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Come to the Light Side



The paranormal genre doesn’t have to be dark. There are a myriad of zany opportunities for fun if you look at comedy the way I do. My #1 rule? Nothing is off limits. ANYthing …The crazier, the better…can be utilized to add comic relief or create downright laugh-out-loud humorous reads. That said, I’ll admit that editors don’t have the same rule. Yes, they’ll pull me back when I step out over the edge, but they do appreciate my skirting right along that edge. As Brenda Chin once said in a humor workshop, “I can take it out, but I can’t put it in.”
My best piece of advice for lightening the mood in a paranormal story? Don’t overlook the obvious!
Let’s take a moment to embrace the clichĂ©s. Think about Vampires. What does everyone “know” about vampires? A) They have fangs and drink blood, usually by puncturing the victim’s carotid artery. B) They’re nocturnal and sunlight burns them. C) They’re immortal until staked, beheaded or burned to a crisp. 

How about Shapeshifters? A) If they shift while fully dressed, their clothes won’t fit their new shape. They'll either explode out of them or get lost inside. B) When they shift back, they’ll be naked. C. They're long lived and hard to kill, but not immortal (at least in my mythology.



Ghosts are disembodied. They can see the physical world and comment on it like a fly on the wall, but unless they’ve learned telekinesis all they can do is talk smack.
And witches? A) They cast spells and can manipulate people or circumstances with magic. B) Some think they can fly on broomsticks. (That makes bicycle seats look comfortable!)
Greek and Roman Gods can manipulate people or circumstances with no more than a command. Apparently most are oversexed and none of them seem to get along.
Don’t be afraid to embarrass your characters! We find it hilarious because it’s not happening to us. We’re a little warped that way.
Are you seeing the possibilities here?
In my two Sourcebooks series, Strange Neighbors and its spin-off Flirting with Fangs, I have shapeshifters, vampires and witches—oh my! And who was everyone’s favorite character? The snarky ones who had opinions on everything, but nothing could be done to shut them up. In the Strange Neighbors trilogy, it was Chad the Ghost. In Flirting with Fangs, it’s Mother Nature. It’s even funnier if that character, who is either omnipotent or so powerful everyone’s afraid of them, has no filter.
Book 2 in the second series comes out this Tuesday, Sept 3rd. How to Date a Dragon is the first of my covers that looks totally serious, but don’t let it fool you. It’s probably the funniest of the three books in the Flirting with Fangs series.



The series I’m writing now is called the Cupcake Coven. I just finished book 1 and I have another book about 85% finished. The third book is already writing itself in my head, and if I don’t start jotting down some notes…well, you know how it is. I wouldn’t want you to miss any funny bits, so I’d better get to it.

You may be tempted by the dark, after all, they have cookies. But…come to the light. We have cupcakes!
 

Comments

  1. Love stories with touches of humour in them. My favourite line is Come to the dark side- we have cookies.
    Tweeted.

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  2. One of the reasons I enjoy your books so much is that they are fun. Now if Labor Day would just be done with so my book would arrive ;).

    Now - the Cupcake Coven - I need to hear more of this. Is it also a spin from Strnage Neighbors?

    I Tweeted too :). Thank you.

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  3. Hi Victoria

    No more spin offs of Strange Neughbors, I'm afraid. the cupcake coven takes place in the historic port town of Portsmouth, NH. I think you'll love it.

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  4. Will the first book be a 2014 release?

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  5. I don't know when it will be coming out, Victoria. My agent is shopping the series now. Wish us luck!

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  6. Hey, cupcakes? I'm there! Love lighter paranormals, Ash.

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  7. Ooh, I love your dragon cover! Good luck on the new series! I recently entered a contest where I had to choose between writing dark or light paranormal. There should be an in between--I think. In between the light and dark. Yes. To me favorites like Practical Magic and Star Dust are in betweens. :) Other shows or movies I've loved: Bewitched and I Dream of Genie are light paranormals, and Underworld would be dark. :)

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  8. I'm so lucky to get to read Ash's stories as she writes them. And she's just as funny in person as on the page!

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  9. Mmm.... cupcakes! And I adore humor in stories!

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  10. Thanks for your comments and compliments, guys. I'm at the hairdresser as we speak. I have a few minutes, because I'm "processing. " lOL

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  11. I love the twists in your stories and look forward to reading the new series.

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  12. Thank you, Elf!
    I do like to surprise my readers. (grin)

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  13. It is a tough choice. I love cupcakes, but love your Dark Side better. Love your books and the Strange Neighbors series.

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