Well,
not exactly. Seriously, it’s not as radical as it sounds.
I’ll
admit I’m into heavy metal music (and at my age, I get some real funny looks
when I attend Nightwish and Symphony X concerts). And I do tend to wear a lot
of black (mostly for its slenderizing qualities). And Halloween does happen to
be my favorite holiday. And, okay, my favorite piece of fine jewelry is the
sapphire encrusted pendent my son gave me for Mother’s Day a few years ago—of a
spider.
But
I’m not talking about personal fashion. I’m talking about genre, as in Gothic
romance. Back in February, I released my debut novel, Phantom Traces, and
although it appears under both the contemporary and paranormal categories on
the Soul Mate Publishing site, I still have a hard time calling it a true
paranormal. There’s not a vampire in sight. Nary a werewolf, or a shapeshifter.
And it’s set in present day, not a hundred years in the past or the future.
So
what, exactly, do I write? I’ve already started on another, similar novel, set
on the grounds of an abandoned mental asylum and featuring more than one ghost.
But my hero and heroine are completely real, modern-day folks, who have jobs,
drive cars, talk on cell phones, and have sex.
My
conundrum was solved with a single click this past weekend. In perusing the
website of a favorite author, I clicked a link on her “helpful links” page.
Voila. I was magically transported to a website called The Gothic Romance Forum.
And to my surprise, the site listed my kind of stories. Gothic romance.
I
never even considered the notion of calling my stories Gothic. But a little
research revealed that many of the elements defining a compelling Gothic
romance matched those in my stories:
-
old
buildings, ill-attended or in ruin
-
magic
and witchcraft
-
unexpected/unexplained
loss of electricity
-
hidden
letters or maps
-
graveyards
-
and
most importantly, supernatural entities, i.e. GHOSTS
I
experienced an epiphany. What I write, and love to write with an inescapable
passion, is Gothic romance. It’s just my stories are not set in Scotland or
England, and the events didn’t take place a hundred or more years ago. And (the
one biggest difference from the classic Gothic romances—my characters have
sex!)
And
I had a big ol’ clue staring me right in the face with Phantom Traces—my
heroine is a Goth chick, complete with black garb from head to toe, multiple
piercings, and enough black eye eyeliner to refill a printer ink cartridge.
Hooray!
I know what I write! Contemporary Gothic romance. Or Neo-Gothic romance. Or
Gothic contemporary romance. Or . . . what’s a better tag?
I’m
opening it up to YOU. Please comment or email me, and tell me: what’s a great
name for Gothic romance set in modern times? With all the elements of a
contemporary romance?
Take
your time, but I’m waiting ;-)
Claire
Gem writes
contemporary romance with a ghostly twist. An avid reader, she’s a fan of strong
but sensitive heroes, spunky, sexy heroines, and a ghost story worth a few
goose bumps. She loves creating characters so real, readers miss them when the
book they reach THE END.
After achieving her
MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University, Claire settled in central
Massachusetts with her husband of 36 years (yes, happily-ever-after really does
exist). Always fascinated by the paranormal, she holds a Certificate in
Paranormal Studies from Duke University’s Rhine’s Research Center.
You
can find Claire here:
She
loves to hear from fans – drop her a line.
A
hunky history professor in a tweed jacket, a cheeky Goth chick, and a pipe-smoking,
book-hurling ghost. Put them all together in an antiquated library and, well…
Professor
Jack Wood’s silver-streaked hair
definitely ages him, and he can thank Killer Dawn for that. He won’t be falling
into the love trap again anytime real soon. But this new librarian has him
curious, with her head-to-toe black Goth garb, piercings, and a defiant
attitude to match. Definitely not his type of girl, but still…
Abigail Stryker’s got her work cut out for her.
The last two librarians didn’t last a month before airborne books chased them
off. But Abby’s determined to make her new life a go – and to stay as far away
from older men as possible. Once was enough. Might be tough to do when the
library’s best patron is none other than dreamy-eyed Jack Wood. And it seems the
eccentric ghost may have taken a shine to her as well.
Phantom Traces – available in ebook & audiobook
Trailer: http://bit.ly/1T9KwUN
Buy Link: http://amzn.to/19XGJsy
