I'm at the blog today to talk a bit about light paranormal in a book. I don't know if someone before me went over the difference between dark and light paranormal but I'll do a brief overview.
Dark paranormal is usually vampires, demons, werewolves, zombies and books with a darker almost Gothic theme.
Light paranormal is usually witches, spirits, ghosts, with lighter themes than the dark paranormal.
I write light paranormal. Mostly spirits and ghosts. Though I have enjoyed reading books about witches from authors like Nora Roberts, Mary Stewart, and Diana McCollum.
My Spirit Trilogy ( I think you figured out this is a paranormal), is first and foremost a historical Native American romance. But because I have three Indian spirit siblings who are main characters in the books, that makes the books also light paranormal. I say light not only because of the spirit element, but because that element of the story is key to the story, but it isn't dark. It is just in how they help the mortals in the books.
Three books about the Wallowa Band of Nez Perce or Nimiipuu. Three sibling Nimiipuu Spirits fall in love with mortals as they work together to help the People.
Spirit of the Mountain
Evil spirits, star-crossed
lovers, and duty…which will prevail?
Wren, the daughter of a Nimiipuu chief, loves the mountain and her people. When an evil spirit threatens Wren’s life, Himiin, Spirit of the Mountain, rushes to save her. But to leave the mountain means he’ll turn to smoke…
https://www.books2read.com/u/4Ek6A3
Spirit of the Lake
Can a spirit set upon this earth to watch over the Nimiipuu stay true to justice when revenge burns in his heart? On their quest for justice, Dove reveals spiritual abilities, ensnaring Wewukiye’s respect and awe. But will these abilities seal their future or tear them apart?
https://www.books2read.com/u/m2R9km
Spirit of the Sky
Can enemies not only work for peace but find love?
Sa-qan, a Nimiipuu eagle spirit, must take human form to
save her mortal niece when the Nimiipuu are forced from their land by the U.S.
Army. Trying to remain true to her spirit world and her people becomes hard when
a Cavalry Officer captures her heart.
https://www.books2read.com/u/b5D814
These books are what I call the "books of my heart." I grew up in Wallowa County where the Nimiipuu summered and wintered, yet I never knew more about them than they rode in the Chief Joseph Days parade and Rodeo. They set up teepees and that was it. When I became an adult I learned how they were pushed from their land and how they suffered. That is what is in these three books. I'm happy to sat that today, they own land in Wallowa County and hold a Powwow there every July. For many years they weren't allowed to set foot in the county.
My other light paranormal series is my Shandra Higheagle Mystery series. In these books it is a ghost or spirit of my main character's grandmother who comes to Shandra Higheagle in dreams and helps her solve the murders.
This story started out with my wanting to have a Native American protagonist and coming up with a way to have her involved in the art world because my brother, an artist had given me a great idea for how to hide a weapon on a bronze statue. With is idea, I came up with Shandra being a potter who sold her vases as art and goes to art shows. The idea of her grandmother coming to her in dreams came from my research of the Nez Perce who live on the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington State. The Nez Perce who live at Colville are descendants of the Non-treaty Nez Perce (the ones who followed Young Chief Joseph to Montana trying to get to Canada-you can learn all of this in my Spirit trilogy) who were first sent to Oklahoma after they were captured and then banned from being with the treaty Nez Perce in Lapwai in Idaho. These Non-treaty Nez Perce also practiced the Dreamer Religion of their ancestors. And this little tidbit, sent my mind spinning and I came up with the idea of Shandra's deceased grandmother coming to her in dreams.Although the grandmother comes to her, she doesn't just tell Shandra everything. Shandra has to decipher the dreams to help her catch the killers.
This only shows seven of the fifteen books in the series.
You can find these books at my website: https://www.patyjager.net/shandra-higheagle-mystery-series/ most of these books are available in ebook, print, and audio.
I prefer reading and writing the lighter paranormal books, what about you? Do you like lighter or darker paranormal reading?
Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 47 novels, 8 novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery and western romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Paty and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.
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5 comments:
While I always enjoy reading your books, Paty. Your Spirit Trilogy remains a favorite. And by acknowledging the travesty of forcing the Nez Perce off their land through your stories, you've educated many people about their reality. Our history books, at least the ones when I was in school, did not portray the white settlers and soldiers as the "bad guys".
Hi, Paty,
I do mostly read light paranormal, and that is definitely the genre I write in.
Once in a while I'll read a vampire book.
I really enjoy your books.
Diana
Hi Paty, I love your Light PN books!!! I enjoy reading lighter Pn stories or darker PN stories with a lot of humor. Enjoyed your post.
I loved those Spirit books when they first came out and still love them. It's the combination of Native American beliefs and the use of paranormal events. Of course, what we might call paranormal is what others believe to be normal but not scientifically described. These days, I think some people would call it metaphysical because it deals with spirits. I'm so glad to hear these are the books of your heart.
Thank you all for reading and commenting! I have had so much going on lately that I forgot I was at this blog on the 10th and just came over to see if anyone commented.
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