I was at a book signing not too long ago and was asked by another author why I wrote
paranormal romance. He couldn’t understand why I would write in a genre that only peaked
during Halloween and fall festivities. I simply replied I love paranormal. But the question had
me thinking, when did I first fall in love with paranormal stories? Was it when I was away at
summer camp, and we all gathered around the bonfire, telling ghost stories? Did I fall in love the
first time I read Frankenstein or Dracula? Did my passion go further back to when I was tucked
in bed, and my father read me Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Snow White, or Rapunzel?
To be honest, I think my love grew from growing up along the North Carolina coast, which
is rich in folklore, ghost stories, and legends. Many of these stories contain a romantic thread. I
believe it’s because of my love for these stories why I write paranormal.
According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, the definition of Paranormal: not scientifically
explainable: Supernatural
Hmm…I’ll get back to this I a second.
As for paranormal stories being appropriate only for the fall—Poppycock. Have you read A
Christmas Carol? I mean, come on, the opening line is “Marley was dead: to begin with. Charles
Dickens, in the first pages, stresses the fact Morley had been dead seven years. Dickens needs
this to be clear in the reader’s mind, because if it is not, then his story doesn’t have the same
effect.
Literature is full of paranormal stories throughout all genres, even though these books may
not be classified as paranormal. Look at Shakespeare’s The Tempest; we have a fairy. Macbeth,
there are three witches. Hamlets and Caesar, we have a ghost. Then there is my all-time
favorite—A Midsummer Night’s Dream!
Now, back to the definition of Paranormal. How many detective shows have you seen or
stories you’ve read where the case of mystery was solved by a “gut-feeling?” There are just too
many to count. Yes, there is plenty of clues and evidence, but there is also “that feeling.” One
could say this was a sixth-sense, also known as Extrasensory perception or ESP. Yep,
paranormal…

So whether the temperature is dropping or the fireflies are putting on a show, you’ll find me
curled up reading. You can count on the story having some kind of scientifically unexplainable
element.