Everything Paranormal discussion

I know for me I noticed the "big thing" in romance/ teen romance is vampires. Is it from Twilight pop.? I dunno. What was the thing in romance before vampires, what is the big thing now? Do you have a theme you always look for regards of what's popular? I'll ask this in my other groups, so if you see the title disregard the repeated question =D.

I don't remember what was popular before vampires. All I know is that everywhere I look there are vampires!

hmm before Vampires I never read romance so I really can't answer the first part of this question but I can't wait to see what others responses will be. I think the big thing for me now is a romance where one or more of the characters are some type of Supernatural being. Ireally like shifters but will read anything. The theme I mostly look for is Paranormal. I can't read a book with out it.

Like Jael, I didn't read a lot of romance before vamps/were-wolves. Lots of fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, etc but not romance. I think that the Pn has made the R a MUCH more popular reading category.

That makes sense. My first romance was a suspense [that I didn't know was romance, until they got intimate lol:]. So the Pn angle in romance does make it more interesting with me.

I used to be a die hard Histroical romance reader and then I picked up my first paranormal romance and that was it completely hooked! I even remember the book that started it all, it was Christine Feehan's that I bought back in 2000 and have been a lover of the paranormal ever since. As for what came before Vampires that's hard to say I've been reading PNR for so long who can even remember...lol!

Before PNR I did read some historical romance. But I always looked for books like Lord of the Dead and Dracula, and looong before that I read books like The Dollhouse Murders. So I guess for me, I was always reading books about mythical beings.

I pretty much read YA horror before I stumbled onto vampires with Secret Vampire. In some ways I wish there was the choice of teen-focused vamp books there are now when I was a teen, but in others I'm glad I didn't as I'm now way less judgemental about covers, titles, character names etc. I remember thinking I'd never read a book where a vamp loses a tooth in a dodgy sounding doll, and yet now I'm hooked on Kerrelyn Sparks' books!

I read historical romance YEARS ago, but hadn't picked up a romance in a long time until Lori Herter wrote a vampire romance series that started with in 1991. Then Linda Lael Miller's came out in 1993. I read all the books in both series and then was at loose ends for awhile as no one else was writing anything like that at the time. As for YA, I never read any YA until I read TWILIGHT. I've read lots more YA, much of it better than the TWILIGHT books, since.

Probably should have mentioned I'm 23, so when I was reading YA I pretty much was YA :) I'm also not that far out of it so I do read quite a lot of YA, more so since Twilight partly due to a realisation that the new gen of teen vamps rules and partly due to the insane offers bookstores keep having on the teen vamp scene!

Once I pare down my series I want to get a chance to read a couple YA vamp series. Since there's so many and I do love Pn. I just hope I pick a couple good ones =D.

I know that going by adult romance authors and choosing their YA series is one way.

Actually all--now that I've thought about this topic question a bit I have to ask--WAS there anything PNR wise BEFORE the vampires? I mean ever since Bram Stoker wrote Dracula and then Bela Lugosi starred in the movie, its been pretty much vamps, vamps, vamps and the occasional were-wolf. Oh--and The Mummy of course--but most of the rest of the "historical" monsters were, well, monsters and NOT AT ALL romantic (think Frankenstein's monster.) The Fae were pretty much shown as, well, nasty pieces of work that no one with the intelligence of a gnat wanted to get involved with, so they didn't enter the equation until the last 20 or 30 years. Then you had trolls, zombies etc.

SO, basically, that brings us back to my earlier statement about Vamps being the mack-daddy of PNR romantic leads. :oP

Kenjii - I'd definitely recommend the Night World books by L.J. Smith as a good YA series, partly because they're what got me hooked and partly because the new bind-up editions are pretty cheap. If you don't mind a stand-alone werewolf book, Blood and Chocolate is pretty great. :)

Nairabell: I'll keep those in mind, thanks =D

I used to read whatever I could get my hands on at the library, especially old books of fables and faerie tales. The first book I remember reading that started me along the fiction path was Francesca Lia Block's "I Was a Teenage Fairy" - mind you I was ten at the time.
The one that started me on vampire fiction was "Companions of the Night" by Vivian Vande Velde. I've been hooked ever since.

Ann aka Iftcan wrote: "Actually all--now that I've thought about this topic question a bit I have to ask--WAS there anything PNR wise BEFORE the vampires? I mean ever since Bram Stoker wrote [book:Dracula|..."

Actually the fae were very sensual. They were just also very dangerous. Keep in mind "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" and "The Goblin Market" as just two examples. Sorry, going to have to disagree - the wee folk are just as old and probably the original pimps of the paranormal world.

Like Jun and Michelle, I cut my teeth on fairy tales, myths, and folklore. I read every children's horror and fantasy book I could get my hands on when I was a kid. I love a good scare. When I was twelve, I discovered romance, specifically historical. That was pretty much what I read for about fifteen years. Now, I'm getting back into horror, particularly classic, and fantasy, speculative fiction. Paranormal romance was introduced to me by my sister when she gave me her copy of Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon to read. Now, I am hooked on PNR.

I myself never even though of reading a Romance book till the Vampire craze took hold. I was always one to look down on the books myself mostly because of the cover art.. I was a sci-fi fan from the begining.

I am however very thankful now that my opinion has changed and that I can embrace my inner romance reader of all types now, I still stick with mostly PNR..

Jun wrote: Sorry, going to have to disagree - the wee folk are just as old and probably the original pimps of the paranormal world.
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ROFL

@Archer same here I never liked the cover art and when u don't know a genre the book's cover u will judge by [for me anyway]. I am glad that PNR and UF are looking more fantasy oriented for the covers and even being filed with sci-fi at the BS, to bring in a whole other group of fans.

Vampires are great for romance novels because there is always an inherent / built in conflict. Interestingly, even this is even hinted at in Dracula

*spoiler (kind of)*
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when Harker wonders if he would agree to become a vampire if Mina were turned.

Historical Romance was definitely my first. i read several suspense/thrillers and whichever genre Dean Koontz is. so when i read my first PNR i really enjoyed it. i like "other" beings. it makes stories very interesting and fun. keeping up with their limitations and like and dislikes. makes their world so much better. hehe. always watched films about people from other planets so when i read my first novel i felt right at home.

Hi I'm new and I was a huge historical romance reader until my niece kept insisting I read Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon, after that I was totally hooked and haven't picked up a historical since I don't know when

@Donna...it is funny what brings us to our current staus =D.

It does , I loved Vampire movies but I can't explain why I never liked them in my books til Sherrilyn

I remember loooooving the Lost Boys! But yeah. I can't recall ever reading about vamps romantically until the DH series as well.

Oh I did too one of my first Vampire movies I watched

Donna wrote: "It does , I loved Vampire movies but I can't explain why I never liked them in my books til Sherrilyn"

I right there with ya. I was a big Buffy/Angel fan but never even thought to read a Vampire book. I couldn't even bring myself to read the Buffy books. Twilight was my downward spiral. LOL

I read all kinds as a kid, western,sci-fi, mystery, horror as a teen I grew up reading Barbara Cartland, Grace Livingston Hill, Emily Loring, Zane Grey, L. Amour and others. Then onto other romances, Hq Presents and other romances, murder mysteries (loved Miss Marple) althogh still read all other types.
First vampire was Barnabas Colllins. Then I read St. Germain and I remember a series about man who I think lived on an island and something about zombies, but he was a good guy.
Loved werewolves, watched them on TV, but I don't remember any books with them.
Now, I like most pn type, no demons, scubbuc, demons or other like that, but gargoyles, dragons, good witches, ghosts, but vamps will always have a special place in my heart (or throat, LOL).