Kevin Hosey - Guest Blog & Contest

Please welcome Kevin Hosey co-editor of Paramourtal an anthology of paranormal romance short stories. Readers will enjoy what Kevin has to say about what type of stories were sought for this collection. Future volumes are being planned. One lucky commenter will win a copy of the book. See details at the end of the post.

I'd like to thank Patricia for allowing me to discuss Paramourtal: Tales of undying love and loving the undead. (Volume 1), the collection of paranormal romance stories I just co-edited with Evelyn Welle. She asked me to describe what we looked for in the submitted stories and how we made our selections in order to give some insight into how a book is put together for publication.

When Evelyn and I accepted the role as editors of Paramourtal for publisher Cliffhanger Books, we instantly decided there were three things we wished to accomplish: 1) We wanted works that were well written and compelling; 2) we sought unique examples of paranormal beings and creatures; and 3) we wanted to have some fun with the book. Fortunately, we got all three.

After we received an incredible amount of submissions, we quickly went to work selecting the stories that met our goals. And it wasn’t easy. So many of the writers did such an incredible job, it took much longer than we initially planned. Finally, after months of reading and re-reading, we managed to narrow them down to twenty of the best-written entries. Each writer did an exceptional job of creating deeply developed characters and capturing the emotion, suspense and danger facing them. But, since the book only had room for ten stories, we still had to cut the number in half.

So, we focused on the ten stories with characters that weren't the usual supernatural types seen in paranormal romance novels. While we do have the very popular vampire and demons, we also offer sea creatures, fairies, water spirits, unusual shape-shifters and many more. We felt the mix of characters would offer every reader stories they can enjoy.

We also wanted to have some fun with the book, starting with the title. Paramourtal is a combination of the words “paramour” (a lover) and “paramortal” (a supernatural being). Evelyn and I felt that name would not only grab the attention of para-rom fans, it would also set the tone for the book itself.

Listed below are the synopses of each story to give you an idea of what it offers:

• “A Touch of Sand” by Nicole Brugger-Dethmers. The Sandman is forbidden to love humans. Then he gazes upon the enchanting face of Angeline and wonders why she stirs his cold heart.

• “Dark Legacy” by Elizabeth Ireland. As a teen, Katherine was saved by a mysterious lake spirit. Now she returns to that lake to face a dark family pact that may end her life.

• “The Fisherman's Wife’ by K. Stoddard Hayes. In an Irish fishing village, Sean has the perfect life with his loving wife, Muireen. But then she discovers a very dark secret he’s hidden for years.

• “The Prince and the Spoon” by Kelly Wisdom. Walking in the park, Summer is attacked by strange fairy tale creatures who seem to know her. And then things really get weird.

• “The Flower of Hell” by Noree Cosper. When Gabriella, a demon hunter, meets the handsome Dimitri, it rekindles long forgotten desires. But those desires may get them killed.

• “His Familiar Touch” by L.K. Below. Unable to shift into her natural cougar form, Rikkita seeks the help of Derek, a mystifying man who may have the cure—for a price.

• “Of Fate and Fire” by Rebecca Rhielle. As a child, Eleia lost her family and village to savage marauders. Now, she falls in love with a beguiling stranger whose past is even darker than hers.

• “Sympathy From the Devil” by M.C. DeMarco. While protecting a soul from temptation, angel Ariel faces Forcas, a charming demon. And she soon learns her own soul may be at stake.

• “The Underlying Beat” by Evelyn Welle. After meeting the reclusive music composer Lee, Megan soon encounters mystifying forces that test both her sanity—and her heart.

• “Rain’ by Kevin Hosey. When his wife leaves him, Kyle escapes to a mountain cabin. There he meets the beautiful Reanna, a mysterious woman who can only appear when it rains.

To learn more about Paramourtal, please visit www.cliffhangerbooks.com.

CONTEST: Also, over the next week we'll be holding a drawing for a free signed copy of the book. All you have to do is send us an email to be added to our reader list. Just put the words "PAT'S PARAMOURTAL GIVEAWAY" in the subject line. The email is cliffreader@cliffhangerbooks.com
Contest ends Nov. 22, 2010 

And if you’re a writer be sure to add your name to our mailing list at cliffwriter@cliffhangerbooks.com. We'll be sending out calls for submissions for several different anthologies in the future, including the second volume of Paramourtal.

Thanks again to Patricia, and to all of you for your kind attention.

Kevin Hosey,

Senior Project Editor

Paramourtal