Remember Reality!
Carol Van Atta
Like most
authors of paranormal romance, I like the idea of love and romance with a
paranormal twist or two that spices things up for the couple. I’m also a fan of
love that is intense, at times irrational, and often impulsive. It makes for
great reading. However, because of
the hot topics we write and/or read about, we might want to consider adding a
warning label to our special brand of sexy, supernatural shenanigans.
Warning: Hot and Heavy Romance leading to
heated hormones and hellacious heartbreak may result from attempting replicate
the relationships in this book.
What I’m
saying … we need to keep our feelings for steamy supernatural romances that
have the potential to shred our hearts and maybe even our hope, in check.
So, let me
ask you, have your friends ever pointed out your relationship failures? Ever
heard the word co-dependent and cringed? Do you excuse and tolerate behaviors
that are unacceptable and hurtful in your mate? For example: He makes me bleed because he can’t help himself. He
is, after all, a vampire. Or … he only bosses me around when the moon is full;
remember he’s a werewolf.
If you can
answer “yes” to any of the above questions, you just might be in an unhealthy
relationship and possibly addicted to love, romance, or the idea of participating
in a relationship despite the painful consequences and high emotional price tag.
I know the
scenario all too well. It’s easy to fall for those alpha males we inhale like a
breath of fresh air while devouring our favorite romances, paranormal or
otherwise. The stories make dysfunctional and dare I say, at times, borderline abusive
men appear so tantalizing. They also tempt us with the notion that can’t live
without a specific relationship/person … think Bella sitting in that darn chair
following Edward’s departure in the Breaking
Dawn, The Movie.
Why am I bringing up this depressing
topic on Valentine’s Day?
Because it’s
important to remember the books we read, featuring men who ultimately bring
danger and even disaster to our lives aren’t good for us in the real world. We don’t have super powers,
(unless you’re hiding something) to combat the villains and vicious characters
that seem to cling to these men like a pair of poured on leather pants. Nor are
we equipped to handle all the chaos that accompanies them, roaring down the
main street of our heart.
But the main
reason, friends, is because I care. I know what it’s like to search for love in
the darkness hoping it would light up my life. Unfortunately, I ended up with a
blood thirsty vampire latched onto my neck unwilling to release his relentless
and painful hold. What seemed so enticing and intoxicating in the beginning
became poison to my heart and life. When a vampire is attached to your throat,
it’s hard to live life, let alone experience love.
This special
post is just a reminder for us to enjoy the lethal love in the books we read,
without allowing our desire for love and romance to overpower our commonsense.
On the lighter side, this is what
makes reading paranormal romances the safe and better option. I took this from
my website.
Why write a
series of books about wolfy-men, who according to legend, howl at the moon,
shed fur, and shred their victims with their big teeth - oh my?
I think the
explanation can't ignore the psychology of women. Do I speak for all women? Of
course, not! But I do know (right or wrong) a wide range of women (myself
included) are, or have been at some point in the past, drawn to "bad
boys," men who for whatever reason live daringly adventurous lives, doing
things that often cause them to stand apart from other less intense guys, the
type of guys we might refer to as uber reliable or b-o-r-i-n-g. Bad boys are so
refreshingly far from boring, they're not even on the same map. They're
typically easy on the eyes, usually in a non-traditional way, and have strong,
possibly overbearing personalities; they are decidedly masculine in every sense
of the word. Dare we say they're
predatory? They take control, go after what they want, and are nowhere near
tame. Feral. Wild. Sexy. Dangerous. Yep. They're beastly. And what's more
beastly than a werewolf? See my point?
If you want
tame, werewolves are not for you. Danger isn't for everyone. Yet, I challenge
you to take a long look at the desires of your heart. Do you crave adventure?
Excitement? Passion? If you're
breathing, I suspect you've wished for those very things a time or two ... or
three hundred. Don't worry. And don't be ashamed. You're so not alone.
Men with
supernatural tendencies tend to live outside the box we call normal.
Excitement, danger, and passion cling to them like peanut butter to jelly.
Yummy! And we just can't help but want a taste. Granted, we may live our safe,
predictable lives, but opening a book that rockets us into a world of romance,
intrigue, and danger, along with a good dose of humor, allows us to experience
those bad boys without the not-always-positive side effects. In other words, we
can safely enjoy danger and desire without breaking a nail or nursing a broken
heart.
That final
sentence says it all. We can enjoy
our wolfy guys from the safety of our favorite arm chair, without putting
ourselves in harm’s way.
However, if
you’ve found yourself dealing with an unwanted and toxic relationship, I’d like
to recommend a resource you might want to check out. The book, Biting Back, by Claudia Cunningham, is a
no-nonsense, no garlic guide to facing the personal vampires in your life.
Be safe. Love.
Live. And read. Happy Valentine’s Day.
ABOUT KRISTEN
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