Mythology Love - free ebooks!

An unforgettable selection of stories and samples for free!

Just click on the image above.

My paranormal romance, The 13th Floor Complete Collection is included in this spectacular promo. Vampires, werewolves, and gods, oh my!

The 13th Floor Collection blog tour on the 13th!

It's the 13th! Woo-hoo!

The print version of the Collection is here!

While I love the wonderful formatting for the ebook, the print book looks gorgeous. I can't stop caressing the pages.

Surely all authors do this with their books. It's not creepy... right?

Today I'm celebrating with an appointment with the Thunder God. Zeus has so kindly squeezed us into his schedule.
You'll find him on Heather Holden's blog. He agreed to her as a host because she loves Greek mythology so much. In fact, her web comic - Echo Effect - is based on a famous Greek myth. It's absolutely fabulous. Check it out!

Don't forget about my Friday Creepy Freebie giveaway hosted by Milo James Fowler.

Oh! And the Goodreads giveaway is still going on until the end of the month. So many chances for you to win a copy of my book!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The 13th Floor Complete Collection

by Christine Rains

Giveaway ends October 31, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Wicked Wednesday - making the old something new

Paranormal romance novels feature a lot of creatures that come from popular mythology. Vampires, demons, and werewolves, oh my! The problem with this is that we see the same characters over and over again. It can get tiresome. Yet we love reading and writing about our favorite paranormal creatures. The trick is to take the old and make it something new.

Do your research. If you're writing about vampires, read everything you can about them. Legends, mythology, and fiction. Pick a few particular characteristics and play them up. Maybe your vampires can walk in the sun, but the sight of a holy symbol will blind them. Instead of having the bite cause ecstasy in the victim, let it cause nightmares.

During your research, you might come across little know tales. An obscure myth from a tiny country. These are the ones that you should latch on to. Find out what makes these creatures unique, and what in its culture led to the different take on them. It makes a big difference where your vampires are from because that's what made them the creatures they are now.

Don't be afraid to use exotic myths. A Hungarian legend says that a person can become a werewolf by passing under a birch arch three times with the help of a wild rose's spine. Serbian folklore has a vampire returning from the grave for the single purpose of fornicating with his widow. Armenian lore states that a woman guilty of one of the seven sins must spend seven years as a werewolf. Pick pieces from these myths and twist them to fit the modern world.

Of course the biggest source of originality is your imagination. Add something completely new to your werewolves, make them your own. Look to how the environment is changing and what effect that would have on people that can change into animals. How would that change them? Read about modern myths and make your vampires evolve into creatures that can rule the technological age. What characteristics would they gain to make that possible?

Do you have any tips on making the tired old creatures into something new?

Thank you to Cherie Reich for suggesting this topic. If anyone would like me to talk about any particular aspect of paranormal romance, please leave me a suggestion in the comments.