To be clear, I don’t mean “magic” tricks as in the art of
illusion for entertainment, which uses sleight of hand and/or deceptive contraptions.
Obviously those are real things, and there is nothing supernatural about them.
I’m talking about magic when it refers to the very real
practices of sorcery, witchcraft, wizardry, occultism, etc. These Black Arts
are called that for a reason: because they involve mere humans dabbling in unfamiliar
powers that can neither be controlled, nor safely engaged.
I am a Christian by faith. That means that I believe there
are only two sources of power in our little 3-dimensional universe: God and Not
God. God is the source of all good things in our world: love, truth, beauty,
hope, and real life. Not God is the source of all that is not good: hate, lies
and deception, ugliness, hopelessness, and real death.
As humans we are titillated by the idea of supernatural
powers, whether in the form of Marvel and DC Comics characters, or in something
as (seemingly) innocuous as a Ouija board. Humans are born with an
understanding that we are not the be-all and end-all of existence, so it’s
natural for us to want to enter that mysterious not-3D realm. And let’s be
honest; at some point, we all will.
In the meantime, messing with dark things that we really
don’t understand can hurt us – now, and later.
I had to grapple with this when I decided to write a
paranormal trilogy. I am walking a careful line between what could be God
possible, and not allowing Not God to take any part in my story. So that means
no demonic creatures, no shape-shifters, no zombies, vampires, or dead-people ghosts.
My solution? A Viking caught between life and death during Norway
My precedent? Enoch, Elijah, and
Lazarus.
My happy ending? My hero eventually gets his body back at the end of book two and picks up
his life again.
After being stuck in the ether for 950 years.
Will traditional paranormal readers like him? Maybe. But he
might be too tame for readers who regularly dine on blood and evil.
Will my Hansen Series fans like him? I think so. His
unusual circumstance aside, he fits into the family quite nicely, as both the
beginning and the end of my historical timeframe. Plus his contemporary heroine
is a hoot.
Either way, the cross-dimensional and unique relationship
between an 11th-century Viking and a 21st century woman is the kind of “magic” which
I can happily embrace.
***
Coming in 2016:
An Unexpected Viking
A Restored Viking
A Modern Viking
7 comments:
Thoughtful post about an intriguing concept and character. And a unique way to bring your historical readers to the 21st century!
Your new series sounds intriguing, Kris! No everyone who likes paranormal stories is a lover of blood, gore, and demons. You'll find your audience, beginning with your current audience. I'm looking forward to these books!!!
I like the concept of your new series! I'll be buying it for sure. And I'm one of those paranormal readers who is not crazy about a lot of blood and gore.
Interesting take on paranormal, Kris. I'd probably like your hero more than the typical vampire or werewolf. :-)
Thanks everybody! I was nervous about how this post would be received, but I had to be true to me. ;)
There are a lot of light paranormal readers out there. Not all require kick ass heroines.
Interesting take on the walk between magic in your books and your Christian faith. I would say that magic, like most things in life, can be good or bad and tends to be a reflection of the person wielding it. Though I don't like blood and gore, I do like stories where the magic and its control reflects the conflicts within a person's heart. Sometimes those conflicts can be very nasty.
It is hard to determine how much of the "dark side" to bring out in a story--whether that is paranormal, suspense, or a contemporary romance. Walking that line is something every writer needs to struggle with and determine for herself how much dark and light they are willing to present.
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