The Wild World of Paranormal Romance - by Caridad Pineiro

An Interview With Author Kathy Kulig by Caridad Pineiro

Caridad Pineiro is an amazing writer and person. NYT bestseller author is well known for her THE CALLING vampire Nocturne series, her Latina CHICAS series, and her new paranormal romantic suspense series with Grand Central Publishing. The first novel of that series is SINS OF THE FLESH. Loved, loved that book! She has over two dozen books published, works a day job, is always eager to help out fellow writers and is very involved with the Liberty States Fiction Writers. (I'm a member) So it seems odd that she's interviewing ME!! I think it should be the other way around.

That's Caridad for you. This is a reprint of an article she did for a number of online ezines. (In her spare time):

Although motion pictures like PARANORMAL ACTIVITY and the BLAIR WITCH PROJECT have stirred up interest in otherworldly experiences in recent years, the paranormal romance genre has been rock solid in the publishing industry for long before the emergence of these popular movies.
According to the Romance Writers of America, in 2009 the paranormal romance genre accounted for nearly 18% of the 1.36 billion dollars in sales generated by the romance novel industry. The genre continues to grow and is expanding with the proliferation of cross-genre works in areas such as paranormal suspense, urban fantasy and paranormal erotica.

2011 Epic Finalist Kathy Kulig is one of the authors helping to expand the genre with her works and I recently had a chance to speak with her about her latest release, DRAGON WITCH from Ellora's Cave, a leading publisher of erotica.


(Dragon Witch from Ellora's Cave. 2011 PRISM Finalist)
Please tell us a little something about the DRAGON WITCH novella.

Jaida Chel is guardian to Kai, the last shapeshifting dragon on the planet of Somerled. But when Captain Brayden Stokes reenters her life, not only is Kai's life at stake, but so is Jaida's secure position in the colony. Unrestrained passion drive Jaida and Brayden into erotic encounters beyond their imagination, and Kai is the key. When secrets and betrayals are revealed, Brayden must risk everything for one last chance at love.

The characters sound fascinating! Can you give us some more detail about them?

Jaida is a biologist and a witch, combining her herbal science with magic and trying to find her place in the colony after a disaster on a previous world nearly got her and the colony killed-her fault. She's independent, strong-willed and determined to save Kai's life, the shapeshifting dragon.
Brayden is being blackmailed by his commander, many lives are at stake and Brayden has to betray the woman he loves to save them.

Where is your story set and does that influence the plotlines and characters in your stories?

DRAGON WITCH is set on Somerled. It's a harsh, tropical world on the "outer rim" of planets. Only a few scattered colonies settle in this area. The characters are tough and independent but must depend on each other for survival. Jaida has developed an herbal concoction that she has convinced the colonists must ingest regularly to protect them from poisons in the air. She fears if they knew the truth (the concoction is only a vitamin supplement and there are no airborne poisons) she would find herself without a home.

It seems as if you would have to do a substantial amount of research for your stories. Are there are any tricks you do to keep all that information readily available?

Even in paranormal stories I do a fair amount of research. I did some research in Wicca and herbal medicine for this book even though the story takes place on a fictional world with fictional plants and herbs. For other books, like my Demons in Exile series, I read up on quantum physics to help me create the alternative universe of Anartia for my demons.

What writers have influenced your novel or writing style?

Besides romance, I've been a longtime fan of science fiction. Ray Bradbury and Arthur C. Clarke are a couple favorites who probably have influenced my writing. I also like thrillers: David Morrell and Barry Eisler. And tons of romance. A few favorites: JR Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Janet Evanovich.

Just for fun: Chocolate or wine?

Oh, both please! Milk chocolate and white wine. Better yet, chocolate covered cherries, my fav.
For those interested in finding out more about Kathy, you can visit her website at kathykulig.com or blog at kathykulig.blogspot.com. You can also keep track of Kathy at her Facebook page, via Twitter @ kathykulig. Kathy's latest releases, EMERALD DUNGEON, SECRET SOIREE, and DRAGON WITCH may be purchased at various online locations. Also look for DAMNED AND DESIRED, part of Kathy's Demons in Exiled series. DAMNED AND DESIRED was a finalist in the 2011 EPIC Awards.

ABOUT THE INTERVIEWER
Caridad Pineiro is the USA TODAY and NY Times bestselling author of over twenty novels. THE LOST, her July 26th release, is the next book in the exciting paranormal suspense SIN HUNTER series from Grand Central Publishing. For more information on Caridad, please visit http://www.caridad.com.

Top Bite Award-Dragon Witch

Bitten by Paranormal Romance gave DRAGON WITCH, my Ellora's Cave novella, a Top Bite Award!! Here's the review:

"Dragon Witch is an out of this world story, that's fun and very hot! I truly enjoyed excellent short story, that’s mixed paranormal and fantastica. If you like action, adventure, emotions and hot sex with some m/f/m action this maybe for you. I loved both the hero and heroine with the added dragon, that at a point will surprise you for what he really is. Kathy knows how to write a short Novella that makes since and fun with added surprises." ~5 Alpha Howls, 4 Alarm Fire.

More Good News!!

New Sale! I recently sold a new story to Ellora's Cave entitled "Secret Soiree", a contemporary erotic romance. This will be a Quickie, a short story. I'll keep you posted on the release date.

BLURB: Performing kinky sex shows at private parties should be easy for two part time lovers. When Darius makes an offer to help Destiny avoid financial disaster, how can she refuse? The money’s good, the sex scorching.

Amazed by how uninhibited she can be, Destiny is driven by a sensual need aroused by her audience. When clients begin requesting new elements of kink, Destiny easily complies, ignoring the risks. And now she is about to learn the consequences.

Building Paranormal Worlds isn't Rocket Science. Or is it?

Writers of speculative fiction strive to create rich worlds of the fantastic, but believable. The closer you stay within the boundaries set by the laws of physics, the more believable your worlds will be. You can always bend the rules a little. The scientists are.

So you want to write a fantasy, paranormal or a SciFi novel? Do you need to go out and get a degree in quantum physics or a working knowledge of Isaac Newton’s laws of motion, or James Maxwell’s electromagnetic theory? Your story has a space ship. Hmmm. Then I guess you should understand rocket propulsion or try to come up with a possible futuristic method to make your rocket go fast. How about antimatter? Every elementary particle has its corresponding antimatter mate. When the two come into contact, they completely annihilate each other. The result is a pure energy boost—propulsion. That could work for a space ship of the future, you think?

Adding SCIENCE to you spec fiction will make it believable, right? Isaac Asimov did it. How much science to do you need? How about working some Quantum Physics into your novel? Quantum physics talks about the origin of matter (extremely over simplified). Is the fundamental particle of matter the atom? Or is matter infinitely divisible into smaller and smaller bits? And then there’s the String Theory. It states that the fundamental particles are tiny vibrating strings. There are at least five different theories on this, and the ‘M’-Theory or Membrane theory and the mathematics needed to prove these theories are either so complex that hardly anyone understands them or the mathematics haven’t even been developed yet!

Yikes! Do you really want to get that geeky in your story? Forget about it. Technical details are fine, but don't go overboard. Your readers’ eyes will glaze over.

Oh, and then there are these guys—scientists—the brainy ones who are so smart they exist on a different plane (or dimension) than the rest of us. They’ve set out to take on Einstein’s theory of relativity and change the laws of nature. So what goes up, doesn’t necessarily come down. No kidding. Don’t you love rule breakers, especially those who can warp the laws of nature? And prove it? Max Planck and his work on gravity is doing just that.

Establish rules for your world and don't break them (unless you have a very good reason.)

I was at a writer’s conference and a gentleman mentioned he wrote a book about the origins of God and the universe using the theories of quantum physics but said he thought he’d bore me with it. I asked him if he based his book on the big bang theory, bubble universes or the void. His jaw dropped.

Do you get the feeling I’m a bit of a science geek? A little. Science is my field of study and I’ve worked in a variety of laboratories—research and development and medical for more years than I’ll admit. I’ve also been a Science Fiction reader since I was a kid. And a Sci Fi book club member for years. So this background helps me somewhat when I craft my paranormal stories. I also do research for that “flavor” in my books and for my own warped curiosity. I’ve referred to books on Mythology and Folklore and I also have two books on Quantum Physics. “Quantum, A Guide for the Perplexed” by Jim Al-Khalili. And “Patterns In The Void” by Sten F. Odenwald.

Both are easy to read even if you’re not a science geek. Recommended reads if it's your kind of thing. A cure for insomnia if you try to read more than a couple chapters at a time. No, you don't need to go crazy with long drawn out details in you spec fiction novels. Sometimes using words or phrases found in these research books and understanding a basic background is enough to “flavor” your story to give it the richness you’re looking for, without going overboard and making your readers yawn. Crafting speculative, paranormal and fantasy fiction doesn’t take a lot of rocket science but a little research and geekiness does help. Or just let your imagination take flight.

On September 15th I'll be celebrating the release of my Erotic SciFi novella: DRAGON WITCH at Ellora's Cave A little sci fi, fantasy and very sexy!

A World of Dragons

No, it’s not another Playstation or Xbox game. I found some interesting things about dragons while researching my new book with Ellora’s Cave, Dragon Witch. Dragons appear in a number of popular movies: Dragonheart, Eragon, Dragon Slayer, Neverending Story and others.

Dragon mythology can be found in most cultures throughout the world. The two most common types are the European dragon and the Chinese dragon. But there are many others I came across and each have interesting characteristics. Most dragons are huge reptilian-like creatures, with either one or two sets of lizard-like legs, a long tail and able to emit fire from their mouths. Dragons with no front legs are called wyvern.

The European Dragon has bat-like wings protruding from its back. These dragons are hatched from eggs and are known to viciously guard treasures, hidden in a cave. European dragons are usually depicted as malevolent.

Chinese Dragons resemble a snake and can have many legs. They are said to possess great wisdom and magic. Chinese dragons can take on human form (Ancient shapeshifters-ha!) and were thought of as benevolent.

One of my characters in Dragon Witch, Kai, is a shapeshifting dragon with an interesting lifecycle. I did find a few shapeshifting dragons in my research but none with the peculiar traits that Kai has.

The Eight Types of Dragons:

1. The Naga - A wingless dragon from India. They prefer watery dwellings and sometimes guard treasure like the European dragons.
2. The Bakunawa – From the Philippines. It’s a deity that looks like a serpentine dragon with 2 sets of wings and a large mouth. Bakunawa translates to “moon eater” or “man eater”.
3. The Yilgean – From Siberia – A reptilian dragon depicted as a man-eater.
4. The Korean dragon – Similar to the Chinese dragons. They were supposed to be peaceful and kind and like watery places—rivers, ponds, lakes and oceans.
5. The Niòhöggr – From Scandinavia. A Norse legend and a nasty one. It lives below a giant ash tree, trapped in a seething caldron of corpses. An equivalent of Hell.
6. The Zmaj – In the Republic of Slovenia – Three heads, green scaly skin and fire-spitting. All the usual traits associated with dragons.
7. The Chuvash dragon – The European part of Russia. Winged, fire-breathing, but can shapeshift from dragon to human and back.
8. The Cuélebre – A Spanish dragon from Auturias/Cantabria. It’s serpentine, winged and has colorful scales. They’re immortal and hoard treasure and fairy-like blonde nymphs.

Dragon Witch will be available on September 15th. http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8624-50-dragon-witch.aspx

DARK SHADOWS & Tote Bag-Winner

DARK SHADOWS REMEMBERED

BITTEN BY PARANORMAL ROMANCE

I'll be doing an interview and guest blogging for Bitten by Paranormal Romance tomorrow 6/24/10. I'll also be giving away an ebook copy of Desert of the Damned I hope you'll stop by and check out the site. She has some awesome paranormal pics. I especially like the old Dark Shadows pics. Anyone remember that supernatural soap opera? We used to run home from school to watch it. We were hooked. The pics of Barnabas Collins, a vampire in the show, brought back memories. Dark Shadows featured werewolves, vampires, zombies, witches, time travel and alternative universes. Cool stuff for a kid. After all these years, paranormals are still hot.

TOTE BAG OF HOT BOOKS -- WINNER

WOW! I had a huge response for the tote bag of hot books. Thank you all who entered. The WINNER is:

Sheila from Golden Valley, AZ

Enjoy all your great reads and the cute tote bag!

I also gave away a tote bag with a few extra goodies on June 1st to Eva form Henrico, VA. This tote bag was a hot item at the Romantic Times Convention. Jimmy Thomas made them up with pictures of a number of the book covers he's on. Lots and lots of sexy covers! I stuck something entra along with the bag too.

I'll be giving another one away on July 1st. This is a special thank you to my Passion Sense newsletter members. All members are automatically entered and only open to newsletter members. So if you join before July 1st, you can be included in the drawing. Opting out later is always open. And I never share info. There's a link on my blog below my website link and there's also a link on my website http://www.kathykulig.com/

HAPPY READING

***How many Dark Shadows characters can you remember?

Summertime HOT Reads

Head for the beach, the pool or a cool spot on your porch, grab a tall glass of iced tea and something hot to read. Whether you prefer your Nook, Kindle or a paperback there are lots of great books out there. Check out Romantic Times Magazine for some ideas or peruse Ellora’s Cave for all their sexy titles.

*Please share what you're reading this summer and don't forget to check out the CONTEST at the end of this post.

If you like sexy paranormal romance, hunky guy pics, interviews and reviews there's a cool site called Bitten by Paranormal Romance. They'll be posting a review and interview for Damned and Desired soon. So stay tuned. As you stack up your summer to be read pile, I hope you’ll consider my books:


DESERT OF THE DAMNED
Book One in the Demons in Exiled series from Ellora’s Cave
Available in print and ebook at Ellora’s Cave and Amazon


In the Arizona desert, while exploring the dark side of her passion, a woman is torn between two men, but discovers she’s caught in the middle of a war between demon and shapeshifter. And one is an ancient evil intent on possessing her soul.

“This is a hotly erotic tale of skin walkers, shape shifters, old legends, and new desires.”
~5 Stars, Bitten by Books

“...the steamy sex scenes will leave you panting for more.” ~ 4 Stars, Romantic Times Magazine





DAMNED AND DESIRED
Book Two in the Demons in Exile series from Ellora’s Cave
Available in ebook at Ellora’s Cave and Amazon

She’s a demon, he’s a shapeshifting leopard. From their first meeting in the Sedona desert, passion ignites and trouble begins. When immortals from an alternate dimension try to free their exiled world, Brad Montag is caught in the middle of a battle that could destroy not only him, but the land he loves. If Sakari Lock chooses to save him, she stands to lose everything, unless…





“Very entertaining. I couldn’t stop reading, wondering what was going to happen next. I recommend this book as one you must pick up.” ~4.5 Cherries, The Long and the Short of It

“I would highly, highly recommend this book to you if you like paranormal erotic romance. Really, an amazing book.” ~5 Stars, The Pen and Muse

“Kathy Kulig has a vivid imagination and a wonderful writing voice to make it come to life.” ~4 Cups, Coffee Time Romance.



WILD JADE
Cerridwen Press
Available in print and ebook at Cerridwen Press and Amazon

An ancient supernatural mystery returns to the sultry jungle, igniting dangerous obsession and untamed passion. When an archaeology student and her director uncover a 1,300 year-old tragic love story, one in which they were directly connected in a past life, a new menace threatens their project and their lives. Will history repeat itself?

“I found that the exotic locale and the potential for danger make WILD JADE captivating.” ~ Joysann, Beyond Her Book Blog, Publishers Weekly

"Kathy Kulig tells Lauren/Cimi and Deven/Kayab's tale with such passion and fervor that I was completely captivated by them...” ~ Blue Ribbon Rating: 5 ~ Chrissy Dionne, Romance Junkies







****CONTEST: Still need some more books? Don’t forget to check out my website for details on how to WIN a tote of HOT books. http://www.kathykulig.com The drawing will be on June 22nd.