According to the publishers, a paranormal romance is a contemporary romance of any kind with elements that are actual (not faked) magic, psychic powers, supernatural creatures, &c. This includes ghost romances, angel romances — where such supernatural creatures are real and have some part to play, including as the hero — suspense romances with psychic h/h, and what are considered the “dark” paranormal romances of vampire romances and werewolf romances — though I can imagine a fairly light werewolf romance involving dog shows. That’s because “werewolf romance” is often the catch-all for romances involving any shape-shifter or skin-walker, whether were-leopard, were-hawk, or what you will.
The trick is that the paranormal element can’t be just tacked on. It needs to be integral to story, whether positively in that the hero’s angel grandmother shoves him into meeting the heroine, or negatively as in the family curse that makes the h/h draw back from the relationship. As well, if this is a hybrid romance, like a suspense romance, the paranormal needs to be involved in the climax. However, in the relationship half, we like to see people resolve to commit to love on their own, though that may be what drives them into the showdown with their external magical problem.
The remaining three sub-genres have one thing in common: the publishers want pageantry. That is, they want the reader to have a strong sense of the time and place not being their own, not necessarily street parades. Use the differences between here and there, especially any glamorous ones. Give the reader a vacation from the here and now. Read the rest of this entry →