It's Alive! It's ALIVE!!
2015 was a great year for a million reasons, and it was kind of a bummer year for one big reason:
YA Paranormal Literature Was Dead.
At least, that’s what agents and publishers kept telling me over and over again this past year. According to the powers that be, the market is saturated, and no one wants to read (or more importantly – buy) paranormal stories anymore.
Add to that the fact that I was shopping around a Paranormal ROMANCE novel, and the proverbial publishing door was slammed even harder in my face. The gatekeepers had spoken and the ugly verdict was handed down:
YA Paranormal Literature Is Most Definitely Dead.
But I didn’t believe it. I wouldn’t believe it. And so, with eyes closed tight, teeth clenched in absolute fear, I reluctantly put FLIGHT out there anyway, hoping that those gatekeepers were wrong.
And you know what? Not only were they wrong, they were SO wrong!
There is an audience for YA Paranormal Lit and it’s alive and well, thank you very much. And not only is it alive, it’s thriving and as big as ever! I have had the good fortune of meeting so many fans of this great genre, who are just as vested, and just as loyal as they were at the height of the Twilight phenomenon. This market isn’t dead at all, and there are legions of fans still out there to prove that fact right.
I kind of new this to be true all along, but it wasn’t till this holiday break that I realized it even more clearly. This holiday season I found my newest obsession, the Paranormal Sci-Fi series, “Supernatural.” I’m way late to the game (it’s currently in it’s 11th season and is the longest running Sci Fi show in history), and I’m only on Season 6, but I am totally in love with this series. TNT runs 4 hours of back to back episodes every day, and my family has now accepted that mommy is going to make random disappearances to go catch up on the latest episode. The story centers around two brothers who hunt demons, and all the crazy adventures that they get into as they hunt. There are angels and archangels and demons and vampires and every sort of wonderful paranormal creature you could imagine making guest appearances. (Plus the two actors who play the brothers are lovely eye candy, so that’s always a bonus.)
The fan base that this show has is enormous and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, and that’s fantastic. This series, and all the other wonderful paranormal stories out there, prove that genres don’t die nor do they become less marketable if they’re done WELL. “Supernatural” is one of the smartest, funniest and well-written shows I’ve seen in a long time. If something is done right, it will succeed and be accepted no matter what the genre is.
So, take that literary gatekeepers. Paranormal stories are alive and well and I’m so proud to be a small part in it.
I’m going to stop blogging now so I can go watch yet another episode of “Supernatural.” Only got 5 more seasons before I’m totally caught up :)
