Can Paranormals Be Funny?

When you think of paranormal romance, the first thing that comes to mind are strong, alpha male werewolves who make us want to howl at the moon and dark, brooding vampires who have us baring our necks and saying “Ooo, baby. Bite me. Bite me!” So you might ask, with all this oozing dark sensuality, can paranormals be funny? I say “Absolutely!”

Imagine, if you will, that tall, dark and handsome hero with the pointy teeth I just mentioned--what if the object of his affections is a hemophiliac? Could make those love hickies he gives her a bit messy--not to mention life threatening--don’t ya think? Or what if your heroine has serious allergy issues, then falls for a guy who gets hairy once a month? The fact that she has a major sneezing fit every time her werewolf boyfriend tries to snuggle up could make for some very funny moments. Or how about a novice witch who turns her boyfriend into a toad every time she gets aroused? Or what if your mortal hero has the hots for the sexy little ghost haunting the castle he’s just inherited, but every time he tries to make love to her, he falls through her onto the bed? Any and all of these could make for some very funny situations. Okay, funny for us readers and writers, not so funny for our poor hero and heroine who have to deal with these little bumps in the night.

But does getting giggles with your romance mean you have to sacrifice the dark, sexy element that we’ve come to associate with paranormals? Of course not--not if it’s done right. Just check out some of the authors who manage to give us both and do it very well:

from the light . . .
Lisa Cach, Kathy Love, Minda Webber, Sandra Hill, MaryJanice Davidson, Katie MacAlister, Lynsay Sands

to the dark . . .
Karen Marie Moning, Nina Bangs, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and even early Laurel K. Hamilton (if you like dry sarcasm)

So here's to the authors who manage to scare us and make us laugh at the same time. More power to ya!

P.S. A gold star for anyone who recognizes the famous 'love scene' pictured at the start of this post *G*

© 2007 Lori Dillon