Hi everyone! I'm Melisse Aires and I was invited to visit Midnight Moon Cafe today. Thanks for the invitation!
I have a new paranormal romance release and Halloween is just days away, so my thoughts are all about the allure of the paranormal romance.
Many years ago I attended a teacher's conference on children's literature and reading. One of the guest speakers made the statement, 'Fairy tales give us the courage to grow up.'
I didn't get it at that time, my brain being more focused on college boys and parties. But I did love fairy tales and that statement stuck with me.
In fairy tales justice always prevails, good triumphs over evil, the goose girl becomes a queen, never to be poor again, and the wicked ones get their due. Deep inside don't we all still believe this is the way life should work?
Paranormal romances are modern fairy tales. Creatures of the night strive to help humankind. They deny their dark side, use their inhuman abilities for good, try to protect their families and loved ones. We often meet paranormal characters who struggle to survive and stay hidden. Often others wish them harm or destruction due to their very nature--which the character may be able to hide but can't change. They are in conflict with their world.
We readers see ourselves in the paranormal characters. Perhaps we have issues we have struggled to change but couldn't so we must learn to adapt to the world around us with our difference. We too sometimes struggle to survive, especially in these tough economic times. We understand being in conflict with the world around us. We read the happy ending and somewhere inside we think that our own problems will come to a satisfactory conclusion.
Paranormal romances have been the hot sub-genre for some time now. I don't think they will ever go away!
My new release, Del Fantasma: Demonade has a heroine who is half demon. Her whole life is defined by her need to survive.
The Del Fantasma Series from Aspen Mountain Press is a multi author series centered around a paranormal bar in southern California and it's matchmaking vampire bartender and owner, Cody Warren. All the stories are named after a cocktail served at some point in each story.
Demonade is my second story in this series. My first is Del Fantasma: Tiger Juice.
Del Fantasma: Demonade
A psyvamp meets an ex-priest in a bar. But even Cody’s matchmaking magic can’t overcome Trudy’s dangerous demon nature. Passion flares but Gabriel and Trudy must find a way to overcome the past that threatens her.
EXCERPT PG
One night after a good hunt, quick and easy, she slid onto a bar stool at the Del Fantasma. She wore her goth club hunt clothes, a black vinyl bodice trimmed with magenta brocade, a lacey full mini skirt and high, shiny black boots, which were a little out of place at the casual bar. But she didn’t feel like going home to change. Her hunt had gone well and she wanted to celebrate a little in a friendly setting where she didn’t feel so alone. It was a novel feeling for her to be herself in a group. “Well, now isn't this interesting,” Cody said as he placed the Demonade in front of her with a big grin. “Trudy, I'd like you to meet the learned man sitting next to you. Father De Russi.”
Father… A priest in the Del Fantasma? She turned shocked eyes to the man sitting next to her.
He was huge and broad shouldered, with long rusty colored hair pulled back and tied with a leather thong. He wasn't young, there was a touch of silver at his temples and fine lines in the corners of his eyes, but he was very attractive with a strong square jaw line, high cheekbones and intelligent gray eyes behind gold wire rimmed glasses. He wasn't dressed like a priest, but wore a brown plaid flannel shirt over a tan t-shirt and khaki pants. With plain clothes and long legs he looked more like a woodcutter than a priest.
“Please, Cody. I left the priesthood well over a decade ago. Now I'm just an ordinary history teacher.”
“Gabriel De Russi.”
He spoke with a British accent. She loved British accents. Two of her husbands had been Englishmen.
He reached out a huge hand and engulfed her own in a silky hot glide of flesh before she anticipated his move.
He was too young to be a husband. Too attractive. Too full of life force, all together too much of everything. She snatched her hand away just as she felt herself open to partake of his force.
“Now, don't be so modest Gabriel. Guess what he studied for the Church? Just guess!” Cody's blue eyes twinkled with merriment. He shook his head back and forth. “Man, I could not make this stuff happen if I tried; Professor Gabriel De Russi is one of the world's foremost scholars on demonology,” Cody continued. "Meet Trudy, a part human daughter of Asmodeus.” He introduced her with a flourish.
The professor pushed up his glasses. “Asmodeus.” He cleared his throat. “Really? Then I gather you are older than you look. There hasn't been an Asmodeus manifestation for more than two hundred years.”
“Um, yes. I am older than I look.” He'd heard of her father!
“I'll leave you two to get acquainted.” Cody sauntered off.
Trudy took a deep breath, preparing to leave also. Cody confused her. He wouldn't put her in danger would he? She eyed the professor.
Contest
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Cackle, cackle!
