Reality in FantasyEven fantasy needs a healthy dose of reality.
Like most writers, I am a voracious reader. As a teenager, I grew up on a fictional diet of Stephen King, Anne Rice and James Herbert. As I entered my twenties, however, I moved onto a wide range of other authors such as Jodi Picoult and Khaled Hosseini. The things I loved about each of these authors’ books—however diverse the genres—was that for the most part the storylines were about normal people put in extraordinary circumstances. They were all people I could relate to, people I could meet walking down the street, and this made their stories all the more believable.
When I sat down to write ‘Alone’ (Book One in the ‘Serenity’ series), I knew I wanted to write a vampire romance. I’d just learned that Mills and Boon had recently brought out their paranormal imprint, ‘Nocturne’ and thought, ‘yeah, I can do that’. We were living in Spain, I had a small child at home, and I’d decided it was time I earned some money from the hundreds of hours I poured into my writing.
However, within a few pages, I knew there was no way Mills and Boon would be interested in this book. My love of all things dark quickly crept in and the result was a gritty story of a battered woman’s emotional journey, and she just happens to fall in love with a vampire!
You see, for me, although I love the paranormal, it’s real life that makes a book genuine. It’s things not always being as perfect as they seem on the outside. It’s people experiencing real trauma, but growing within themselves and overcoming whatever life has thrown in their path. The most important things in our lives are the simple ones; our relationships with other people. Without those relationships, we’d be nothing.
I want my books to be about real people, the battered woman you might pass in the street, the man struggling to balance bills with a sick child at home. Most of my characters are just like you and I. They don’t have any special powers. They’re just normal people, who, put in extreme (paranormal) situations, are able to achieve things they never thought possible.
I hope my readers believe in my characters as much as I do. Because after all, however fantastical a novel might be, the characters always have to feel real to the reader. The reader must experience every second of pain, every tear of joy, every heart-stopping moment of terror, as though it were their own. This is the most important part of reality in fantasy.
Luckily, my readers do seem to appreciate my combination of reality and fantasy. There are three books in the ‘Serenity’ series now, and when book three, ‘Captured’ released, all three books ended up in the top 100 for Contemporary Fantasy on Amazon. Book four, ‘Dominion’, is due to be released in October.
I’d like to give away a signed paperback copy of ‘Alone’, the first in my vampire ‘Serenity’ series, to one lucky commenter. Tell me what your favourite fantasy creature is and why, by leaving me a comment below.
And for those who can’t wait to see if they win the paperback, ‘Alone’ is now free to download from numerous sites including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple.
http://www.amazon.com/Alone-The-Serenity-Series-ebook/dp/B006YRN6NG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1337538455&sr=8-3
Thanks for hosting me, Cherry!
Book 1 of the Serenity series
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy
About Alone:
Caught in a violent and abusive relationship, Serenity thinks there is no escape.Source: Info in the About Alone was from the media kit for this blog tour.
On the day she fears her life can get no worse, she meets a stranger, Sebastian, who shows her the possibility of a different future.
Only Sebastian has a dark secret; he is a vampire.
As Serenity’s life takes a terrifying turn, she finds herself drawn into a world she never knew existed; one of murder, love and immortality. She is forced to confront her own weaknesses to save both her own life and that of the vampire she has come to love. But in the end all that matters is; can she find the strength to be Alone?
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Book 2 of the Serenity series
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy
About Buried:
Four years after the horrific murder of her husband, Serenity is living a new life and finally putting the terrifying events behind her. Though now a stronger person, her heart craves the vampire who gave her the strength to change her life.Source: Info in the About Buried was from the media kit for this blog tour.
Desperate to forget Serenity, Sebastian hides away in the underground tunnels of Goreme, Turkey, and has thrown himself into an existence of darkness and blood.
But rumours are abound of something unnatural existing, something with the strength of a vampire but that can walk in the light.
And a murderer is on the loose in Angeles Forest, someone who is killing with the ferocity of a beast. The killer is moving closer and closer to the city, searching for something...
Serenity.
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Book 3 of the Serenity series
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy
About Captured:
Living in Jackson’s cold embrace, Serenity no longer remembers who she is. Repeat feedings have left her a mere shell of a person and she has no recollections of her past life, though the sense that she isn’t alone often haunts her.Source: Info in the About Captured was from the media kit for this blog tour.
Back in Los Angeles, Sebastian has never given up hope of finding her again. Their daughter, Elizabeth, experiences visions of Serenity’s new existence and together they track her across the country.
But finding Serenity might prove to be the least of their problems. When Sebastian seeks the help of an older vampire, Demitrios, the family find themselves in the fight of their lives.
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Marissa Farrar is a multi-published horror and fantasy author. She was born in Devon, England, loves to travel and has lived in both Australia and Spain. She now resides in the countryside with her husband, two children, a crazy Spanish dog, two rescue cats and six hens. She has a degree in Zoology, but her true love has always been writing.
Marissa is the author of four novels, including the dark vampire ‘Serenity’ series. Her fifth novel, Underlife, a dark fantasy set beneath the streets of London, will be published August 2012.
Her short stories have been accepted for a number of anthologies including, Their Dark Masters, Red Skies Press, Masters of Horror: Damned If You Don’t, Triskaideka Books; and 2013: The Aftermath, Pill Hill Press.
If you want to know more about Marissa, then please visit her website at www.marissa-farrar.blogspot.com. You can also find her at her facebook page, www.facebook.com/marissa.farrar.author or follow her on twitter @marissafarrar.
She loves to hear from readers and can be emailed at marissafarrar [at] hotmail .co .uk.
