A Price to be Paid is my fifth paranormal full length novel. I'd written the first two in the Hemstreet Witches series in spring and early summer of 2016, but something about this one had me writing other books and delaying its start until mid-January 2017. I didn't write the end until early June, which for me, is a long writing time to get a rough draft.
In writing it, I kept alternately referring to it as fantasy or paranormal. Turns out not so. Fantasy genre is for books set in a world created by the author. Paranormal uses our physical world but with supernatural elements. Mine are paranormals. In this one, there are spiritual entities of many sorts, along with heroines who are natural born witches-- not supernatural beings but with superhuman powers. They don't live forever and can be killed. Karma, reincarnation, and redemption are key themes, along with life questions such as--
In a new lifetime, can
a soul, who lived a bad to the bone life, change into someone good?
Does it matter what someone actually did or more what they thought they did?
Can guilt be such a weighty
burden that it makes real change impossible?
The themes might seem weighty, but they're woven into the plot, personal interactions, a spicy romance, and strong adventure.
In 1901, in the Arizona historical, Echoes from the Past,
Asa Taggert lived by the gun and died by it.
A true villain, he had no compassion for others and committed a heinous
act. After that
lifetime, it took a while, but his soul was reborn to be killed in WWII
and again in the Vietnam War. In 1984, he was born into the Taggert
family and given
his name from that earlier lifetime. His challenge was to get past
earlier mistakes and live a meaningful life. Expecting his time to be
short, he is raising a son and has
amassed a fortune. Love for a woman is not in the cards—nor is any
belief
in the supernatural realm, making it difficult for his spirit guide to
reach him.
Devi doesn’t want to be a witch, despite being born into a
family of witches and shamans. The youngest of four
sisters, she reluctantly lives at home, conflicts with her mother, writes a
garden blog under a pseudonym, and avoids using her powers as much as possible.
When her attempt to purchase a fixer-upper Barrio Viejo adobe is blocked, her
solace is with her grandmother and her witch’s garden. She is aware of
her spirit guide but doesn’t listen to him. She is determined to live as a
normal woman and having seen the pain her mother went through with her father’s
death, she plans to never fall in love or marry.When these two come together, a business/marriage contract is only an excuse for what is to follow as each comes to understand there is indeed a price to be paid to live life fully. The book has spice, violence, and a shamanistic view of life.
All of my contemporary paranormals are now in Kindle Unlimited for borrowing. The Hemstreet Witches Series involve descendants of my Arizona historicals. A Price to be Paid shares a spirit guide with Diablo Canyon (Montana). Sky Daughter (Idaho) has no connecting characters-- yet. I like writing series and connecting characters when possible-- so there
Your comment on fantasy and paranormal hit home. My latest book has a ghost in it, and it was released under fantasy since there wasn't a paranormal category with the publisher. I often thought it was just "paranormal." Enlightening post.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Judy. I learned a lot on this too. I enjoy writing these kind of books, just what to label them is tough.
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