Some of you will, I’m sure, think I’m nuts for saying Happy Friday the 13th. I mean, what’s happy about it, right? Well, what’s not happy about it? I don’t believe that Friday the 13th is a day filled with evil portent or unlucky occurrences. What is it that makes it unlucky? The number 13? In the Italian culture, 13 is a lucky number. (This is because there were 13 people at the Last Supper. Although, considering how that turned out, it is ironic.)
So my novella Have a Bite, book one in the Vampires of Brooklyn Chronicles, dropped last week. It was supposed to actually come out today, Friday, May 13. I was going to do this whole vampires-on-Friday-the-13th thing, but everything got done early, so here I am just talking about vampires. And Friday the 13th. And my novella.
Paranormal is not the most popular genre in lesbian fiction. Romance tops the list with flying colors. I think that’s true of fiction in general as well.
What about the Twilight series, you ask. Why are vampires all over the place, then, you ask.
Well, yes, vampires are very popular. But there are millions of people in the world and if you broke down the number of people who read vampire novels versus romance novels, I think you’d find that vampire novel readers are a small percentage. This is all speculation, mind you. I have no concrete numbers, but it’s been my experience, as a paranormal writer, that it simply doesn’t appeal to as many people as you’d think. It seems like a lot because the niche is there and enough people enjoy the genre to make a showing (if that makes any sense).
I say all of this because trying to market a paranormal book is a more difficult undertaking than promoting a romance novel. Romances seem to have an immediate interest. Not so with paranormal. Narrow that down to the lesbian fiction market, and it’s even harder.
So why do I do it? Because that’s the kind of story that calls to me. I love vampires and dark tales of creatures of the night. In many ways, I feel a kinship with them. They can’t help what they are and are often misunderstood. They often want love, even if society thinks they’re unloveable.
So I’m compelled to write stories about them. And I’ll continue to do so, even if few read them. They deserve to have their stories told, same as those forlorn lovers pining away after a misunderstanding. Or the two women who meet, feel electricity between them, but something keeps them apart.
But the good thing about Have a Bite is that it’s not just about vampires, it also has food (because the main vampire is a CHEF!), AND a love story. Yes–it’s a paranormal, urban fantasy, thriller, ROMANCE!. And it is now available! Check it out, if it appeals to you at all. Have a great weekend.
Have a Bite
R.G. Emanuelle 