy. To have lived in a different time period fascinates me. To be without technology. A simpler time. A sweeter time. Likely a darker time (no electrical lighting!). I know, the whole lacking toilet paper thing would not be fun. And modern medicine is not to be overlooked. But what really sets my heart aflutter about the past times, is the clothing. Women in those huge, ruffled dresses who couldn’t navigate a room without turning to the side and ducking (big wigs, don’t you know). And men in frockcoats with big cuffs and miles and miles of lace at their necks and wrists. Sigh…

So I’d pick mid-18th century France for my first time travel trip. I want to go visit Denis Diderot, the father of the modern encyclopedia. He was a rogue, a genius, a philosopher, a husband and lover. And he did it all in a damask frockcoat and lace.

If time travel were real and we could pick up a ticket to ride as simply as a bus pass, where would you go and who would you want to meet?

Michele latest releases include Moon Kissed (Silhouette Nocturne), After the Kiss (Silhouette Nocturne Bites), and “Racing the Moon” in the Midnight Cravings anthology on-sale this month. And look for Michele’s first HQN Book Her Vampire Husband in 2010!

by Susan Krinard, author of Lord of Sin

I enjoy writing all kinds of heroes and heroines in my romance novels. Sometimes my heroes are quieter, less “alpha” characters, thoughtful and sensitive; sometimes my heroines are even more “alpha” than the males!

But, like most romance writers and readers, I have a soft spot for the tough, seemingly untouchable male who is determined never to be roped in by any female.

In my September book, Lord of Sin, St John (Sinjin), Earl of Donnington, is just such a character. Having loved, and lost, a treacherous lover in a painful incident before his accession to the earldom (Lord of Legends), he’s sworn not to marry until he’s reaches his 40’s. He seals his personal vow by starting up the “Forties Club”, friends and acquaintances who have made the same decision: to live for pleasure and abjure all thought of marriage until their 40th year.

For Sinjin, this means keeping a string of mistresses and seducing any eligible married Society female he can win with his good looks and compelling personality. But there’s one woman he can’t have: Nuala, Lady Charles Parkhill, charter member of the Widows’ Club. Like the Forties, the Widows have vowed never to marry again, but to maintain their independence as women of means, able to indulge their eccentricities and interests as they please.

Nuala, however, is more than merely eccentric. She’s a witch, born of generations of English witches and doomed to an endless existence of service until she atones for the magical execution of the witch-hunter who killed her husband in the 17th century. Posing as a maid, she’d been a part of the strange and wondrous events that, against all odds, had not only brought together two deserving lovers, but had also involved the death of Sinjin’s brother and the madness of his lover, lady Pamela. Nuala still suffers guilt over that tragedy, though she herself wasn’t responsible for it. When, during the new London Season, Sinjin recognizes the regal, red-haired woman he’d briefly met just before his brother’s death—a woman he knows to be not entirely human—he blames her as well. He’s drawn to her beauty and longs to possess her even as he determines to punish her. And when the ghost of a witch-hunter attempts to use him for its own scheme of revenge, his motives take a deadly turn.

Will Sinjin abandon his vow never to love again, or will his own inner demons destroy both himself and the woman he wants more than anything he’s ever wanted in his life?

Sinjin has been one of my favorite “alpha” characters, the epitome of what I enjoy most in creating this kind of hero: a little arrogant, determined not to need anyone, but vulnerable and tormented under his pose of indifference and cynicism. I have a quieter, more rugged loner hero in my Spring ‘10 book, Bride of the Wolf. Heath Renier has a number of alpha characteristics, but he’s content to stay out of society completely and go his own way. To my way of thinking, “alpha” males, like alpha wolves, are leaders who keep their position with strength and force of personality, whereas a “lone wolf” has no such ambitions. In my novels, however, they’re inevitably fighting their own inner battles. Only love has the power to heal them.

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P.S. Lord of Sin is now 35% off at eHarlequin.com! ~Amy