Tag: paranormal

Please note: "The House on Black Lake trailer", filmed by Spirit/Sundance/Gotham/Venice award winning cinematographer Frazer Bradshaw, may be viewed on Home Page.

In [amazon_link id="0982500203" target="_blank" container="" container_class=""]The House on Black Lake[/amazon_link] there are dark forces at work. HOBL is the first of a trilogy that segues into the paranormal, although there is paranormal activity described throughout the first book. Alexandra Brighton has been educated by modern social systems and therefore is unwilling to acknowledge her own special gifts or to take seriously the wisdom of the mystics and gypsies who are her tutors in the underground. However, her host, Ramey Sandeley, is determined to expose her to certain "truths". Her journey of transformation on Black Lake is the beginning of her initiation into a world of dangerous beauty and terrible dark secrets.

Listed below are the top ten + 1 paranormal romance novels (listed most often by fans of the genre).

l. [amazon_link id="193341751X" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Vampires in America [/amazon_link](Series) by D.B. Reynolds

2. [amazon_link id="0425212866" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Psy/Changling[/amazon_link] (series) - Nalini Singh

3. [amazon_link id="1416509879" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Immortals After Dark[/amazon_link] (series) - Kresley Cole

4. [amazon_link id="0425241505" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Dragon Bound[/amazon_link] (elder races series) by Thea Harrison

5.[amazon_link id="0515139769" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ] Ghost Walkers[/amazon_link] (series) - Christine Freehan

6. [amazon_link id="0440244404" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]The Fever [/amazon_link](series) by Karen Marie Moning

7. [amazon_link id="0778329070" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Shifter[/amazon_link] (series) - Rachel Vincent

8. [amazon_link id="0451226259" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Chicagoland Vampires[/amazon_link] (series) - urban fantasy by Chloe Neill

9. [amazon_link id="0451219376" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Broken Heart Oklahoma[/amazon_link] (series)- for those who prefer their paranormal splashed with humor

10. [amazon_link id="0441020429" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Magic Series[/amazon_link]  - Ilona Andrew's - by Kate Daniels

+ 1 Shelley Laurentson's shape shifting series including [amazon_link id="0758231709" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Big Bad Beast[/amazon_link], [amazon_link id="0758231687" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Beat Behaving Badly[/amazon_link],[amazon_link id="1599986337" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Go Fetch[/amazon_link], [amazon_link id="0758220383" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]The Mane Attraction[/amazon_link], and [amazon_link id="0758231660" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]The Mane Squeeze [/amazon_link]are funny, filled with eccentric characters, and also very popular with paranormal romance fans.

THE HOUSE ON BLACK LAKE HAS BEEN ADAPTED TO SCREENPLAY. GO TO HOME PAGE TO VIEW PROVOCATIVE CINEMATIC TRAILER

 In the process of promoting my novel, I have spoken with many romance enthusiests and spent time researching forums devoted to the romance genre.  I have compled a list of the fifty most popular themes. Asterisks are placed next to topics touched upon in [amazon_link id="0982500203" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]The House on Black Lake[/amazon_link].

Book Clubs may want to use  list as  beginning of discussion, or have members write their own and create an extended list that can be forwarded along to community sites. Knowledgable readers may add title examples for each topic to create a resource for individuals to find books that appeal to them.  It is also helpful to the writers of romance novels to be aware of what their readers desire to experience. This is especially true if topics considered taboo are broached. Reading offers a great opportunity to release fear and repressed desires, and explore various aspects of ourselves and our life journey through the experiences of others.

 A number of the themes listed below, such as alpha males, dominant males, cheaters, and forced love are dealt with in my other blogs, including reading examples. I plan to add lists, and will soon make site open to readers suggessions, so please return for more information as it is gathered.

The list of popular themes in in no particular order.

l. A broken heart. The greatest reading choice for this seems to be "Stormfire.*

2. Man uses woman for revenge, kidnapped, seduced, etc. "Stormfire" again, this must be a great read.*

3. Good sex scenes, either explicit or implicit.*

4. Heroine nearly dies, hero is terrified, realizes how much he loves her. Even better, is when hero is directly, or indirectly responsible for putting heroine in jeopardy...*

5. Second chance ex-spouses.

6. Cheating hero.* This one is very popular. But, some want him to realize he loves his wife and family and wants them back.

7. Less than perfect heroes/heroines – scarred or disabled.

8. Rugged cowboy-types.*

9. Hero helps deliver his baby.

10. Heroine saves or rescues hero from harm.

11. Bad Boys.*

12. Pent up sexual frustration – repression.*

13. Great grovel scenes – where rugged hero breaks down.* This is very popular, and an ideal topic for discussion.

14. Hero disappears and reappears years later.

15. Steamy AND emotional scenes between lovers.”*

16. Romance – candlelit dinners, walks in the park. Etc.*

17. Obsessed or deeply in lust.*

18. Villain in love with heroine.*

19. Dominant, alpha males.*

20. Romance and thriller.*

21. Widowed hero grieving over first wife.

22. Vampire and paranormal love.

23. Vikings!.

24. Smutty historical romance.

25. H/H in historical garb.

26. Men with long (preferably dark) flowing hair*.

27. Alpha female who isn’t borderline abusive*

28. Hero bribes heroine to be with him.

29. Heroine playing hard to get.*

30. Drunken sex.*

31. Bad boy falls for nice girl.*

32 Virginal or repressed heroine who falls apart at the touch of the RIGHT man.*

33. Forced mate scenario in paranormal.

34. Jealous bad boy.*

35. Ménage romance.*

36. Incest.*

37. Two men competing for woman.*

38. Forced sex where h/h have strong connection.*

39. Sheik books and big hunky H’s and the feisty heroine.

40. Bad boy who bosses H around until they fall in love.*

41. Spanking/forced sex scenes.*

42. Love triangles.*

43. Bisexual love.*

44. Older women/younger men.*

45. Rugged/outdoorsy men.*

46. Heroine enjoys sex.*

47. Haunted places/ghosts.*

48. Tattoos, piercings, branding, etc.*

49. Beauty and the beast themes.*

50. Time travel – men in kilts, on island, or anywhere ancient.*

Well, that’s a beginning. The list says a lot about what women really want, and discussing these topics is a great exercise in female empowerment.

When Alexandra Brighton enters Black Lake she only knows what she has been taught by contemporary society. The lessons she learns in the underground teach her about her deeper desires and instincts. Some of the topics are a bit disturbing, but I believe all women desire to reconnect with baser animal instincts and enjoy the powerful union between the sexes.

Most of us love a good vampire tale.

There is something quite alluring about a deserted island.  Experienced with the right partner it is possible to live out fantasies, unite with nature, do whateveryou desire, and no one will know.  Yet there is always the risk of danger that resides within the island. The creatures that inhabit the lonely piece of land may not be  friendly. And there is no way to escape  if you lose communication, means of transport, or someone wants to keep you  prisoner.

That is what Alexandra faces as she is lured by the Sandeley's to stay in a Victorian on a deserted island.  Initially she is terrified of the house, the isolation, and her lack of conrol over the situation. When she is taken to revisit the site by young lover, Andre, her moment of seduction is at first alluring and romantic, but turns deadly.

World weary and longing for simplicity we may fantasize about such a habitat. But is the romantic notion a desire to free ourselves from the confines of civilization? Or is it a deeper desire - to escape the confines  of ourselves and release our baser, more animalistic natures?

Photographs taken in Golden Gate Park and Stern Grove - features Tosh Yanez as Andre Labat and Anastasia Blackwell as Alexandra Brighton depicting scenes in "The House on Black Lake".