Guest Author Donna Lea Simpson

Paranormal, or not paranormal?

Oh dear, I think I’d better explain.

Hello, everyone. I’m Donna Lea Simpson and I’ve written a werewolf novel, but it isn’t my new release, Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark. The title does sound like a paranormal, doesn’t it? Hmmm, I can’t really apologize for that because the title is exactly reflective of the story; there really is a ‘howl in the dark’… several, actually, along with a groan, a scream and… I suppose I had better explain.

Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark (Sourcebooks Casablanca – April 2009) is a historical mystery romance, and yes, given the title, readers could be forgiven for thinking it is a paranormal. After all, how else could you interpret the ‘Howl in the Dark’ part? Especially from a writer whose last series was a werewolf historical romance series for Berkley? (Awaiting the Moon, Night and Fire.)

Well, I see I have some explaining to do.

I’m skeptical and so is Lady Anne. When either of us hears of a ‘supernatural’ or ‘paranormal’ event, we’re likely to ask questions, do a little research, and then investigate more thoroughly.

So what is there to investigate in Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark? A brief synopsis of the book might help:

Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark
Sourcebooks Casablanca – April 2009

England, 1786

Lady Anne, a smart, stubborn, and skeptical spinster, travels north to Yorkshire at the request of a newly married friend to try to figure out what is going on. A wolf—or werewolf—is roaming the countryside near Darkefell Castle, terrorizing the populace and harassing the sheep herds. The hour she arrives in Yorkshire she stumbles across a body, and her outraged sensibility demands she discover who committed such a foul deed.

With a bewildering love/hate relationship developing between her and the master of Darkefell Castle, the Marquess of Darkefell—he happens to also be her friend’s new brother-in-law—Anne investigates, digging into the family history. Confused by the marquess’s passionate pursuit of her and skeptical of the claims of a werewolf on the loose, Lady Anne is convinced there is a very real human murderer behind the awful slaying.

Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark is followed by two more historical mystery romances, Lady Anne and the Ghost’s Revenge (Sourcebooks Casablanca – August 2009) and Lady Anne and the Gypsy Curse (Sourcebooks Casablanca – November 2009), both featuring supposed paranormal events that Lady Anne investigates.

So, why did I set out to write a series based on a string of reportedly supernatural events?

I was inspired to write this series by the skepticism I already mentioned - my own tendency to dig deeper and investigate when paranormal events are reported – but also by a real love of the eeriness of ghost stories, the spine-tingling tales of werewolves, curses and witchcraft. I’m also fascinated by those who manage to con others into believing those tales, or who create believable ‘paranormal’ happenings.

In writing the Lady Anne books I have in general used supernatural incidents – a werewolf sighting, a ghostly apparition, a gypsy curse – to hang a mystery on. Lady Anne is very much a ‘pull back the curtain’ kind of lady. If you’ve ever watched the wonderful movie The Wizard of Oz, remember the part where Toto pulls back the curtain and exposes the ‘wizard’ and his trickery? That is what Anne aspires to, the exposure of tricks and hoaxes that are meant to frighten and confuse more gullible folk. She cannot placidly accept what people tell her, so no matter how her senses react – and whose skin wouldn’t crawl if they were in Yorkshire, in the middle of the night, and heard a howl in the dark? - she is determined to find out the truth.

I’m like that myself. I seldom believe what people tell me unless I can independently verify it. I like to prod people to be more skeptical, challenge them to investigate before spreading chain letters, online stories about fatal products that will kill you if you use them, attributions of awful behavior by the famous, and online scams. I love reading about hoaxes and cons, but I don’t think I’d be (or at least I hope I wouldn’t) easy to deceive. I love the quote, “Don’t believe everything you read, and only half of what you see.” (By the way, does anyone know who said this, or something like it first? A quick Internet search didn’t turn up a reliable attribution.)

I suppose, ultimately, writing the Lady Anne series gives me all the benefits of writing paranormal – spine tingling chills, weird apparitions, screams, howls, things that go bump in the night – and yet have a rational, sensible, gutsy heroine who is no pushover. After writing a string of successful werewolf novels, I intended it as an antidote of sorts to a surfeit of the supernatural. Perhaps like a palate cleansing for readers between vampire and werewolf romances?

I hope readers feel the same. One reviewer said, ‘If you are looking for a historical mystery with romance, suspense, and a suggestion of paranormal, then read Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark.’ I’d be interested in hearing your comments:

Does the title Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark say paranormal to you?

To find out more about this book and my other romance novels, visit me at: http://www.donnaleasimpson.com/

Thank you, Donna, for joining us today at Fang-tastic Books.