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What it is about Paranormal Romance by Ariel Mathis
I recently had one of my books reviewed by Ariel Mathis, owner of the blog, Always Love Me Some Books, so I started chatting with her about her site the types of books she likes to read. In doing so, I learned that she is an aspiring writer. I was privileged enough to hear about her intriguing new book concept. I believe that she will be a successful author in years to come, so don't forget her name.
I asked Ariel to write a guest blog and talk about her favorite genres to read and write about. I was interested in hearing a book blogger's perspective on reading different authors and why she chooses certain books out of the countless requests she receives at her blog. Here's what she had to say....
I'm Ariel and I'm what you would call an avid reader. I love anything really from Contemporary romance to Science Fiction, to BDSM, to Paranormal, Horror, Steampunk, and I often delve into Young Adult novels every now and then. I can read anything so long as there is a story to read.
What I'd like to discuss is the Paranormal genre and the Romance that is embedded in these particular stories. What pulls us to these types of stories (Paranormal Romance) versus say a Contemporary Romance? Well, of course falling in love with a billionaire seems highly unlikely in our real lives. One, I'm married with three kids. Two, I'm not looking for a billionaire, but hey in some parallel universe, that might just be me. With Paranormal Romance, we're not going to find a vampire, werewolf, faerie, angel, etc. in the real world either. Hey, if any of these beings are real, then I've obviously been living underneath a damn rock. So, we have two genres here that both are highly unlikely to happen in real life, so which one do you choose?
As a reader who reads both, I'm always going to choose Paranormal Romance first. A, It sells. I buy it. B, World building. Which is very constricted in Contemporary romance, why? Because it's supposed to be real or as realistic as one can get. And THAT may be why people stick to just contemporary romance. They know what to expect. It's safer when you know what you're dealing with.
The world building in a paranormal romance story can literally leave you hanging, always wanting more. And so you you keep reading, you want to know how it will all come together. With Paranormal Romance you're never thrown off the story. Unless you have a pet peeve like I do, and hate, absolutely hate too much detail. And really, that's neither here nor there. (You should be able to tell if you're going to love or hate a book within the first few pages or the first few chapters.) You know your hero is dead, or furry, or has beautiful feathered wings, hell, he could be Lucifer himself. But doesn't that intrigue you in the least? Hello?
Lucifer wants to love you, or a werewolf wants to mate with you, and make you his Alpha female. That
seems crazy but hey, I'll read that!! I am the main character when I read a story, I feel what they feel, see, and hear. And what I love most about the paranormal romance genre is that while everything around you is fantasized, the feelings you/the main character(s) go through is real.
I've said it time and time again, I feel more when I read paranormal romance vs anything else I've read. Of course, you have to give the Authors credit, too. They accepted the challenge of making these non-human characters real, relatable, and vulnerable as any human. That's what lures me in. I have to believe it's what lures lovers of the genre too.
I’ll read anything. I just want to feel. It just might be an addiction that comes with reading. So, whatever you read, read and read it well. To each their own.