Wicked After Dark Blog Hop

For those of you visiting my website for the first time during this hop, some introductions are in order.

I am Ellison James and I write paranormal romance, paranormal romantic suspense, paranormal erotica, and general erotica. Whew, that was a mouthful. Some of you may be familiar with my titles including my first novel, Lovestruck Succubus - A story about a demon succubus who wants nothing more than to find love. Not just any love but true love, everlasting love, the kind of love she'd only seen in mortals. Trouble is, every time she tries to love a man, she succumbs to her needs ... and kills the man she's with. She thinks she is doomed to an eternity full of struggle between her desires and needs until she meets the one man able to survive her kind of love but he brings problems that threaten her very existence.

Anyway, that was my first novel, and I must say, it is not for the squeamish or one that is easily embarrassed if caught reading a particularly spicy part of the story in, oh ... let's say ... a doctor's office. I also have a sort of paranormal short erotic piece I wrote for a branded series called The Cusp of Libra. This book is free through Smashwords. Some of my bestselling contemporary fiction is a series I write about exhibitionism and voyeurism. In these stories, Wendy Parker discovers a new passion for what some might call 'performance' sex after watching her neighbors make love through her living room window--and getting caught.

My most recent novel is called Lexi's Run. Alexis is a werewolf princess who refuses to give in to her parents plans to have her mated with the son of the current pack Alpha. She runs away from her small town of Ellijay, Georgia and hops a bus to Atlanta only to fall asleep and wake up in Montgomery, Alabama. While hiding out in Montgomery, she manages to find more trouble than she would have had if she'd stayed in her small town. In the end though, she finds her true mate, catches some bad guys and saves the day.

But I'm sure you're not here reading this for a list of my work. I'm hoping you are participating in this hop for entertainment and enlightenment. So, here goes.

I thought since Halloween is fast approaching, I would ask the question: What is it that people find so intriguing about Vampires, Werewolves, Demons, Faeries, and even Mer-folks? My short answer is, intrigue. The long answer could go on forever, But I'll try to sum it up in just a few short sentences.

I think that what some find so intriguing about romantic or erotic stories of the paranormal is the ability to delve into unknown and unfamiliar worlds. In these worlds, we get to make up our own rules and, in some cases, can live on forever. This means that everything in the relationship is more intense. The sex is more intense, the love lasts for eternity, and the danger is often right there standing in your front door with an ax in its hand. This danger is especially intense when the main character of the story is a mere mortal and lacks all those special abilities writers like to imbue into there paranormal characters. Sometimes, if the main character is not mortal, they are made to suffer in some way for their immortality.

Here's an example of this struggle from my first novel, Lovestruck Succubus.

She felt the rush of energy through her body.  It started from deep within her, and emanated in all directions in waves of heat and electricity.  Pain and pleasure mixed in a borderless realm without thought or control.  Every movement was too much but she could not stop herself from moving, thrusting, and gyrating for more.  Energy left Jerry's body from everywhere.  It hung in a cloud tingling her skin to the point of stinging, but pleasurable, as her body absorbed it all.

She slowly regained control of her own movement as the cloud dissipated and her waves of orgasm subsided.  She was frozen in place, every movement too intense, and every inch of her body too sensitive.  Jerry had fallen silent and she knew he was gone.  She pulled off him, avoiding eye contact, and slid down off the bed.

After cleaning up in the bathroom, she slid her panties back on and smoothed her dress.  She felt a flood of conflicting emotions surfacing and she took some deep breaths to stave them off.

The harder Azra tried to push back those feelings that always followed her own satiation, the more they came to the surface.  She was exhilarated and depressed at the same time.  A muddy stain of conflict and depression seeped through her halo of energy and euphoria.  She always felt this way afterward but sensed it came from the desire she felt to somehow make all these men love her, and the realization that her kind of love brought them only death.  Now, even with her resolve to use this man only for her needs, she felt empty.  She only managed to prove she felt remorse for any man, not just the ones she liked.

She stood at the side of the bed and looked at Jerry, his body now just a shell, his lifeless eyes glazed over.  They seemed focused on nothing, on some endless distance overhead.  Dull eyes set in pale orbs, surrounded by flimsy ashen skin—a death mask.  The room was silent, not even the sounds of the city below permeated the quiet, as if the world paid homage to the recently departed.

Why can't I make this work?  She thought.  Can I not learn to survive without this?

Azra thought about Tarmin.  "Learn to love within your own kind," He had said to her so many times.

But, she could never be satisfied with his version of love.  She needed this intimacy, this sex with mortal men for her very survival.  If she could find a man to love her without sex, she would gladly accept her fate and perish, if only she could gain some control of her base need.  Between survival and love, her instinct simply moved her to survival.  Finally, at an emotional impasse, she looked at Jerry one last time.

"Goodbye Jerry," she said aloud, as tears tracked down her cheeks.

Emotions flooded her soul.  Depression and self-hatred once again stabbed through the cloud of euphoria, staining her heart with darkness.  She ran out of the room and down the stairs to avoid showing her tear-soaked face.  She left the hotel promising herself she would never return—and never fall prey to her silly thoughts of finding mortal love again.

I certainly hope this provided an example of the kind of struggle that can be found in the paranormal. Since I spent so much time talking about my first novel, I would like to offer a signed copy of Lovestruck Succubus, chosen randomly from those leaving comments on this post. So, just leave a comment on this post for a chance of receiving a free copy of my first novel in paperback form (or ebook, if you prefer) sent to you home or reading device.