Please welcome Juliana Stone to parajunkee.com. Happy Book Birthday Juliana! Juliana is the author of the paranormal romance series Jaguar Warriors. Her series has been described as "passionate" "steamy" and "intriguing", a must read for paranormal romance fans. Juliana's third book in the Jaguar Warriors series releases today and to celebrate that release she has embarked on a blog tour to help promote her books. Also, Juliana and Harper Collins will be giving away a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate to one lucky person who leaves a comment!
The Art of Paranormal Romance.
Paranormal romance is a sub-genre of the romance novel. A type of speculative fiction, paranormal romance focuses on romance and includes elements beyond the range of scientific explanation, blending together themes from the genres of traditional fantasy, science fiction, or horror.
So says Wikipedia.
I’ve had a love affair with paranormal elements in novels for years, back before they were even known as paranormal. I think the first book that really hooked me was Interview With a Vampire. I was dating a guy in high school who was really artsy. He looked like Jim Morrison and at the time I was really digging the Doors so that was more than enough for me. He was also into books. He gave me Interview and I didn’t read it at first. I was into romance, historicals mostly, as that’s what my mother read but when I began reading about Louis and Lestat my world changed. I was hooked and quickly read every title that Anne Rice had written.
But there wasn’t much around at that time. I remember Rice came out with a book called The Mummy and it had more romance in it, featuring Cleopatra brought back from the dead and it was open ended…there should have been a sequel but wasn’t.
I continued to read romance but also read a lot of thrillers and suspense. I got married. Had kids and for a while there I didn’t read much. Eventually the kids were in school full time and I found that I had more time to myself. I went to the library and found a treasure. Dark Prince by Christine Feehan. I read it in one sitting and was hooked like a junkie jonesing for a fix.
That book changed my life. Literally. Not only did I fall completely in love with a new genre, I began to get a few ideas of my own. They were ideas that I decided to act upon and in the spring of 2008 I wrote His Darkest Hunger. I landed an agent and we sold it a few months later. Since then I’ve found an entire slew of paranormal authors who inspire me: Sherrilyn Kenyon, Karen Marie Moning, Nalini Singh to name a few.
So, I’m curious…what author changed and or rocked your world?
The renown Ms. Stone & her fantastic publisher Harper Collins have generously offered up a $25 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky commentor on the tour.
DEETS:
- One Winner chosen by Ms. Stone
- Prize:$25 Amazon Gift Card (international to those that can purchase on amazon.com)
- Comment to win: What author changed and or rocked your world?
- Giveaway ends 7/29
- View my giveaway rules for more information
After six months in hell, Julian Castille has returned to the world a changed man. No longer the longer the calm, powerful CEO, but a shifter fully embraced by the blood of his clan. Julian has one goal: find the key to the portal that stands between the human realm and unprecedented darkness-and win back the pieces of his soul. The last thing he needs is a distraction like the beautiful, enigmatic Jaden DaCosta. Three years ago, a forbidden night of passion left Jaden forever altered: mated to Julian Castille--bound to a man who despises her. But the temptation to trust this darker, more savage-and more captivating-Julian is overwhelming. And as they fight for their immortal souls, their insatiable desire for each other may prove their fatal undoing…
36 comments:
The author that has most recently impacted my life would have to be Rachel Ward with Num8bers. Seeing how drug abuse can affect such a young child is so heartbreaking and yet she found strength within it. I loved that she gave it the perfect ending as well. So much more realistic.
I think I'm gonna have to say J.R. Ward because her Black Dagger Brotherhood series was the first ever paranormal romance books I've ever read and I absolutely LOVED them! Shes definitely one of my favorite authors now.
ruby95660@yahoo.com
Lisa Genova's work reached deep down inside. I was moved immensely.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
As a child - C.S Lewis and the Narnia series completely absorbed me and rocked my world via a wardrobe that took me into other worlds. I had always been a child somewhat lost in my own imagination and it was a thrill to read about someone elses. And to realize that it was okay to have an 'overactive' imagination. I decided then I wanted to be a writer.
As a young adult, Stephenie Meyer showed me with Twilight - that I could be decadently lush with words, emotions and teenage love 'angst' and still get taken seriously. (well, as seriously as Twilight is taken these days LOL) Twilight was my first paranormal romance and now I'm a die hard fan of the genre.
Kelley Armstrong! I'd read Twilight and was looking for something more adult...stumbled across "Bitten" at the library, and that was it! Her characters and plotting are incredible, and became the standard by which I judged paranormal for a long time.
BJ @ Dark Side of the Covers
Dylan Thomas completely changed my world when I was about 17. He showed me that decadent language and a complete lack of plot did actually have a place in the world and completely changed the way I think about fiction.
And Wales.
Charles de Lint was one of the first urban fantasy writers I read. He opened my eyes to the idea that I could read about faerie living alongside the human world. I still love his work.
One of the most recent authors I have read was Sherrilyn Kenyon and her Dark Hunters series. Got drawn into those books
Jean
skpetal at hotmail dot com
Gena Showalter was my first paranormal author that I picked up. I love that her characters have sass. I remember when my friend discovered Feehan's Dark Prince, she then devoured about 22 stories of Christine's after that. I followed suit. Thank you for the giveaway!
Jnmt3 (at) hotmail (dot) com
Wow,
This is a hard question to answer. I've always loved anything to do with the paranormal. I guess it comes with my culture. I'm Native American. However as a kid I would watch Night Gallery, Night Stalker and anything that was on tv that could go bump in the night.
I too like you started out reading romances. I really didn't start reading anything paranormal until someone told me to read the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Novels.
So I guess I would have to say Charlaine Harris is the one who gave me the bite to read.
From there I have fallen in love with so many author works. Such as Jeaniene Frost, Sherrilynn Kenyon, Michele Hauf, Kerrelyn Sparks, Lynsay Sands, Katie MacAlister, and Jude Stephens. There are so many authors out there I haven't even attempted, oh I did forget to mention Laurell K. Hamilton for I'm in love with so many of her men in Anita Blake series.
Thanks for the insight about you. I've enjoyed the interview.
Teresa K.
tcwgrlup41(at)yahoo.com
When I was a little girl I used to read Stephen King under the covers with a flashlight. I LOVED him, still do. What I didn't understand then is that most of what I loved was his fascination with darkness and paranormal elements.
J.R. Ward was a huge impact. Before her, it was Anne Rice. I've always loved vampires but I was tired of reading the horror ones and didn't like the sparkly ones.
wade2121ATgmailDOTcom
I would say Stephenie Meyers. I love her Twilight series and I couldn't put it down. I also enjoyed the Host. Looking forward to more books from her. Please enter m e in contest. Tore923@aol.com
I can't think of an author who's work really affected me that much. I was really blown away by Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code. He wrote so convincingly, I can understand why so many people thought is was all based in fact. I did immediately recommend it to my family and then got Angels and Demons.
acm05atjuno.com
Sherrilyn Kenyon changed my world because she was the first author to introduce me to paranormal romance and made me fall in love with it!
Stephen King, without a doubt! I fell in love with horror/paranormal/anything out of the ordinary with the very first Stephen King book that I read, and I've never gone back :)
jwitt33 at live dot com
I know this sounds cliche', but the author that changed my world was Stephenie Meyer. I had never read anything of the paranormal genre because I'm a stubborn one. Once I find something I like, I stick to just that. But then people from everywhere including my mom) was telling me to read Twilight. So finally did and I loved it. Since then it has opened many more different genres up for me. It really helped me to expand my horizons.
Great guest post and thanks for the great giveaway!
pnh002@gmail.com
Don't laugh but I would say that Stephanie Meyers really changed my world. The Twilight books totally rocked my world!
rootml1 AT hotmail DOT com
I read only historicals for a long time until I came across Kinley MacGregor's historicals and discovered her paranormals as Sherrilyn Kenyon. A whole new world opened up for me!
I have to say Sherrilyn Kenyon changed it all for me, I was a big historical romance reader until then. My niece kept insisting I read Fantasy Lover and I was like eh I dunno but OMG! I am glad I did. It was amazing, I quickly devoured her whole series- having to buy each book as soon as possible. Ever since then I have been a paranormal addict.
vampiremistress2010(at)gmail(dot)com
The author who rocked my world the most was Diana Gabaldon, when I found her series starting with "Outlander" about Claire and Jamie Fraser it totally gave me chills and it still does when I talk about the books... Best stories of love and family and all the drama that goes with it that I have had the pleasure to read in over 40 years of loving books!
Since then my eclectic reading taste has found joy with just about every big name author you can think of and some really obscure ones too. This year I discovered an author by the name of Alexandrea Weis whose books "Recovery" and "To My Senses" about a resident of Katrina stricken New Orleans, that is a romance- mystery- suspense thriller, shook me up quite a bit.
jacabur2008(@)gmail(dot)com
I have to sa that Christine Feehan and Amanda Ashley just totally made me fall in love with paranormal books (especially vamps) I all of Christine's "Dark" series and I'm now hooked on her "Leopard" series :)
Ashley A
ash_app@hotmail.com
I had only read historical too, until a friend left her copy of The Killing Dance by LKH. I absolutely loved the world she created and the characters were so unique to me, and totally luscious, lol. I went out and bought those first five books of the series, and have been hooked on paranormal/urban fantasy stories ever since.
caity_mack at yahoo dot com
cathy m
The first time I read a Jeeves story by P. G. Wodehouse, I thought something along the lines of "where have you been all my life?!" I'm a quick reader (as I don't read every word but skim a lot) and for the first time in a long while, I had to slow down to savor every word that Wodehouse wrote. Ah.....
Love Paul Marron on "His Darkest Salvation"!!
ironss [at] gmail [dot] com
The author that really got me into reading at a young age was R.L. Stine. I liked Goosebumps, but I was insanely hooked on the Fear Street series. R.L. Stine made me love spooky, paranormal things, which later on in life opened me up to more novels and authors. And Anne Rice is on my list too. When I got old enough to appreciate her books, I became obsessed with them. I absolutely love The Vampire Chronicles.
R.L. Stine. The book Thrill Club opened my eyes to the paranormal world. After that I would devour anything with a paranormal there. Then when I got older and wanted to give adult books a chance my first author was JR Ward. I am obsessed with her books and the world she has created.
Danielle @Ramblings From This Chick
iqb99@yahoo.com
There are alot of authors that get me all ina frenzie,,but here recently my world has litterally been rocked by The Sinners on Tour Series,,by Olivia Cunning,,,I love my Rock n Roll!
Jennifer B.
westtexasjen at gmail dot com
Congratulations to Juliana on the release of The Darkest Salvation!
The author who rocked my world was Charlaine Harris - her Sookie Stackhouse series was my first venture into Paranormal books and I couldn't read them fast enough. Once I read what she had printed at the time, I moved onto other authors such as Laurell K Hamilton and Patricia Briggs
junegirl63(at)gmail(dot)com
Hi Juliana
well, the first paranormal book I read was the Twilight series by S. Meyer.
Looking back I've read many books that had been better.
After them I read the first books from Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse. I live in Mexico and guess they were available because of HBO's True Blood.
After that series read JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series and Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series and I was hooked in the paranormal genre once and for all.
Seeing what I've read, would I be pleased reading Chirtine Feehan's books?
Thanks!
Daniela.
dany7578@hotmail.com
I think every author I have read have rocked my world in some way. Currently it is Karen Marie Moning.
Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com
Years ago, I used to read vampire books, but then I pretty much stopped reading them and moved into regular fiction and non-fiction. When True Blood came out on HBO, a friend and I were discussing it, but since I didn't get HBO, she told me they were based on a book series by Charlaine Harris and suggested I read it. I read the first book and after not reading them for many years, I was totally rehooked on paranormal books again.
jen at delux dot com
For me that author would be Stephenie Meyer because before I picked up her series I never even liked to read! And now I can't imagine going a day without getting lost in a book :-)
justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
Marion Zimmer Bradley was the author who turned me on to historical fiction with her Lady of Avalon. It opened my eyes to the ability to tell a known story from a different viewpoint. It remains a favourite book of mine to this day.
helpersarah2009@gmail.com
Nora Roberts writing as JD Robb. It really let me open up to more stories that are not set in present days.
bacchus76 at myself dot com
When I was 14 I went to a camp with the scouts (yes, I was a scout once xD) and I met this tall guy, very pale and very annoying. Somehow we became friends, hahaha. And he introduced me the series "Dragonlance" and "The Vampire Chronicles". Yes, I love Anne Rice. I even read Memnoch when everybody said it was horrible (I believe it wasn't the best one but it wasn't that bad either).
So my answer: Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Anne Rice.
alaiel.kreuz (at) gmail.com
Alaiel
Jane Austen really affected my reading. I love the regency time period to this day.
marlenebreakfield(at)yahoo(dot)com
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