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Paranormal romance is a subgenre of both
romantic fiction A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and Romance (love), romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimis ...
and speculative fiction. Paranormal romance focuses on
romantic love Romance or romantic love is a feeling of love for, or a strong attraction towards another person, and the courtship behaviors undertaken by an individual to express those overall feelings and resultant emotions. The ''Wiley Blackwell Encyc ...
and includes elements beyond the range of scientific explanation, blending together themes from the speculative fiction genres of fantasy,
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univers ...
, and horror. Paranormal romance may range from traditional category romances, such as those published by Harlequin Mills & Boon, with a paranormal setting to stories where the main emphasis is on a science fiction or fantasy-based plot with a romantic subplot included. Common hallmarks are romantic relationships between humans and vampires,
shapeshifters In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shape-shifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through an inherently superhuman ability, divine intervention, demonic manipulation, sorcery, spells or having inherited the ...
, ghosts, and other entities of a fantastic or otherworldly nature. Beyond the more prevalent themes involving vampires, shapeshifters, ghosts, or time travel, paranormal romances can also include books featuring characters with psychic abilities, like telekinesis or
telepathy Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...
. Paranormal romance has its roots in gothic fiction. Its most recent revival has been spurred by turn of the 21st century technology; for example, the internet and
electronic publishing Electronic publishing (also referred to as publishing, digital publishing, or online publishing) includes the digital publication of e-books, digital magazines, and the development of digital libraries and catalogues. It also includes the editi ...
. Paranormal romances are one of the fastest-growing trends in the romance genre. Examples of authors specializing in this genre include Dani Harper,
Nalini Singh Nalini Singh (born September 01, 1945) is an Indian journalist. She has been the anchor for several current affairs programs on Doordarshan, and is most known for her program, 'Aankhon Dekhi', on investigative journalism. She had made another ...
, Jessica Bird, Kresley Cole, Christine Feehan,
Kelley Armstrong Kelley Armstrong (born 14 December 1968)Bio for school projectsStephenie Meyer Stephenie Meyer (; née Morgan; born December 24, 1973) is an American novelist and film producer. She is best known for writing the vampire romance series ''Twilight'', which has sold over 100 million copies, with translations into 37 differ ...
, author of the ''Twilight'' series. According to 2013 statistics by the fantasy publisher Tor Books, among writers of
urban fantasy Urban fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy which places imaginary and unreal elements in an approximation of a contemporary urban setting. The combination provides the writer with quixotic plot-drivers, unusual character traits, and a platform for c ...
or paranormal romance, 57% are women and 43% are men, whereas men outnumber women by about two to one in writing
historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
, epic, or high fantasy. ( See full statistics)


Definition and subgenres

Paranormal romance blends the real with the fantastic or science fictional. The fantastic elements may be woven into an alternate version of our own world in an
urban fantasy Urban fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy which places imaginary and unreal elements in an approximation of a contemporary urban setting. The combination provides the writer with quixotic plot-drivers, unusual character traits, and a platform for c ...
involving vampires, demons, and/or
werewolves In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely o ...
, or they may be more "normal" manifestations of the paranormal—humans with psychic abilities,
witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...
es, or ghosts. Time travel, futuristic, and extraterrestrial romances also fall beneath the paranormal umbrella. These novels often blend elements of other subgenres, including
suspense Suspense is a state of mental uncertainty, anxiety, being Decision-making, undecided, or being Doubt, doubtful. In a Drama, dramatic work, suspense is the anticipation of the wikt:outcome, outcome of a plot (narrative), plot or of the solution t ...
and mystery, with their fantastic themes. A few paranormals are set solely in the past and are structured much like any
historical romance Historical romance is a broad category of mass-market fiction focusing on romantic relationships in historical periods, which Walter Scott helped popularize in the early 19th century. Varieties Viking These books feature Vikings during the Dar ...
novel. Others are set in the future, sometimes on different worlds. Still others have a time-travel element with either the hero or the heroine traveling into the past or the future. Between 2002 and 2004, the number of paranormal romances published in the United States doubled to 170 per year. A popular title in the genre can sell over 500,000 copies. As in the fantasy subgenre known as urban fantasy, many paranormal romances rely on the blend of contemporary life with the existence of supernatural or magically empowered beings, human or otherwise; sometimes the larger culture is aware of the magical in its midst, sometimes it is not. Some paranormal romances focus less on the specifics of their alternative worlds than do traditional science fiction or fantasy novels, keeping the attention strongly on the underlying romance. Others develop the alternate reality meticulously, combining well-planned magical systems and inhuman cultures with contemporary reality. The first futuristic romance to be marketed by a mainstream romance publisher,
Jayne Ann Krentz Jayne Ann Krentz, née Jayne Castle (born March 28, 1948 in Cobb, California, United States), is an American writer of romance novels. Krentz is the author of a string of ''New York Times'' bestsellers under seven different pseudonyms. Now, she ...
's '' Sweet Starfire'', was published in 1986 and was a "classic road trip romance" that just happened to be set in a separate galaxy. This genre has become much more popular since 2000. Krentz attributes the popularity of this subgenre to the fact that the novels "are, at heart, classic historical romances that just happen to be set on other worlds". Time-travel romances are a version of the classic " fish out of water" story. In most, the heroine is from the present day and travels into the past to meet the hero (for example, the manga and anime series ''
Inuyasha is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from November 1996 to June 2008, with its chapters collected in fifty-six '' ...
''). In a smaller subset of these novels, the hero, who lives in the past, travels forward into his future to meet the heroine. A successful time-travel romance must have the characters react logically to their experience, and should investigate some of the differences, both physical and mental, between the world the character normally inhabits and the one in which they have landed. Some writers choose to end their novels with the protagonists trapped in different time periods and unable to be together—to the displeasure of many readers of the genre.


P.E.A.R.L.

The P.E.A.R.L. (Paranormal Excellence Award for Romantic Literature) was a reader's choice award. Until 2008 it was presented annually to the top-voted paranormal romances by the ParaNormal Romance Groups. They named the ''Best of Year'' in ten categories related to paranormal romance and romantic science fiction. Authors who won P.E.A.R.L. awards include Kresley Cole, Christine Feehan,
Jayne Ann Krentz Jayne Ann Krentz, née Jayne Castle (born March 28, 1948 in Cobb, California, United States), is an American writer of romance novels. Krentz is the author of a string of ''New York Times'' bestsellers under seven different pseudonyms. Now, she ...
, Nora Roberts, and Linnea Sinclair.


See also

* Ghost story * List of ghost films *
Magical girlfriend A magical girlfriend, exotic girlfriend, monster girlfriend, nonhuman woman, or supernatural lover, is a female stock character often associated with romantic comedy anime and manga series, and is sometimes considered a genre of its own, or as th ...
* Monster erotica, fiction about sexual encounters with monsters *
Paranormal fiction Paranormal fiction is a genre of fiction whose story lines revolve around the paranormal. Sub genres * Paranormal romance * Urban fantasy Television *''The X-Files'', a suspense drama television series in which characters investigate various pa ...


References

{{Romance novel Fantasy genres Fiction by genre Literary genres Low fantasy Romance genres Speculative fiction fr:Sous-genres de la romance#Romance paranormale