A few years ago, or maybe more, the classic “clinch cover” historical romance seemed to disappear from bookshelves. In its place came vampires, werewolves, mermaids, mermen, ghosts, witches, goblins, and all kinds of things that go bump in the night. I love paranormals. I love writing them, reading them, being both scared and turned on by them. But, I wonder, did the paranormal replace the historical?
Wait a minute, you might say. Historicals have nothing to do with paranormals. They’re two totally separate genres. Well, yes and no. Let me explain.
The historical requires the creation of a world. In this world, there is required research. The author must get her facts straight in order to make that world believable. She cannot set her heroine in the burning fires of Atlanta without knowing a thing or two about the American Civil War. The same holds true for the paranormal. How is an author going to know the rules of shape shifting without first doing some research? And if her heroine is whisked away to another planet, how is she going to be captive of a mind altering force field without knowing something about gravity and how the human body reacts to atmospheric pressures? Research. The world you’re creating requires it to make it believable to your reader.
So what about characters? Remember when those Native American romances were so popular? One of the characters, usually the heroine who was non-Indian, was forced into the hero/Indian’s tribal world. No different that the innocent…er, let me rephrase that…kick butt modern day heroine getting sucked (no pun intended) into the hero/vampire’s lair. With both the historical and the paranormal, hero or heroine must learn to accept their significant other’s worlds and they must find a compromise of those worlds if they are to spend happily-ever-after together.
I’m not saying one genre is better than the other. I love them both. I just wonder, as readers, did we really banish the historical or did we just hide them under black cape and sharp teeth?
*For information on how you can submit to Open Blog Night, click here.
No related posts.
Time travel also necessitates historical research.
Does it class as “paranormal?”
Or is it a bridge between the two?
I think it could be a decent bridge between the two… Depending of course on which way the time traveler moves.
I can’t say I think Historicals have been replaced by any means, I know there’s a huge market for them. However, the way paranormals have popped up and spread their wings, they do seem to shadow the historicals a bit, don’t they?
Great topic!:smile:
A certain amount of research is a given. The setting in which the paranormals occur needs the solid research to make a believable connection to the reader.
I am under the impression that historicals are much like writing for the Star Trek or Star Wars world. The rules are established. Example: you can’t change the function of the Prime Directive, the basic relationship between Romulans and the Federation. You can’t change the fact how the Force works or the rules that govern Mos Eisly or the future of the Empire.
Same too for historicals and the inner workings of Almacks, rules of etiquette amongst the titled, the gaming hells or the reality of White Chapel.
Paranormal romances still have many variations. That fact is what keeps me coming back for more. There are NO set rules with vamps. (Except that they have Sharp Canine Teeth, Drink Blood and can manipulate the mind to accept the bite)
There are those that are daywalkers ,others who are cursed but accept their fate and embrace it, or fight it and find the “light”.
There are the truly evil and scary vamps and wolves and then there are the misunderstood and heroic. The possiblities in their world are fluid and interchangeable. Garlic is great, mirrors are an extension of their vanity and most are darned sexy. (I like that point):mrgreen:
I don’t believe that paranormals are taking the place of historicals. They are SO different.
I believe the paranormal IS differnt than the historical. However, if a paranormal takes place within an historical setting,then they must act within the rules already set in that genre. Just because it is ‘paranormal’ doesn’t change the function of the Bow Street Runners -although it would be cool if they were paranormal police as well. They still have to work within the abilities and expectations of that time period.
Only research will ensure that.
Paranormals are coming into their own. A whole new line that is as exciting and full of potential as any that has come on the scene in a long time.
So my question is: since I agree research IS important…Where DO you find research and guidelines about shapeshifters and vamps and werewolves and spacemen? Has anyone written a dictionary or encyclopedia of paranormal Do’s and Don’t’s?? And explains WHY a Don’t is absolute? Or for that matter, a DO? Or is it up to each author to research enough to convince the reader as to their world’s POV???
*ahem* and I DO enjoy clinch covers on paranormals too.
but none go as far as I’d be curious to see:shock:
Shifter in mid shift would be intriguing to say the least…..
I believe that in order for an Historical to work, there has to be some sort of difference in rank or power between the Hero and the Heroine.
One can be a lord, and one can be a governess; or one is suffering PTS disorder from serving in some war or another, and the other has the capacity to heal him; or one is a wealthy lady, and the other is an itinerant knight; etc., etc., etc.
Over time we’ve all become accustomed to this set up, and I think there’s a push to mix it up a little–from both readers and authors.
I see paranormals as a new (?) method of setting up that difference–one is immortal, powerful, and altered, the other is mortal and different from the partner. (Of course, in some cases there’s a vamp + were, but really, I’m talking in general terms.) Over time I’ve read enough historicals (and they’re still my favorite) so that I can see the structure coming as the characters are being introduced. Paranormals allow me to be surprised and engagaed as I wander into the alternate world and learn about the class/power conflict at hand.
Unless, of course, I hate the book.
Awesome topic, and I must say that you make a great point. Although, I do love to read both. And most of my paranormals have a historical setting. Maybe the two do go hand-in-hand, though, rather than one replacing the other. Sherrilyn Kenyon writes paranormals under that name and historicals under Kinley McGregor. Maybe her books are not as drastically different as we thought!
I blogged about this last year in my tell tale interview at Access Romance in regard to the huge percentage of paranormal readers who are devoted to my Promise series. (Western historical) Whenever a paranormal reader emails me and confesses in small type that they are addicted to this series “when they don’t normally read western historicals” but cannot wait for the next to come out, I want to tell them it’s ok, because, at least with the kind of Western historicals that I write, the dynamic elements that drive the plot are identical in both genres. That being the case, it’s perfectly normal for the reader to find the same reading satisfaction within both genres, anf hence no need to whisper.
The American West was full of danger, excitement, and opportunity. Contradictions abounded and what was outrageous one day could be normal the next. Idiosyncrasies were a way of life, and everyone had a secret. The fate of good or evil could turn on nothing more than a coin toss or the timely intervention of a hero or heroine. Cultural norms mutated under the weight of necessity, and people either learned to adjust to the demands put upon them or they died. (just like in paranormals) Women and men married for survival as much as they married for hope. Heroes and outlaws emerged out of the most unlikely backgrounds and anyone could be literally anyone on any given day. It was a time of endless possibility and potential. And just like with the Paranormal genre, nothing was ever what it seemed.
That’s the American West I love and write about. That is the setting in which my stories unfold, but it’s only a few adjectives away from being a paranormal. Like the paranormal theme, a western historical theme allows abundant room for the reader to suspend disbelief and ample opportunity for the author to put the H&H in assorted backgrounds and perils and have it be completely believable, therefore, my characters tend to be as different as the stories they represent. One heroine was sold into prostitution; one into marriage and another was just plain sold out by the man she trusted. Their men are also a reflection of the times, their lives a record of the violence inherent in their day-to-day life. One’s a tough street fighter looking for a home, (the disenfranchised vamp in a paranormal) another a ruthless lawman looking for respect (vamp of mixed bloodlines who hunts rogue vamps), and yet another is a bounty hunter fast losing touch with his ideals. (Burned out vamp who lives too long) In the old West, these heroes became what they had to in accordance with the exploitable opportunities provided at the time. Which in that era and that region of the country, were not numerous and rarely legal. They grew up hard and practical with an inherent understanding of how a willingness to bend the rules worked to their advantage. (a core factor of paranormals) They’re neither saints nor outlaws, just strong capable men able to do what needs to be done. Hot, gritty, and edgy, my Western historicals may not be what people expect when they think Western historical, but for me, they still fit neatly inside the broad parameters of what constitutes the genre. And, if I simply change the time period from then to now, remove the heroes chaps and replace them with fangs, swap out society’s expectations against reality for Immortal expections against reality, but keep the supernatural element of survival depending on the characters ability to overcome the demands of nature and a lawlessness factor, I also have the plot line for a paranormal.
I have a theory. I think Paranormal has its root in the Goth of yore. Heck, take the Grimms … their collection is full of witches, evil sorcerers, dark magic.
Then, there’s the classic Frankenstein. I’m sure these two genres have co-existed, and in some cases are interwined, since classical authors start penning such novels.
It’s not just the research, and creation of an entirely fictitious world that links the two.
BTW, Michele, if you’re looking for a paranorml police/ detective, try Emma Holly’s The Demon’s Daughter. It has an inspector who’s enhanced by demonic technology.