Ellie and Eleanor originally wrote this conversational piece for the Dark Side Down Under blog spot, six months ago. We've asked them to reprint here for our readers.
Take it away, Eleanor and Ellie:
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Reality and the paranormal—some would say
the two just don’t mix, and they’d be a little bit right, and a lot
not-so-right. We have read a lot of definitions of paranormal fiction, but the
best one we found was on the teachmetonight blogspot where Sarah S.G. Frantz
explains that “the primary theme of all paranormal
novels is the interaction between the “normal” of our word and the paranormal”
(2007, Sarah S.G. Frantz, Definition of Paranormal Romance).
So how do we incorporate patches of reality
into our paranormal romances? What do we draw on? And how much do we need to
incorporate for a story to be included in the genre?
We’ll answer the last question first.
How
much paranormal needs to be incorporated in a story for it to be counted as
paranormal?
Technically, not a lot. In reality, readers
tend to like more.
Eleanor: In Hunters of the Nile,
the only paranormal event is at the beginning when the main character falls
through a hole in time while trying to escape a hunt in which she was the prey.
That one time-travel event helps her enter the main setting of the novel, and
without it, I would not have been able to incorporate a modern-day character
into an ancient Egyptian setting. Beyond that, Callista has to use normal means
to adapt to the world she finds herself in. I’m not sure I’d count Hunters as a true paranormal romance;
it’s safer to call it erotic time-travel romance, which is one of the
sub-genres.
But in my other book, A Gargoyle for the Hotel Gothica, I use mythical creatures and
magic and incorporate them into the real world. I believe Ellie does much the
same.
Ellie: Yes, I tend to use a lot of paranormal elements in Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat. Like Eleanor I
draw on ancient Egypt and time travel, but I also bring in shapeshifters, sex
magic, summoned monsters and an evil magician. It’s a lot in contrast with Hunters. And, I guess that brings us to
the second question.
What
do we draw on when writing paranormal romance?
Eleanor:
Ellie, why don’t you talk a bit about what’s in Pussy Cat?
Ellie: Sure. So, for Pussy Cat,Pussy Cat I drew on four main paranormal things: ancient Egypt,
shapeshifter lore, time travel and the idea of magic being real. I’ve always
been fascinated by ancient Egypt, how people lived, what they ate, what they
believed in—yeah, I guess, especially what they believed in—their legends and
such. It was just a really interesting time period. I had to do a lot of
research, everything from what they ate, how their houses looked, what deities
they worshipped and what their marriage customs were, and somehow I had to
bring a little bit of that to the story. That’s where the time-travel came in.
I wanted my main male lead to be a shemsu (a group of men who advised and
protected pharaoh) and I expanded the role a little so that he travelled to our
reality in pursuit of a threat to pharaoh. I also had my main female lead
travel back to ancient Egypt and encounter some of the beliefs and social rules
of that time. The other thing I did, was do a little tweaking of that time, so
that it’s not entirely accurate, and I explained it by making it a time set
even before our recorded histories, when magic still existed in our world. But
you managed to incorporate a modern character into a more historically accurate
ancient Egypt, didn’t you, Eleanor, in Hunters of the Nile?
Eleanor: I did, and like you, it involved a lot of reading, and some net
surfing. There are some excellent sites out there… and some not so excellent
ones, too.
Ellie: True. Why don’t you tell us about a few of the elements you used in
Gargoyle?
Eleanor: Okay, but A Gargoyle forHotel Gothica was my first real foray into this genre, and I had the help
of a theme: Creatures of the Night, and I think the story had to incorporate
some element of Scotland. I can’t recall exactly. It was a few years ago.
Anyway, I remember wanting to write about something NOT werewolf and NOT
vampire, because I thought those two were the most common creatures of the
night and I wanted to do something different. I decided on gargoyles because of
all the old buildings in Scotland, and then I wanted to use a real-world
setting I was a lot more familiar with, so I brought the gargoyles to Tasmania,
which is where I was living at the time. There aren’t a lot of legends about
gargoyles, so I used the theme of making them creatures of the night to make
them only come alive at night. It’s a common theme for stories with children’s
toys and such, and seemed to work here.
Ellie: And the elves?
Eleanor:
Yes, the elves. Well, the fae are a strong presence
in Scottish legends and tales, so I thought I would use some of that folklore
to bring elves, or fae, into my world. Like the reality I use, I twisted them a
little, but not too much. The fae in Scottish legends are not the nicest of
creatures, so the fae in Gargoyle aren’t, either, but they are beautiful.
Ellie: So I guess that leads us back to the first question:
How do we incorporate patches of reality
into our paranormal romances?
Ellie: I think the most important thing when writing this genre is to be
absolutely sure of your realities. For instance, the first murder is located
near the Esplanade where the Salamanca Markets are held. I used my knowledge of
the restaurants along there, and the fact that there is a small park as a basis
for the real location, and then I tweaked that location just a little bit to
suit the story by adding a few more bushes. It’s true that people can go to
restaurants along there, and very true that there are some excellent
restaurants located near the water, so it is perfectly believable that a couple
would be dating in the area.
Eleanor: And the seagulls?
Ellie: The seagulls are real, too.
Eleanor: They really will eat—
Ellie: Uh, yup… let’s not go there.
Eleanor: But the magic is not real.
Ellie: No, the magic isn’t real. And I wanted it to be a new thing for our
characters, so that they’re just learning how magic works, and so are the
readers. I made a lot of my own magic rules up, but I’m sure there are other
authors who have come up with similar ideas. The trick with making up your own
lore is consistency. I decided that magic could only be seen by people with the
genetic make-up to do so. I gave magic from different sources, different
colours and flavours—something for the detectives to recognise and detect. I
decided that spells from a specific person had specific traits that could be
recognized in addition to the usual colours of that kind of magic. These traits
don’t vary, so I had to make sure they didn’t vary in the story.
Eleanor: And the shapeshifters?
Ellie: Yeah, well, I wanted my characters to have something extra to worry
about. Being shapeshifters brings its own difficulties in a world where
shifters are usually encountered as threats. The characters have to be careful
with this aspect of themselves as they don’t know how society will react, and
are worried about losing their jobs, amongst other things. I had to remember to
think of the impact that magic and the appearance of shapeshifters would have
on society. What mechanisms would be needed to provide rules on how
shapeshifters would be treated? What rules would be applied to them? Because
the characters don’t know these things, and society is new to magic, there’s a
reasonable amount of uncertainty and caution.
Eleanor: I guess this would be especially so, after the change of rules to
do with journalism and reporting magical incidents.
Ellie: Oh, especially so. I mean, reporters are now forcibly ‘quarantined’
until an incident they photographed, witnessed and tried to report has been
investigated and the authorities have decided if it can be reported and how
much.
Eleanor:
‘Bag him and gag him’.
Ellie:
Exactly. Now imagine how a shapeshifter with the
abilities Kitty, Charles and Sera have, might be treated.
Eleanor: I guess there’s good reason for them to be cautious.
Ellie: Yes.
Eleanor: And that brings us to the end. Before we go, we’ll sum up some of
the ‘rules’ or guidelines to incorporating paranormal elements into your
realities, or reality into your paranormal.
1.
Do
your homework: if you’re going to incorporate a
real location or known historical facts into your story, make sure you get them
right. If you want to incorporate a mythical creature, make sure you know the
myths and legends and reflect them.
2.
Don’t
be afraid to tweak: Nothing has to be one
hundred per cent accurate. For instance, locations change. You might want to
acknowledge how it is, by noting in your story how it ‘used’ to be, and then
doing your alterations, or your changes might be so minor no explanation is
required. You might want your creature to be a little different to the stories.
You can throw a metaphorical nod to the stories by highlighting the
differences, or putting in a pseudo-scientific explanation, or pointing out
that storytellers don’t know everything. But, however you handle it, remember
you can tweak a real location or setting and you can change “known” facts about
a monster if you incorporate it in a believable or logical fashion.
3.
Write
like your paranormal is everyday known fact.
Sometimes paranormal elements are well enough known in the world that the
characters don’t consider it different or strange, and you should remember to
incorporate it as though it’s a normality if you are writing from their point
of view. For example, a character might lose another housepet to a wendigo, and
think something like: Goddamn wendigos. When was I going to remember I had to
get the cat in before dusk? I mean, how many more did I have to lose?
4.
Know
the rules of your world. Think about how things
fit together. What are the characteristics of magic, elves, trolls,
shapeshifters? What effect to do they have on the world around them? What
mechanisms does society have in place for controlling, interacting with and
looking after them?
5.
Be
consistent. When you give specific characteristics
to a paranormal element in your world, don’t go changing it, without having a
very good reason for doing so. Consistency is what will make your world
believable.
Happy writing all :-)
More about Eleanor Maine:
Eleanor
Maine is another Canberra writer. She enjoys telling stories of paranormal and
urban romance, including work once published under the pen name Ellie Moonwater
('Hunters of the Nile' and 'A Gargoyle for Hotel Gothica'). Her favorite
technique is to take things that aren’t quite real, and wrapping them in the
trappings of the world we know. Time travel, werewolves, magic and vampires all
form part of her favorite subjects, as well as history and places she can visit
and then shade with paranormal color.
More
about Ellie Moonwater:
Ellie Moonwater is the pen name used by
Eleanor Maine to write her more erotic tales. As Ellie, she says “I love
writing erotic tales of paranormal and fantasy romance set on faraway worlds or
in faraway lands. Sometimes I wander into the realms of erotica, and sometimes
I explore ideas that make some people uncomfortable, but my characters are my
love, and their wish is my command. ”
Where
to find Ellie Moonwater:
Other books by Ellie Moonwater:
Captured by the murderer who has been stalking the
dancers at the Candy Cane gentleman’s club, Martinette finds she must dance for
her life—and discovers she has fallen for her captor. When he captures a
colleague, Mayani, Martinette discovers something else—that a paddle can bring
pleasure, and so can bending to her lover’s lash while sharing intimacies with
a friend. But her love is tainted, for her lover is a fairy of the sea, able to
appear beautiful of face and voice, but as ugly as sin in the spirit.
Martinette knows it is only a matter of time before he will turn on both her
and Mayani. Will Seline, their dancing friend, be able to find help in time?
And can the werewolves protecting the Candy Cane track him down before he tires
of one, or both, of them?
