Hunting Human Guest Post by Amanda Alvarez

What’s So Special About Paranormal Romance?

This is a topic I think I could talk about, mull over and speculate on for ages! So for the sake of brevity,

I’ll give you three reasons I think paranormal romance is so unbelievably popular. I’d love it if all of you

readers, writers or adventuresome people out there would chime in with reasons of your own!

Reason One: I Want A Super Power!

I admit it. I’m a dork, and a bit of a ten year old boy at heart. I’ve always had a fascination with all

things superhero. As a kid I remember really getting into X-Men – Phoenix, I love you! – and what

wasn’t to like? These people had powers and abilities that made them interesting and different and oh-so-

cool. Even better, so many characters lived in a moral grey area. Wolverine, while awesome, certainly

wasn’t a text book example of a hero. Jane Grey and Phoenix were two halves of the same coin – a study

of how power could be amazing and beautiful or dark and terrifying. Likewise, the X-Men villains were

more interesting, more dynamic than many of their comic book contemporaries because, at the end of the

day, they were people. And people choose. Which brings me back to powers – yes, I want one – and as

a writer I get to try on different powers the way I’d try on shoes at the mall. And now that I’m an adult

I get to explore issues like what would a character do with this power? How would they live with it?

How would they use it? Would they own it, or would it own them? These questions fascinate me. And

I think they probably fascinate a lot of other people too because at the end of the day I think just about

everybody wonders what it would feel like to be extraordinary, what it would feel like to be powerful.

That’s human, and I think that is a portion of the driving force behind the success of paranormal romance.

Reason Two: Adventures – I Want One of Those Too!

Adventures, I want one! I confess, when I watch a great movie or read an incredible book I am living

with the character, I’m on the adventure with them. This is why I go to the movies, why I read, and

ultimately why I write. The earliest example of an adventure story that captured me is The Never Ending

Story, first the movie and later the book. How cool was that movie? Bastian, a remarkably ordinary

boy starts the journey by finding a magical book, a book that takes him places he’s never dreamed of

on a journey with a hero as likeable as Atreyu (who else cried when his horse died?) And at the end,

Bastian got to save the day and ride Falkor (am still a little jealous). I was sold on fantasy from that

moment forward. But why? What was it about fantasy? I think, for me at least, it’s the ability to live

adventurously. To wonder, if it were me, would I have the mettle, the fortitude, the bravery? Could I

sacrifice my deepest dreams, face my darkest fears and win the day? This too, I believe is a base part

of human nature. I think deep down most of us wonder what we’re made of and a paranormal romance

offers a method of exploration - one that generally doesn’t involve squeezing into leather pants or

strapping an assortment of weapons to our thighs – the characters do it for us!

Reason Three: Is There Something Sexier than Destiny?

Alpha males are sexy. Alpha males with magic/abilities/powers? Well, they’re like cupcakes that are

good for you! I think romance in general is fun because it provides an avenue in which to imagine a

man (or woman!) that loves you, thinks you’re amazing and in a word, is destined for you. For me, and

I suspect for a lot of other people out there who enjoy romance, there is that tiny part of me that likes

to imagine that a guy, a really sexy-oh-so-cool guy, would pick me. If that sexy-oh-so-cool guy also

happens to be a vampire? Well that just deepens the compliment doesn’t it? Because that guy has been

around for centuries, millennia even. He’s damaged and jaded and basically above it all but he picked

me. It’s a similar story with shifters – sometimes, the mythology dictates that each shifter has a mate,

which let’s face it could be really cool (unless it’s the bad guy, in which case, er, run!). Isn’t there a tiny

romantic part of us all that wants to believe in the concept of one person out there who’s just perfect for

us? (You can admit it, I won’t tell.) Romance, particularly paranormal romance, gives us license to shed

our realistic, responsible personas - even if only in the dead of night huddled beneath our comforters -

and let our teenaged selves run amok screaming, ‘I’m special! He picked me! We’re destined!’ And in

the case where shifters don’t have mates? Well, revisit the vampire train of thought. A guy – a wolfishly

good looking guy (ha!) – picked me! And of course, it again, comes back to one of our basest human

urges – to be loved for exactly who we are.

So those are my three (condensed) reasons why I think paranormal romance is so popular. Boiled down

it’s because a paranormal romance allows us to step into a different world and really fantasize. It’s

permission to be gifted, have an adventure, and land that one perfect guy. And at the end of the day, no

matter if the book is about werewolves, vampires, fae, or demons, it hopefully appeals to a few key things

that make everyone human.

It’s the human connection that fascinated me as a writer and the human connection that I tried to explore

in my debut release, Hunting Human.

So what about you? Why do you think paranormal romance is so very popular?

READ THE FIRST CHAPTER HERE

About Hunting Human

For two years, Beth Williams has run from the past, and the beast that dwells inside her. She is haunted

by memories of being kidnapped and the savage attack that killed her best friend. Now Beth finally thinks

she's ready to move on...with Braden Edwards, a charming, irresistibly sexy man who tempts Beth to

embrace the present.

But the past lurks closer than Beth realizes. Markko Bolvek, one of the werewolves who kidnapped

her, has tracked her to Portland, Oregon, his pursuit fueled by a hunger for vengeance. Only Braden, a

werewolf himself, senses the danger shadowing her steps. The Edwards and Bolveks have been enemies

for centuries—and despite the instant connection he feels with Beth, Braden isn't sure which side of the

war she's on.

With suspicion at odds with their attraction, Beth and Braden must learn to trust one another to stop

Markko for good. Can Beth accept the wolf within—and love a man who embodies everything she fears?

About the Author:

Amanda was born and raised in Texas - and due to an unfortunate three year stint in Michigan - doesn't

plan to ever live anywhere where flip-flops and sweatshirts don't constitute winter attire. Often audacious

and adventurous, she tends to find herself in a slew of dangerous (and hilarious!) predicaments (law

school and fighting raccoons in dumpsters) and thankfully has many friends ready to lend aid (while they

laugh.)

When not lawyering, writing, or thinking about going to the gym Amanda is often caught sampling

local cupcake offerings and planning to someday co-open an evil bakery and sell dastardly desserts.

She currently lives in Dallas, Texas with one regular-sized cat and one jumbo-sized cat, and can be seen

writing in public places frequented by hot guys (strictly for research purposes, of course!) with her friends

and fellow writers Killer-Cupcake and Pantherista (names omitted to protect the not-so-innocent).

Amanda can be found: On Facebook; On the Web; On Twitter

Amanda also will be giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to the tour host with the most comments (not counting Amanda's, the host's, or duplicates) and to one randomly drawn commenter. 

Click HERE for the rest of the tour schedule