Witches
and Faeries and Demons--Oh My!
By
Bernadette Walsh
Last week when an acquaintance asked
me what I was writing, I mumbled, “a paranormal romance.”
“What’s a paranormal?” he asked.
“It’s, uh, about witches.”
He was very nice and said, “how interesting,”
but I was a little embarrassed. After all, writing about witches sounds, well,
juvenile. However, my Devlin Legacy books are anything but. They deal with
infertility, infidelity and the sometimes strained relationship between mothers
and daughters -- with a little witchcraft thrown in for good measure.
I found that working within the
paranormal space allows me deal with”real life” issues in a way that avoids a
“Lifetime movie” feel. I think a book about infertility to me would be too
heavy, and frankly I thinks it’s been done to death. However, in a paranormal I
was able to use a woman’s burning desire for a child as the catalyst for her to
make a deal with a devil-like creature.
I think its important when writing
paranormal to ground your characters in ordinary experiences. If your
characters are constantly running from dangers or casting spells, they can feel
like cardboard characters rather than living breathing people. Charlaine Harris
does this so well in the Sookie Stackhouse - True Blood books. Yes, Sookie
spends her time running from or sleeping with sexy vamps, but in every book she
deals with experiences that we can all relate to: shopping for a new dress,
running short of money before pay day, sunbathing. These types of normal
activities serve two purposes. First they allow for a “rest” in between the
more suspenseful vamp action, but more importantly they help frame a relatable
world.
In my first Devlin Legacy book I
really winged the paranormal element. I described the characteristics of my
primary paranormal character -- he can take the form of animals, he is can
visit people in dreams and take over their bodies -- but I never really
identify what he is, although since the book is set in Ireland I infer that he
might be some type of fae. Because I was essentially making up my own
paranormal entity I didn’t need to conform to any of the reader’s pre-existing notions, as I would
for example if I was writing about a vampire. That provided me with enormous
freedom.
However in Book Two I dealt more
with the witchcraft aspect of my heroine. One downside to paranormal being so
popular right now is that readers know at least the basics of the popular
paranormal species: witches, vampires, weres.
Since I don’t want to make the kind of mistake that will take readers
out of my story, I researched witchcraft on the web and I even attended the New
York Witch Festival in Smithtown, Long Island.
So far I’ve enjoyed my time in
paranormal land and I think I’ll stay for a while.
Did you follow the tour?
Here's where it's been
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August 3 Guest blog
Mama Knows Books-
August 4 Guest blog
Paranormal Cravings - Paranormal Book Review Blog
August 4 Promo
August 5 Guest blog
A Great Book Is The Cheapest Vacation
August 6 Guest blog
Lisa’s World of Books
August 7 Interview
Coffee Beans & Love Scenes
August 9 Guest blog
Mila Ramos, Paranormal & Contemporary Romance
August 9 Promo
A Dream Within A Dream
August 10 Guest blog
Fangs, Wands & Fairydust
August 11 Interview
August 12 Interview
FireStarBooks
August 14 Guest blog
Romancing the Muses
August 14 Interview and review
Zombiegirl Shambling
August 15 Promo/Playlist and review
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August 15 Promo
A Bibliophile's Thoughts on Books
August 16 Promo
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom
August 17 Tour Wrap Up Post
Fang-tastic Books
Devil’s Mountain
By Bernadette Walsh
Book One of the Devlin Legacy
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Horror
Publisher: Lyrical Press
ISBN: 9781616503697
Number of pages: 122
Word Count: 39,000
Blurb/Book Description:
You will hate Him for all that he's taken, but you will love Him. God help you, you will love Him.
Mary Devlin accepted her fate years ago, to serve Slanaitheoir, the mountain spirit who saved her ancestors from the Irish Famine. The hauntingly beautiful woman submitted to His every caress, His every humiliation, but He’s gone too far by threatening her family.
Mary’s daughter-in-law is now an unwitting pawn in the fickle spirit’s game. Mary must challenge her fate and that of all future Devlin women, but Slanaitheoir is the most powerful being in the land. And when part of her still yearns for His touch and love, how can she fight him and win?
About the Author
Long Bio
I have always been a bookworm and had always meant to write a novel “someday.” You know, when I won the lottery and could live in beach house and look out onto the water and feel inspired. Four years ago I decided to stop waiting for my winning lottery ticket and sat down and started writing in between work and family obligations, I piled the words on top of each other until they formed sentences, paragraphs, chapters and eventually a book. My first book, a contemporary romance, Gold Coast Wives, was published in November 2011. The House on Prospect is my second novel. The first book of my paranormal trilogy, Devil’s Mountain -- Book One of the Devlin Legacy, was published in June 2012. While I’ve hopped around genres, all of my books to date have a common theme: strong women handling what life throws at them the best way they can.
Short Bio
Bernadette Walsh has been writing contemporary and paranormal romance for four years. She has published three novels to date (The House on Prospect (Echelon Press) and Gold Coast Wives (Lyrical Press)) and the first book of her paranormal trilogy, Devil’s Mountain -- Book One of the Devlin Legacy. While Bernadette has hopped around genres, all of her books to date have a common theme: strong women handling what life throws at them the best way they can.
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