Inspiration: opposites attract

by jeanienefrost on Jul.25, 2010, under Jocelynn Drake and Jeaniene Frost

Everyone’s been in that situation where you’re introduced to strangers in a social setting and the question of, “So, what do you do for a living?” comes up. It’s been a source of amusement for me that when I reply, “I’m a writer,” the most frequent response has been, “Really? Children’s books?” as if my gender makes such a connection obvious. The double-take I usually get when I reply, “No. Adult vampire novels” is something I’ve grown to savor, I’ll admit. But after the inevtiable once-over where I wait, fighting the urge to hiss dramatically just to see if the person jumps, I’m often asked what inspired me to write about that instead of “normal” fiction.

The short answer would be horror movies and romance novels. As a pre-teen, I loved two things that many people would’ve thought I was too young for – scary movies, and my mother’s romance novel collection. Some pre-adolescents swipe their parents’ cigarettes; I took my parents books and snuck to watch the chiller channel when I was supposed to be asleep. Back then, when the TV still cut to static once it got late enough (anyone born after 1980 probably has no idea what I’m talking about, heh) the only movies I found that featured supernatural creatures were horror movies. I glommed through as many as I could watch. Of course, because they were horror movies, most of them didn’t feature supernatural creatures as heroes, much to my dismay. The first movie I saw where the vampire didn’t get killed at the end was Love At First Bite. It was also the first movie I’d seen that incorporated my other great love – a romance storyline.

The combination of romance with a supernatural creature who wasn’t the villain, all rolled up with humor and sass, was exactly my cup of tea. Problem was, it wasn’t common. To get my romance fix, I usually had to give up paranormal elements. Just like if I wanted to read about worlds where vampires, ghosts, werewolves, and other inhuman creatures existed, that meant romance would be on the very back burner.

A little over a decade ago, however, something awesome happened. A subgenre of romance became centered on darker paranormals, and the Fantasy/Horror section of the book store started offering titles with more romantic elements in them. I was finally getting to have my cake and eat it, too. I spent a few years enjoying this trend as a reader before working up the courage to tackle my decades-long dream of writing my own novel. After all, now I knew I wasn’t alone in my preference. I started writing my first novel in 2003 and it had romance, supernatural creatures, action, horror, ass-kicking, and humor. Just the way I liked it. The rest, as they say, is history.

What drew you to the darker side of the book aisle, readers?

-Jeaniene Frost

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14 Comments for this entry

Victoria
July 25th, 2010 on 3:01 pm
I remember listening to Dark Shadows on the radio every Saturday afternoon and loving it. I wasn’t a reader until I became an adult. So I figured I should try books that related to what I enjoyed on screen. My first venture was Kelley Armstrong’s Bitten. It has just snowballed from there.
I love your books. Such realistic characters - love them.
Tricia
July 25th, 2010 on 3:07 pm
My first exposure to the “darker side of the aisle” started with Dark Shadows when I was three/four years old. Yes, amazingly enough I remember back that far. My babysitter kept older children and even though I wasn’t allowed (this is when Mom/Dad was right, daggone it), I would sneak and watch the show. Admittedly, I was afraid of the dark for long after that, but still was fascinated and didn’t miss an episode.

Television definitely fostered my interest in the otherworldly with Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. Around the same time I discovered romance novels, so that’s where I believe it all started.

As I grew older, I migrated to the science fiction section with my first selection of David Eddings Belgariad series,then I was totally hooked.
Happydogs
July 25th, 2010 on 4:33 pm
I’ve said many times that “True Blood” on HBO led me to reading all of the books from Mrs. Harris which soon lead to other books, like those by Jeaniene!.
But I really want to add to this conversation is this: My friends and family know I like to read, I’m a writer, so I’ve always been a big reader. Before I would be asked, so what are you reading now? Or recommend a goo book to read, I’m going on vacation. And the answer used to be something, fiction or non, highly recommended/reviewed and on the best sellers’ list, for example, Water for Elephants, Cold Mountain (romance) or something by John Grisham. I love the looks I get now when I say, oh I am all about vampire romance novels now! And then launch into describing a favorite book. I still read a variety of types of books, currently reading The Passage, but I am a total fan of anything by J.
Juliann
July 25th, 2010 on 4:56 pm
Haha, the truth for how I started? It was completely on accident.

See, it was the summer after my freshman year in high school, and I’d just read a paranormal teen book, so I was at the library searching for ANYTHING with vampires (as good guys, of course) and I was… failing. So then I was looking for anything I HADN’T read that was good… and still failing. This depressed me. Obviously I read too fast and too much, I remember thinking, and I was actually mad with myself. So I finally caved and went to the search computers, typing in “vampires” and then adding “werewolves” simply because I loved them both, haha! I came up with several titles, and I’d read which ones sounded interesting, write down the numbers, and I went to search.

I didn’t realize until I’d gotten home and started reading the best sounding one I’d found that there was SEX in the book!!! Imagine my… complete and utter embarrassment, especially since as I realized this, was reading it, my DAD walked by!!! I kept the book hidden under my pillow when I wasn’t reading it, hahaha! It was… the second Riley Jenson novel by Keri Arthur.

So, once I got past my absolute embarrassment, I continued reading these “adult romances” because this was a WHOLE NEW SECTION OF BOOKS I’D NOT READ! The temptation was too much to pass up.

I guess I wasn’t being as sneaky as I thought, because one day my mom was on the couch after I came home and said “So, I was at the bookstore today, and I saw this book. It looked like what you’ve been reading recently, so I got it. Started reading it myself when I realized what was included.” Thankfully, she wasn’t angry. Amused, possibly, but not angry. She admitted she’d stolen gothic romances out of HER mom’s bedroom since she was twelve. LOL

I think the “darker side of the book aisle” is addicting. Just saying… I can never get enough of it! LOL
Teena
July 25th, 2010 on 5:43 pm
As a teenager ‘David Eddings’ saved me, with family crap happening and moving. I didn’t deal with change very well at that time. I hated vampires thanks to a neighbor, ‘Teena see those bat in the mango tree, they are vampire bats and they suck the blood out of naughty little girls.’ I was 5 and a brat. North Queensland, middle of summer and i was closing the windows at 5 in the afternoon. Mum was not happy.

I couldn’t even hear the music of a movie and i would freak. And my mum loved her vampire movies. As a teenager i stole some of her sex novels, not much story but alot of sex. The girls at high school loved them. But as the getting in to the Supernatural and Vampires. Still didn’t like them.

Two Years ago i had a holiday from hell with “Girlfriends” it was so bad i came home went to bed and sobbed and went in to a depression . 8 days on a ship with 1 person going out of her way to destroy 3 other people because she felt one of us had ignored her for 30 seconds and she is over 55.

Just after this i saw ‘Twilight’ yep ‘Twilight’ and it i guess saved me. I needed a different world that had rules and not mental like the one i was living in. where people really cared for others and would do any thing for them, because they loved them. Strange hey? But it was cheaper than therapy. Before this i had no vampire books now i have over 100 supernatural books most have vampires in them. I love my Vampire books now.
e.carodiaz
July 25th, 2010 on 5:52 pm
i like twiligth before was a movie so i want it to see i don’t know a more strong femaline character so i read other book and after sometime i found what i want it something where the character was strong but soft as well, with many ideas but learnd to be open and very stong self confidence and all that and i like vampire, but what make it work is no that i love you moment but when they two eork together and see how can get to be the stronger between the two and see him jelouse and her as well it what make it work
Leanne
July 25th, 2010 on 6:39 pm
I have to say that the book that got me into this amazing genre was in actual fact Halfway To The Grave. I think I was 17 and my Mum of all people had left it lying around the house. I was bored and looking for a good read and just simply sat down and started to read it, and from the first chapter I was hooked.

Of course I didn’t realise that it contained so much, lets just say intimate relations, and so when my mum caught me reading it she took it off me. But of course that didn’t stop me whatsoever and by the time I finished I was in book stores looking for the next instalment.

Thanks to the amazing and humorous way it was written it has led me to seek out other authors. And I must say, I had no idea how many different novels there were. And I haven’t just stuck to vampires, I love the whole genre but after nearly three years of this I decided I wanted a bit more variation and have bought several books in the fantasy department. But I’m still working through about 6 series of ‘darker fantasy’ and I think I will always have a soft spot in my heart for paranormal romances. I’m 20 years old in a few months and studying for my degree, and after spending a hard days work in the library trolling through old history books coming home to one of my favourite novels is the perfect way to unwind
The Mrs
July 25th, 2010 on 8:38 pm
My parents are very conservative so much so that my mom wouldn’t let us watch Scooby Doo, because it had ghosts in it! LOL. So, inevitably I wanted to know all about things that go bump in the night, but it wasn’t until I was an adult that I really started reading, well anything, but particularly paranormals.

I think like a lot of women I work full time and come home to a husband and child and a not quite “equal oppotunity” kitchen. I have great friends and an awesome family, but it’s nice to escape now and again and paranormals allow that for me.

Mainstream romance is good, but it usually takes itself a little too seriously, and anything with highlanders makes me talk with an accent for a couple of days (Och, we need to buy groceries. Do you ken, husband of mine?).
Paranormals (usually) are funny, hawt and smutty and romatic on a scale that gives new meaning to the idea of being with someone “forever”.

Thanks Jeaniene and all Paranormal authors for a great reprieve from everyday life!!
Crystal
July 25th, 2010 on 11:09 pm
I say, who wants to be “normal” anyways? LoL

I started reading Fear Street books when I was pre-teen and that had kind of the paranormal plus teenage love thing. That probably got me started. Then as a teenager I would stay up all night to read historical romances because I just love all the heart stopping stuff you get with those. I don’t like horror because my imagination goes wild and I freak myself out but I love the paranormal (Vampires, Weres, ect) so I was ecstatic when I learned there was paranormal romance! It’s just perfect for me and just about all I read now. It takes you from the every day to a whole new world where stuff from your imagination is possible, not too scary for me, and lots of romance, yummy guy mc’s and kick as women mc’s. Can’t beat it. And the Night Huntress series is my fave of all so thanks for the great books and keep it up, can’t wait for Feb.!
Destiny
July 26th, 2010 on 3:14 am
Watching horror movies like Dracula and Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles series got me hooked on paranormal romance and urban fantasy. I think it’s cool that the genres have so many authors putting their own spin on vampires, shapeshifters, witches, etc.
Robert
July 26th, 2010 on 7:31 am
I, like many was a fan of the classic 1930’s and 40’s horror movies, as well as the TV show “Dark Shadows”. After high school -1974- I read a lot of biographies and history. But in 2008 I discovered Terry Goodkind “Sword of Truth” and then Kim Harrison’s “Hollows” series and I’ve fortunately been drawn back to the dark side of literature again and I love it.
jeanienefrost
July 26th, 2010 on 1:38 pm
Leanne, I’m so flattered that my book was your “gateway drug” for the genre For everyone who listed Dark Shadows as the start of your paranormal habit, you heard they’re making a Dark Shadows movie starring Johnny Depp as Barnabus, right? I can’t wait to see that!

And yes, I’m also a TrueBlood addict. Have read Charlaine’s books for years and love seeing the stories on the TV now.
Sharon
July 26th, 2010 on 9:28 pm
Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot got me to the dark side when I was 12-ish. I was horror all the way till collage when I read Anne Rice and sexy vampires entered my life. I was one who scoffed at the romance people. But now I am proud to say I love PN Romance!:)
Julie Rafail
July 29th, 2010 on 9:12 pm
It happened recently for me…saw Twilight then heard about True Blood…saw that and then got into the paranormal romance BOOKS;like Sands,Amanda Ashley,Harrison and my favorite Jeaniene Frost..I am soooo addicted to these books!