See if you can picture the thing that ties all the following stories together. A woman who’s half demon falls for a guy who’s half angel. Buck Rogers meets the Wild West. A gal meets a guy who is determined to have sex with her to break a curse. See the connection? If you said the currently popular romance sub-genre of paranormal, you’d be right. But you’d also be correct if you identified each of these stories as finalists in this year’s American Title contest sponsored by Romantic Times BOOKreviews magazine and Dorchester Publishing. Toss in an alien prince, a risen Atlantis, mythics, a mind reader, Irish fairies, a blind princess, and a cop who can make herself invisible at will, and you’ve got a taste of this year’s finaling manuscripts.
Voting in the first round begins Monday, Oct. 15, and each of the ladies in the contest will surely be biting her nails because the grand prize is the publication of her book by Dorchester. Heck, I’m biting my nails now and voting is still five days away as I type this.
Each year, the American Title focuses on a different sub-genre, and this year it was paranormal’s turn. So why do so many writers love to delve into the paranormal? Is it the vampire as good guy fantasy? The thrill of believing in a world, at least for a little while, that can’t possibly really exist? Pure and simple escapism? Perhaps it’s a bit of each, but I think it’s also because we, as humans, love to play the what-if game. Early explorers asked, “What if I travel a little farther toward the horizon than anyone else before me?” Inventors and scientists asked questions such as, “What if we try to harness the power of lightning or water?” and “What if we find a way to leave Earth and visit other planets?” Writers are part explorer, part inventor and part scientist. Perhaps we ask more what-if questions than any other group of people. And when we delve into the areas of the unexplained — or the simply made up — our what-if questions lead to some fascinating stories. Writing paranormal is freeing, even more so than stories grounded in read-world parameters. Granted, all novelists make stuff up, but writers of paranormal stories really make stuff up, even if elements of their stories are grounded in science. As a reader, I’m thrilled that writers such as J.R. Ward, Stephenie Meyer, Libba Bray, J.K. Rowling, Lori Handeland, Colleen Gleason, Scott Westerfeld, Rachel Vincent, P.C. and Kristin Cast, Philip Pullman, Meg Cabot, Tanya Huff and so many others have asked their own what-if questions — and gifted us with the answers to those questions.
In the months ahead, I look forward to learning more about my fellow finalists’ stories and how those stories came into being. After this contest is over, I hope to see their stories on bookstore shelves so I can stretch my Visa card a bit by buying them. And so I can enjoy reading the results of their imaginations’ what-if questions.
Remember, voting in Round 1 runs Oct. 15-28 at www.romantictimes.com and each of the following ladies would appreciate your support of them, their stories and the contest as a whole. Come spring, one of them will get to answer another type of what-if question: What if I win the American Title contest?
Holli Bertram – Curses!
Pat Cunningham – Touch of Heaven
Mel Hiers – Voice of the Bard
Savanna Kougar – Murder By Hair Spray in Gardenia, New Atlantis
Anitra Lynn McLeod – Thief
Trish Milburn – Out of Sight
Lexie O’Neill – Backwoods Invader
Helen Scott Taylor – The Magic Knot
Mai Christy Thao – Prince of Darkness
Evonne Wareham – Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Related posts:
Cool meanderings Trish.
I recently read a wonderful review of the last Harry Potter book by none other than Mr. “What If” himself–Stephen King. I admit that his assertion rang true for me as a reader–that often it’s the magic that holds people. So many stories that have been repeat favorites of generations have a component of magic–of that which we cannot see, but we can’t help but wonder if it actually does exist–across the “veil.”
That magic and the “what if” you speak of seems to appeal not just to kids, but to adult readers as well. I know some folks prefer to stick with absolute scientifically proven truth, but I don’t. I think the magic lends to the escape.
My manuscripts have just a pale hint of the paranormal, but nothing like the worlds you and other writers of the paranormal create. I’m envious of the ability. Good on RT/Dorchester for choosing this sub-genre for this year’s contest.
And good luck to you and all the finalists! I’ll be stopping by to read and vote.:wink:
I think you’re right, Cassondra. Our logical brains tell us things like fairies and vampires and magic don’t exist, but there’s still that element of ourselves that wants to believe that it actually does even if we can’t see it.
Hi Trish – this is a fascinating subject. I’m not sure I can say why paranormal is so popular–but I love reading it! And I’m looking forward to reading all the contest entries.
As one of last year’s AT finalists, I especially wanted to wish every one of you the very best of luck. Don’t panic! It’s supposed to be fun! Easy for me to say now, right?
Hi, Trish! For those of you who don’t know, Trish is a regular contributor at Romance Bandits. Hola, Bandita!
I have enjoyed paranormal with splashes of romance since my youth. I first go hooked by C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. Mythology, magic and hunky boys. What wasn’t to love?
I then moved on to Tolkein’s Lord Of the Rings trilogy (after The Hobbit, of course) and Anne McCaffrey’s Dragon books. I adore fantasy! We didn’t have the term “paranormal” back then (that I knew of, anyway). Much later, I became a fan of Tanya Huff’s vampires (long after my Anne Rice addiction faded).
I am not so much into some of the newer paranormals that have been monstrously popular. But I am always looking for the next great read. I can’t wait to read and vote on the American Title finalists!
Thanks, Kate! I’m sure there are a variety of reasons behind the popularity of paranormal. But like you, I just enjoy reading it. In fact, I’m having to force myself to work on revisions when I just want to finish reading the third in Scott Westerfeld’s Midnighters series. And J.R. Ward’s latest is taunting me from across my office. That’s going to be my reward for finishing these revisions.
Another AT finalist here to wish you all luck!
I’m very excited to read your contest entries. 
Hola, Bandita Caren! Caren is experienced in this crazy contesting business. She’s made it to the most recent round of the Gather.com contest.
And LOL, I think you’ve hit on the core reason for paranormal’s popularity — “Mythology, magic and hunky boys”.
Speaking of Tanya Huff’s books, do you watch Blood Ties on Lifetime? The second season premieres this Friday night.
Thanks, Meretta. It’s so nice of you former finalists to hold the hands of and give advice to this year’s finalists. We appreciate it.
One of my favorite movies growing up was . I loved A Stitch in Time, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and pretty much all fairytales.
Now I’m all grown up and I love Harry Potter, Alex Ryder, and…I still love fairytales. Because they’re fun.
Best wishes to you and all of the finalists!
Another Bandita waving wildly at Trish!
Great post. I love paranormal stories and romance fiction ones in particular. These stories make you believe there are other possibilities. They raise you out of your hum drum day to day to worlds of beauty and excitement.
And I’ve been to Ireland….fairies DO exist
Best of luck to Trish, one of my MCRW pals. I don’t read a lot of paranormal, so I’m definitely in the minority, but I used to read fantasy and sci-fi back in the 80s.
Great concept, Trish. We writers do explore the worlds, imaginary, real, or futuristic outside of our normal experiences.
I love stories that explore the question, what if most of the world were destroyed in a nuclear blast, or some other such catastrophe. Sort of a Lord of the Flies premise. That’s one of the reasons I loved the early Mel Gibson movies and am anticipating the new Will Smith movie coming soon.
Hey Trish! Another Bandita here to support the blog!
Great reading your thoughts on the paranormals and can’t wait to read the AT III stories. As for paranormals, I enjoy JR Ward and Sherrilyn Kenyon, the psychic FBI series by Kay Hooper and Sandy Blair’s time travels, but as a writer I don’t think I can step into that realm, so I envy them and you.
As for reading paranormals I think my “what if” started when I learned about mythology, Greek, Roman, Scandanavian and Celtic. The idea of Gods and how they screw up the world of humans with their own plans fascinates me.
Good luck to you and the other entrants.:lol:
Trish–
Great post on paranormals and their wide spectrum! I read a lot of science fiction and fantasy. Paranormal romances I’ve enjoyed were Catherine Asaro’s, Patricia Rice’s, and Susan Carroll’s. I’ve always been intrigued by “what if.”
Good luck to you and all the finalists!
Trish, firstly, HUGE congratulations on making the final of American Title! That’s such an achievement and I’ve been cheering and dancing like a mad koala ever since I heard! Eucalyptus leaves on me at the bar, guys!
And I’d love you to win the grand prize! Good luck!
What a great blog. I love paranormal romance. I absolutely loved fairytales and myths and legends when I was a kid. Still do, frankly. I love the way they test my imagination and let it fly free. I love the structure of those stories where the magic becomes part of the emotional arc. I also love the larger than life aspect of paranormal romance. It’s something I also get from a really good historical. Can’t wait to read all the AT entries!
And then people wonder why I’ve been reading paranormals since Linda Lael Miller and Nancy Gideon wrote them back in the 90s. *wg*
Jo, I’m looking forward to I Am Legend too. I’ve always been a fan of survival stories, whether it’s due to shipwreck (Swiss Family Robinson), plane crash (LOST) or some sort of natural or post-apocolyptic disaster (The Stand or The Day After Tomorrow).
ForstRose, the link didn’t work for me, but I Googled and found it. The story sounds really cool.
Does anyone remember the first paranormal romance they ever read? I’m wracking my brain, and I can’t remember, though I know Dara Joy’s Knight of a Trillion Stars must have been one of the early ones.
Joan, so fairies really exist, huh? What was the medication you’re taking again?
Seriously, if you say it’s true, I believe you. 
Thanks for all my Bandita and MCRW pals for coming by so I wasn’t Nellie No Friends.
Suz, I can’t believe I forgot to put Sandy on the list. (Trish pauses to smack self on forehead. Thwack!) I’ve always loved time travels, and Sandy’s are excellent.
Hi, Trish!
First, huge congrats on finaling in AT! What a wonderful accomplishment! You’re having some year, bandita!
As for why I like paranormals, though, I’m going to go left of everybody else (not unusual for me, sad to say). I love paranormals not because of their differences with the ‘real’ world, but because of their samenesses. I love all the detail that goes into world building, & just eat up all those wonderful touches that bring an alternate reality to life, but what really gets me is how human the characters are anyway (even the non-humans). The conflicts, the fears, the struggle to overcome odds & be better than we’ve been, more than we are… It’s the essences of being human, & something about seeing it play out against an unexpected backdrop makes it more poignant for me.
Anyway, I’ll be dropping by the RT website come Monday!! Go, Trish!
Susan
Good luck, Trish!! I love paranormal romance and can’t wait to read all the excerpts on the RT site! I know yours will be great!
Has anyone else noticed all the paranormal shows on TV this season?
Susan, you make some excellent points. There are certain emotions that seem to be universal, even if made-up universes.
Christie, I have noticed all the paranormal shows because I watch them!
Supernatural is one of my absolute favorite shows — eye candy not bad either. 
I’m enjoying Moonlight, Smallville, Reaper, Heroes, Journeyman, Bionic Woman. Blood Ties starts again this Friday. Probably the paranormal and sci-fi make up the majority of my TV viewing with a couple of reality shows and some “normal” shows thrown in for variety.
Hi everyone, wow, this is wonderfully fascinating — everyone’s view and wisdom. Trish’s ‘what if’ is profound, since that is always the question when writing new worlds, paranormals. Being an ‘oldie’ I remember my first Star Trek episode. What if we could explore amongst the stars — where no man has gone before — I used to think that belonged on my bedroom door — anyway, I also believe Star Trek like paranormal genres of today offer a vision of what our future could be, ideas of how to create life for all us, a better future on Earth as we reach for the stars.
Savanna, I’ve watched so many different Star Trek incarnations. I remember the reruns of the original when I was a kid. The New Generation was good, and I also enjoyed Voyager and Enterprise. Wasn’t so hot on Deep Space Nine.
Congratulations and good luck, Trish!!!!
I like paranormal shows and movies more than books. Not sure why…though I LOVE Lori Handeland’s Night Creatures.
YAY Trish – congrats on the final. Watching the AT contest is always exciting, I’m amazed at how strong and creative the finalists are in their promotions. And what fun stories you come up with
I can’t wait to vote!
Thanks Mary and Tawny. You know, Mary, I feel the same way as you but about sci-fi. I don’t tend to read much sci-fi, but I love watching it. I’m a Stargate Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica fan, loved Serenity/Firefly.
Congrats on the AT final, Trish! I can’t wait to read the entries
I love paranormals – both books and TV shows. I don’t get to watch much TV but my 13 yo daughter and I are watching the first season of Supernatural and we Love it! Great fun and you’re right about the eye candy
Isn’t that show awesome, Beth? Such a great, fun brothers story — with the boogieman of the week thrown in for good measure. So, are you and your daughter Dean girls or Sammy girls? Total Sammy girl here, though I think Dean is hilarious and has some of the very best lines. It’s kind of like Angel and Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I’m a total Angel fan, but Spike has more hilarious lines.
Congrats again on the AT final, Bandita Trish! Wishing you lots of luck!
I must be odd (or is it just because I’m English
) because I really like the lightly paranormal books and programmes – witches and ghosties and fairies and superheroes. Also love myths and legends and, if it’s done well, sci-fi/futuristic/fantasy. When it comes to vampires and werewolves, I’m only hooked if the characters are strong and more than just bloodsuckers or man-dogs!
Hey Trish! What a fantastic article! Thanks for writing it!
And I was so psyched to see you mention Tanya Huff. I think she gets overlooked, but her Keeper series was what got me into paranormal/urban fantasy to begin with. She’s always on my recommendation lists!
Trish I agree with you on the Angel/Spike issue! I loved Angel but Spike was just great fun *g*
As for Supernatural, my daughter is a Sammy fan and I’m totally into Dean! I say it works out since they’re way too old for her and way too young for me
But I sure can enjoy the scenery!
Anna, I like the lightly paranormal too. I think Meg Cabot’s Mediator series was lighter but so much fun. I totally love the combo of paranormal and YA, which you all could tell from the list of some of my favorite paranormal authors.
Hey, Mel! Waving from down the road.
I think I’ve just read the first two in the Blood series, but I have them all. So many books, so little time! I really enjoyed the first season of Blood Ties though, which is based on that series of books. Again, nice eye candy as well. 
Beth, the YA book that won the GH this year — I used Sammy as the model for the hero.
Trish,
Thanks so much for posting this! Also, I want to chime in–my entry, Backwoods Invader, may be more sci-fi than paranormal. Let’s see…I think the “what-if” started back when I read the Island Stallion (anybody else read that as a kid?) and was transported to a world within this world. Or even Louisa May Alcott’s books, same world, but oh, so different than my own boring farm life!
Thanks again!
Trish, congrats to you and all of the AT4 finalists. The stories sound fascinating!! Good luck!!
Sorry about the bad link on my earlier post Trish. Here’s the correct link forTime Masters Book One: The Call by Geralyn Beauchamp. Again the official release is Nov 1 but the link above will take you to the publisher’s site where you can preorder the book plus read more about the story and the author. You can also go to my blog – click on my name on this comment and read my posts. This book has a little of everything including Time Travel and Romance.