Please join me in welcoming Cate Masters to the blog today!
Five reasons I love mythology-based paranormals
For a writer, the stuff of myth and legend is treasure. Pure story gold.
Heroes and heroines who don't simply embody the hero archetype, they invented it. Here are a few reasons I
love paranormals based on mythology:
1. Myths are classic. They're the originals. The stories most every
other story is based upon in some way.
2. Immortality. Immortals particularly intrigue me. Existing since the
dawn of time tends to lend interest to a character, doesn't it? They've seen it
all, done it all, but still have to keep up with the latest.
3. Different versions of myths. Not all legends are the same, even about
the same character. It allows for a little, ahem, leeway for writers. Some
creative license. Room to play--expand the character traits, place them in
situations they've never before faced.
4. Kickass heroes to make you swoon. Don't you love them? Alpha males
with special talents or powers. When paired with a strong females who can bring
them to their knees, the sparks fly off the page!
5. The coolness factor. They may be old school, but immortals in the
present have rock star cool. By definition, an immortal would still exist in
present time, and I love nothing better than placing an ancient character in a
modern setting.
I am not, however, a fan of stereotypes. I love to mix it up. Sometimes
a lot! My latest Decadent Tease release, Cursed, isn't strictly based on myth.
I mixed a mythological creature and some current-day science, an instantly
recognizable historical figure, and some (distorted) history in a fun but
mysterious setting: the ten-day festival of Carnevale in Venice, Italy.
Thanks for having me today at For the Love of Bookends! It's been a real
pleasure.
Giveaway!
One commenter will receive Cursed book swag - just tell me whether you
love paranormals based on mythology and why (or why not?). Be sure to leave
your email address!
Cursed
The Vitruvian Man,
book 1
by Cate Masters
Paranormal romance
novella
Available from:
Blurb:
Ten days of freedom.
That’s all Fate had allotted me each year. In the streets of Venice, I could
walk among them. Mingle. Belong.
During Carnevale,
they had no idea who I was. What I was.
For ten days, it
didn’t matter.
Until I met her.
Bruno diCesare lives alone by necessity, not choice. An experiment
performed by Leonardo da Vinci, who believed having a dual DNA would grant a
person immortality, used magic to render Bruno a chimera – the head of a lion,
body of a dragon. The only time he can mingle with people is during Carnevale, ten
glorious days of masked anonymity, frivolity and intimacy.
Melina Weaver learned fire dancing to enliven her dull existence. A
scientist, her long hours at the lab leave no time for a social life. For ten
days at Carnevale, she can pretend to be someone else. Someone sexy and daring,
who lives on the edge.
Once she meets Bruno, her wish comes true, but everything goes terribly
wrong. Beneath Bruno’s costume lurks an alpha male, but is he dangerous? Worse,
can she return to an employer who sells her research to the military to make an
army of efficient killers? Her only hope may lie with the man she’s just met
and never seen.
Watch the book video: http://youtu.be/Zwp1Xdg0Dd8
Excerpt:
Light danced in his dark eyes. “I must admit, your fire dancing
fascinated me. What made you choose such a dangerous skill to master?”
“The thrill of the challenge, I suppose.” It balanced the rest of her
mundane life, to a degree. Mastering each new level gave her a sense of
achievement, where work couldn’t.
Something flashed through his dark eyes. “Mistakes must be very
painful.”
“I practiced a long time before I worked up the nerve to actually light
the wands. I found the fire great incentive to focus, however.” God, her grin
must be goofy, the way he stared. Such gorgeous eyes, such a deep brown they
almost appeared black. He probably had rugged features, if his large hands
provided any indication. Too bad he wore gloves, another barrier between them.
“Yes,” he said, “I imagine so.”
“What about you? What other magic do you know?” Oh please, can you get
any more ridiculous? It sounded like a line from a bad chick flick.
The crinkle around his eyes was the only evidence of his smile, but
enough to charm her.
“Lifetimes of studying the dark arts have provided me with many tricks.”
“Lifetimes?” she blurted.
He stiffened in her arms. “Pardon?”
She watched him carefully. “You said ‘lifetimes’. Plural.” And what the
hell did he mean by ‘dark arts’?
Rigidity masked the grace of his movements. “I’m sure you’re mistaken.”
He stared over her head as they whirled to the song’s rhythm.
Mistaken my ass. How very strange. More strange that the question upset him. He’d
clammed up, and his muscles were so tense, she expected him to bolt. Better to
drop it. For now. “Must have been a slip of the tongue.”
“Yes.” Relief sounded in his tone, though guarded.
This man had something to hide. How intriguing.
About Cate
Cate Masters has made
beautiful central Pennsylvania her home, but she’ll always be a Jersey girl at
heart. When not spending time with her dear hubby, she can be found in her lair,
concocting a magical brew of contemporary, historical, and fantasy/paranormal
stories with her cat Chairman Maiow and dog Lily as company. Look for her at http://catemasters.blogspot.com and
in strange nooks and far-flung corners of the web.
Cate loves to hear
from readers! Email her at: cate.masters@gmail.com
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Hi Cate,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I must admit, I love paranormals based on myths. It gives the story a real solid structure, while allowing the author to tweak the tale into something new and exciting.
Congrats on CURSED, it's a great read!
Thanks for sharing this post. I love some paranormal books that are based on myth. It depends a lot on how much the author kept to the spirit of the myth involved, mixing it up is great and adds to the stories, but say someone tried to make Aries the god of war into a whiney god, I can't go for that. Your book sounds very intriguing and I am looking forward to reading it. Thanks for sharing the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI love any type of paranormals.Thanks for the chance to win.
ReplyDeletedragonkeep62(at)gmail(dot)com
I love paranormals based on mythology. I've always been fascinated with Greek and Roman mythology, the gods and goddesses :) Thank you for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteEmail: aznangel_dd@hotmail.com