Author Alma Katsu's Taker trilogy is a dark paranormal historical, and Alma has been with us before to talk about dark historicals, so today we've asked her to H&H to discuss the other element of her writing, paranormals. The third book in the Taker trilogy, Descent, will be released in 2014. Please leave a comment below to enter for a chance to win the first two books in Alma's trilogy!* Thanks for joining us, Alma!
With contemporaries on the upswing these days, some folks are asking if we’ll see a decline in readers’ interest in paranormals. Some might say that it was impossible for the genre to maintain its fever pitch; after all, whatever goes up must come down. I may be biased as I write a paranormal series with a unique immortally myth, but I think that paranormal novels have characteristics that make them particularly suited to give readers exactly what they are looking for in a story.
A Central Character That Represents “The Dark Side”:
All paranormals have a strong central character who is part of the supernatural world, whether he’s a vampire, werewolf, or, in the case of The Taker books, a man with mysterious magical powers. It’s what gives paranormal novels their Gothic flavor and provides the story’s major tension: this strong supernatural character embodies the forbidden attraction of “the dark side.” Whether he’s the love interest or the villain, he represents the primitive, emotional, sexual side of our nature. He offers us the chance to escape from the “normal” civilized world of manners and constraints. No wonder we want to give in to temptation.
Today, H&H welcomes author Alma Katsu to the site. Alma’s The Reckoning, the second book in the Taker trilogy, has just been released, and is a dark, sexy read, as was the first book, The Taker. Alma is here today to talk about other dark historicals. Welcome, Alma!
