What do you think: Can historical romance and paranormal romance co-exist in one book?
I love historical romance. I’ve read it since I was 16 and I’ve written Regency romance for many (many) years. I love the costumes, the manners, playing with the concept of a closed society (which the British aristocracy certainly was, and arguably still is today, despite the fact that Prince William wed a “commoner”) . All of my Regency romances are about an outsider trying to fit into the established society.
Paranormal romance and fantasy is loads of fun too. All about the what-if. What if vampires were real? What if werewolves existed? What if there really is magic in our world? It’s so much fun to imagine the possibilities, and their implications on society.
So, now, think about combining the two. Paranormal beings are almost always outsiders – Other. All of my Regency romances are about outsiders, people who don’t quite fit into the aristocratic society. Sounds like a perfect match to me! Don’t you think?
So, I acted on this lovely aligning of genres to imagine a world where magic truly exists. A people called “Vallen” (Latin meaning powerful) who have varying abilities associated with a particular element (Air, Water, Fire or Earth). They are a people whose role it is to use their powers only for good to help human society advance through medicine, science, art, literature, leadership—wherever their strengths lie. The Vallen have existed since before the time of King Arthur. They come from magical Isle of Avalon and have lived amongst ordinary people for centuries.
Naturally, I’ve got to have a story about the origins of the Vallen off the Isle of Avalon (actually, it’s three stories — the Children of Avalon Series). But then, from there, I can— and have—created stories in any time period. Naturally, I began with the Regency. But didn’t want to escape completely from the Children of Avalon trilogy because there was still one more character in that series who needed a book of their own, the children’s mentor, Sir Dagonet.
Bridging the Storm is Dagonet’s book, although you don’t have to have read the Children of Avalon books to understand and enjoy it—it stands alone and yet connected to both the Children of Avalon series and my Storm Series (it’s book #2 in that series. Book #1 is the novella Storm on the Horizon and is free everywhere you buy ebooks).
Even though Sir Dagonet lived in medieval times and was a knight of King Arthur’s Round Table, thanks to a gift given to him by the great wizard, Merlin, he’s still alive during the Regency. The catch is that he doesn’t want to be. He’s lived a long, full life and is ready to die. But because of Merlin’s gift, he can’t. He’s compelled to live on. So, he spends his life exploring the world looking for someone who can take away this gift-turned-curse.
Kate Cherington would love to explore the world. She reads about explorations all the time, but because she’s completely dependent on her aunt, the high priestess of the Vallen, Tatiana Vallentyn, she can’t. When Sir Dagonet comes to her home to assist her aunt, Kate can’t believe her good luck. Not only does she think Dagonet could be her ticket away from an increasingly unstable aunt, but he’s handsome, funny, intelligent and appreciates her. What more could a girl want? Well… perhaps a man who is actually willing to take her away.
It’s going to take some convincing and a good number of knocks before Dagonet realizes that there might just be something, or someone, worth living for.
I love to connect with readers. You can contact me through my website: www.meredithbond.com or Twitter @merrybond.
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