NIGHTFALL: Adult Twilight with a TWIST! Paranormal Romance Gone Wild!

by Lois Gresh

If I’m known for anything as a writer, it’s dark and highly unusual fiction. I like to read and write stories about strange things happening in the woods or in odd locations. Stories about people yearning for something and getting it, only to find that they also end up with something they’d rather not have.

I’ve written about everything from vampires to ghosts to demons to angels. So why did I turn to paranormal romance?

Because I think that paranormal stories — whether dark or romantic or both at the same time — are interesting for many of the same reasons.

The forms of fantasy — its tropes and motifs, its structures and magic systems — overlap between, say, paranormal fantasy and dark fantasy, paranormal fantasy and urban fantasy, and so forth. The boundaries of fantasy are blurred.

One characteristic of fantasy, in general, is that it involves magical creatures, objects, and/or events existing in our real world. Stories that fuse magic and mythology with reality touch us deeply on the inside and urge us to find order and meaning in our world. Whether dark fantasy or romantic paranormal fantasy, this type of story incorporates villains, mentors, adventures, obstacles, morals, ethics, and the search for truth and identity.

In 2008, Lori Perkins asked me to write a paranormal romance novel that included a Romeo and Juliet theme of Forbidden Love. She specifically wanted the novel to be an adult spin on TWILIGHT, and hence have a vampire in it as well as some steamy sex scenes.

I wrote the book, we called it DUSK, and Ravenous Romance published it. It actually received many rave reviews and was a Top Pick at a major romance site. This made me extremely happy, as I thought that perhaps I’d touched people with my story of paranormal Forbidden Love.

Well, that was then, and this is now. In December 2012, Lori started her own company, Riverdale Avenue Publishing. She very much wanted to reprint the novel as NIGHTFALL and then go on to publish the various sequels and even a prequel to the novel. I hope we’re able to do this, and of course, the only way such things happen is if readers like the first book in a series, in this case, NIGHTFALL. I am frankly dying to write the sequels.

So what do I like about the NIGHTFALL series? Well, there’s a reason I say that it’s Paranormal Romance Gone Wild. Not only do we have a liberal dose of Forbidden Love — in this case, between an ancient voodoo priestess and a sexy vampire — but I also think we have some new, very unusual twists.  These twists are what made the book fun for me to write, and I would love to immerse myself in this world again and again (and again, etc.) because I really enjoy spinning these tales. When you read NIGHTFALL, you’ll probably realize right away that I was enjoying myself while writing it.

 For one thing, writing about a voodoo priestess is a tremendous blast, not to mention writing about her best friend, Skipp the poetic ghost, her anorexic always-drunk girlfriend, the sexy vampire Vadim and his incredibly odd father, and the gargoyle familiar who helps Alex (the voodoo heroine) in all of her exploits. Oh, and lest I forget, the lovely Venus de Milo is also in NIGHTFALL. This is why I say it’s Paranormal Romance Gone Wild.

 The story takes place in an ordinary town that could be most anywhere. It’s bleak and quiet there, tucked away in the countryside. But little do people know that also living in this quiet corner of the world are paranormals who seek solitude and isolation. When several local old folks die in mysterious ways, all friends of Alex’ Uncle Frenchie, she’s determined to help save the lives of other elderly citizens in town. Along the way, she falls in love with sexy Vadim, who falls in love with her. Problem is, they come from clans that have been feuding for centuries. Their love is forbidden. Not just because their clans will object, but also because their actual blood cannot be allowed to fuse in any way. It could spell death and destruction. But they love each other, and so, they must find a way to overcome this problem and be together. Yes, you’ve guessed it. I love these characters. : )

 I’ve read a lot of fun romantic novels, such as Michelle Rowan’s Bitten & Smitten series and Diana Rowland’s White Trash Zombie series. These are really great reads. And because I love these books and admire the authors, I try to take this light-hearted approach to NIGHTFALL. I just do it with a voodoo priestess and her gargoyle sidekick, oh, and I add some very hot sex scenes, too. I don’t claim to be as good a writer as either Michelle Rowan or Diana Rowland, but a girl can always aspire to be better at what she loves, right? If I’m lucky enough to be allowed to see the entire NIGHTFALL series come out from Riverdale Avenue Publishing, I’ll be one very happy girl.

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CAN TRUE LOVE CONQUER BAD BLOOD?

Forbidden love, yearning desire, and seduction. Born from an ancient voodoo priestess clan, Alexandra Leveau falls in love with sexy vampire Vadim Blerinc. But these two are a dangerous match, and making love could literally kill them. 

And then local townies begin to die. Can Alexandra and Vadim save the people around them? Can they overcome the curse that has hung over their families for centuries? Can true love conquer bad blood?

About the Author

LOIS GRESH is the New York Times Best-Selling Author (6 times), Publishers Weekly Best-Selling Paperback Author, Publishers Weekly Best-Selling Paperback Children’s Author, and editor of 27 books and 50 short stories. Her books have been published in approximately 20 languages. Current books are paranormal romance novel NIGHTFALL, dark short story collection ELDRITCH EVOLUTIONS, DARK FUSIONS (editor), THE HUNGER GAMES COMPANION, and THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS COMPANION. Lois has received Bram Stoker Award, Nebula Award, Theodore Sturgeon Award, and International Horror Guild Award nominations for her work.

You can find her on the web: BLOG | FACEBOOK | FACEBOOK FANPAGE | TWITTER

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