Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Superhero Stories Aren’t Romances, Are They?







By D.S. AUFFENORDE
Exclusive to the Kensington City Examiner


Of course they are. Aren’t all stories really just love stories? Whether the tale involves falling in love with the hero or fighting for those we love, love is unquestionably integral to the storytelling process. Some might argue otherwise, but there can be no stronger motivation in the universe, no greater superpower!
Most superheroes have love interests and are motivated, and often conflicted, by love. The recent motion picture Dead Pool is a classic example of a superhero romance. But the traditional superhero often keeps his love connection in check. This is surprising: what’s the point in keeping the love strings tight when love motivates so much of a story?
Today, we’re just beginning to see the crossover of superheroes into the romance genre. For romance, paranormal has been the order of the day—shapeshifters, vampires, wizards, fairies, and other magical creatures. But comes now Electromancer, a combination romance, paranormal, and fantasy, with a strong dose of classic comic-book superhero. Why is Electromancer unique? Because unlike other superheroes, she’s not afraid to bare her heart and soul and yes, even her body, in pursuit of love.
In some ways, Electromancer is not unlike the superheroes from the beloved comics of yesteryear, when Superman, Batman, Spiderman, and Wonder Woman ruled. These and other classic superheroes thwart evil, save us from disaster, and then leave us hanging, anxious to experience the next episode in their continuing battle for truth and justice.
But how does Electromancer and other romance superheroes differ from these earlier characters? In the traditional superhero story, we’re not guaranteed the happy-ever-after ending. In the traditional paranormal story, we are led to believe that—eeeek!—there may really be some mysterious force or monstrous not-of-this-world being that might still take us to the dark side. But in a romance superhero story, we get a bigger bang for our buck—the larger-than-life fantasy and the heart-rending love story. Romance superheroes may just be the biggest earthshattering phenomena to hit the universe … or multiverse. Call it superlove!
So what’s the novel Electromancer all about? The story is set in the very near future on an earthlike planet with earth-like cities. It features Alexa Manchester, the heiress to her brilliant father’s energy corporation, and his magical element, Electromite, which could solve the world’s energy problems. Until everything goes wrong, and Electromancer must save the day. And that’s where all the Kabam! Pow! and Zap! come in.
But here also comes the romance: Electromancer can’t do it alone. So who’s Electromancer’s love interest? The handsome mayor of her town, Kensington City, who might someday lead the country of Britannia? Or the mysterious Blue Arrow, half-cloud, half-man, who appears and disappears in a flash? And who in heavens name is trying to shut down the world’s energy supply and take over the planet? That’s what I, reporter D.S. Auffenorde of the Kensington City Examiner, intend to find out.

So join me as I set off on an investigatory assignment to discover the truth. I intend to get to the bottom of Electromancer’s mysterious existence and discover what her intentions are. There’s no assignment too tough. I’ll do what it takes to ferret out and interview all of these characters. Because with every assignment I take on, it’s not the end result that makes the story worthy of reporting, but the journey as it is told through the lives of others. So whether you’re starting with this column or must return to previous post to catch up, follow along as the story is picked up over the wire.





Electromancer
Daco

Genre: Romance, Fantasy,
Superhero, Paranormal, Thriller/Suspense

Publisher: Crimson Romance

Date of Publication: 2-1-16

ISBN 10: 1-4405-9687-5
ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-9687-2
eISBN 10: 1-4405-9688-3
eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-9688-9
ASIN: B01AOH7BFA

Number of pages: 234
Word Count: 70,000

Cover design by Fred Machuca,
Illustration by Ricky Ostendi

Book Description:

With a heart as pure as platinum and electricity at her fingertips!

She soars like a falcon and travels at the speed of light!

She’s … ELECTROMANCER!

When arch villain Momo threatens to destroy the world with The Big Zapper—a weapon of mass destruction the likes of which has never been seen before—it’s up to Alexa Manchester and her new electricity-harnessing superpowers to stop him.

With a little help from her sexy chauffeur, Sigfred Sawyer, and some exciting encounters with the mysterious and handsome Blue Arrow, soon Alexa’s love life is charged up, too. And to defeat the seemingly invincible Momo, it might just take the naturally super power of love to save the day.

Offering all the Kabam! Pow! Zap! of beloved comic book sagas with the beating heart of a love story, this over-the-top, genre-blending send-up is sure to delight superhero fans and romance readers alike.


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About the Author:

Daco is an award-winning author of the espionage-thriller series featuring CIA operative Jordan Jakes. Her debut novel, The Libra Affair, was a 2013 #1 best seller. Of The Libra Affair, Publishers Weekly said, “The keenly sharp intelligent female characters soar in this edge-of-your-seat adventure...”

Her short story The Pisces Affair was a 2015 Global Ebook Awards double gold medalist (Best Thriller Fiction and Best Science Fiction), a 2015 Shelf Unbound Notable 100, a 2015 Royal Palm Literary Award winner, and a Publishers Weekly “PW Pick”.” In its review of The Pisces Affair, Publishers Weekly wrote, “Jakes is a lively and witty narrator with the wits and skills of James Bond, and readers will savor her fresh perspective on being a woman in the male-dominated spy world.”

Her story The Virgo Affair is part of Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded (Diversion Press, October 2015), an anthology, including numerous best-selling authors.

Electromancer (F+W Media, Inc./Crimson Romance, February 2016), is her first superhero novel, featuring Electromancer and Blue Arrow.

Upcoming works include The Scorpio Affair, a Jordan Jakes novel, and The Ophiuchus Affair, another Jordan Jakes short story.

Daco holds a B.A. and M.A.S. from The University of Alabama in Huntsville and a J.D. from the Cumberland School of Law. She is a member of the International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, Authors Guild, Alabama Writers Forum, Florida Writers, and Alabama State Bar.






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 follow along as the investigatory column continues to unfold the peculiarities of the citizens of Kensington City. 



March 16 Guest Blog
Books and Tales:

March 17 Spotlight
Zenny's Awesome Book Reviews

March 18 Spotlight
Queen of All She Reads  

March 21 Review
Musings and Ramblings 

March 22 Spotlight
3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, and Sissy, Too!

March 23 Spotlight
Share My Destiny

March 24 Guest blog
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom

March 25 Interview
Deal Sharing Aunt

March 28 Guest blog
I Smell Sheep

March 29 Spotlight
Lisa’s World of Books

March 30 Guest Blog
Roxanne’s Realm
www.roxannerhoads.com

March 30 Live Radio Interview
Bewitching Radio at 1pm CST
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bewitching-book-tours

March 31 Review
Rose Shababy

April 1 Guest Blog
Fang-tastic Books

April 4 Guest blog
ParaYourNormal

April 4 Review
Fantatical Paranormal Romantical

2 comments:

Daco said...

Hi Roxanne! The Real Roxanne ;-)

Thank you for having Electromancer on your show today! It's always fun to fang out with a colony of like-minded paranormals. So if anyone has any questions on what it takes to become a superhero, fire away. For Electromancer, all it took was a strange meteorite and a super-powered generator. Mix the two together and boom, you're flying and spitting sparks of electricity. Easy, right? But Electromancer isn't the only superhero in her story. There's Blue Arrow, too. He flies as well, just not in the same way she does. And there's another surprise or two. But I'll leave that for the readers. No spoilers here.

I love reader comments, so if you miss the show today, remember, there's always Amazon and GoodReads where you can post your reviews. And don't forget to register for a chance to win that super-fabulous Amazon Echo!

Thanks again! And Happy Reading!!

Daco



Bob R. said...

I've been following the Electromancer blog tour, and I'm a huge fan of the novel and the tour. The book is a mixture of romance, paranormal, thriller, and comic superhero, and the chemistry between Electromancer and Blue Arrow is steamy. One of my favorite characters is The Mayor, a handsome, sly politician who woos heiress Alexa Manchester and who keeps more than one secret. Electromancer is a sexy, funny, suspenseful page turner.

 
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