Tag Archives: dangerou

Crossover Fiction: Building Your Supernatural World @PRosemoor #mgtab

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

I’ve always been drawn to supernatural stories, especially where romance was involved.

I’ve been asked many times how I was able to create the worlds that populate crossover fiction – I combine romance with suspense with supernatural elements.

I’ve just resurrected WOLF MOON (The McKenna Legacy Book 7), RT Book Review’s Best Intrigue of 2007. It’s on digital pre-order and will be published on May 24. Are you ready for a werewolf story? WOLF MOON is closer to horror than urban fantasy — it has the monsters you’re sure are there but you can’t see until they show their true colors in the big finish. Of course it’s a story with a sweeping romance throughout, one very different than you might expect.

 

Aileen McKenna came to the remote town of Wolf Creek to study wolves in the wild and ran into Rhys Lindgren, an enigmatic man with dark secrets and a connection to the local wolf pack. Frightened townspeople were convinced a predatory wolf was on the loose after three men were found dead in the woods. Rhys didn’t blame the wolves any more than Aileen, and she intended to prove their innocence. But would Rhys take her into the snow-covered forest to do that? She’d have to be alone with him and trust him to draw out a killer…

Pre-Order Special price 99c now through May 27 (pub date May 24)

 

https://tinyurl.com/Wolf-Moon-Amazon

https://tinyurl.com/Wolf-Moon-Smashwords

I taught a segment of urban fantasy in my Writing Popular Fiction class at Columbia College Chicago for fourteen years, so I had to come up with some tips for my students and would like to share them with those of you who are as intrigued by woo-woo stories as I am.

Is your main character human or preternatural (supernatural)? If human, does s/he have magical or other powers? Is there a love interest who is of a different type of creature? Do any human characters know about the magic going on around them or is the presence of preternatural characters secret? Is there an overriding conflict due to the preternatural presence?

Are you using the present day world? An alternate history? What are the rules of your new world? Make a list. Then stick to it. What kind of magic can be used? Remember that magic always has a price.

What is the social structure of your world? If the preternatural characters are known, are they considered monsters or do they have legal rights? How do your preternatural characters differ from others in other stories? Make them your own.

What kinds of challenges will your protagonist face? What are your protagonist’s strengths? Weaknesses?

How much romance will your book have? Is this book one in a series, and if so, does the same romance carry through multiple books or does the romance change? If you’re developing a series, what is the over-arcing element that continues through several books?

In January, I published ANIMAL INSTINCTS (Kindred Souls Book 1), the first  of an urban fantasy romantic thriller series — today’s Chicago with  a supernatural underground.

Half-human, half-Kindred, Luc Lazare doesn’t want more complications in his life. He’s focused on protecting his shapeshifting family and love is the last distraction he needs. Skye Cross has the ability to talk to animals. Her most recent animal rescue mission–stopping an alleged dog fight–actually involved shifters in a primal battle. Skye quickly finds herself caught in a dangerous world she never knew existed, while relying on a man she couldn’t possibly trust. Coming from two different worlds, can Luc and Skye overcome the obstacles fated to keep them apart? 

https://tinyurl.com/AnimalInstincts-Amz
https://tinyurl.com/AnimalInstincts-BN
https://tinyurl.com/AnimalInstincts-iBooks
https://tinyurl.com/AnimalInstincts-Kobo

The next time you read a paranormal romance of any kind, see if you can answer the questions I posed above. And above all, enjoy!