My guest is UK author, Annalisa Crawford. She likes to tantalize readers by writing intriguing stories that touch on the unexplained.
The paranormal genre is hugely popular in today's writing and viewing market. Lines get a bit blurred with all the sub-genres. The bottom line is the paranormal genre encompass happenings beyond the normal human experience and can't yet be explained by science.
Annalisa's topic is why she doesn't consider herself a true paranormal author but is compelled to add she does utilize elements of the paranormal. Fascinating.
What do you think of when you hear the word paranormal?
Personally, I think of demons, werewolves, zombies, vampires…
especially vampires! More than that, I think of grave peril; whole towns in danger of being burnt to the ground by
rampaging demons, or being sucked into a vortex.
I don’t write about any of these things, and yet I’m compelled to add
the words with elements of paranormal,
shades of paranormal, hints… to my chosen genre.
The term paranormal, to me,
means there’s been a certain amount of world-building –a world where these
characters are out in the open, and non-paranormal characters are aware of
them. You could be walking down the street and meet a vampire. You might not be
that concerned; you might even flirt or fall in love. You would not run away
screaming; they would not be altogether hideous.
My paranormal tends to be more internal. You won’t meet a werewolf, but
you might meet a man who thinks he is one. You might stand behind a woman, in a
queue for the bus, who’s left the Devil back at home, in the form of her cat.
You might share a coffee with your boss who’s listening more intently to the
voice in her ear than you. And the voice will be very real.
In one of my short stories, a girl splits in two. It could be literal
or a metaphor, and what I really like doing – what my mum really hates – is
letting the reader decide for themselves. I always know what I believe, but I
want readers to make up their own mind. After all, that’s what people do daily, isn't it? They choose whether to believe they’re looking at a picture of a
ghost in the newspaper or not.
I think the power of the human brain is the most paranormal -the most
unexplained - subject of them all. We have no idea what we are truly capable
of, or what really exists outside our realm of consciousness. One of my
favourite books when I was younger was a collection of unexplained stories:
telekinesis, time slips, the Bermuda Triangle, spontaneous combustion. And I
plan to write about all of them.
And if I can completely baffle my mother in the process, all the
better!
I’d like to say a huge thank you to Sia for letting me blog here today.
“The Boathouse collects misfits. Strange solitary creatures that yearn for contact with the outside world, but not too much. They sit, glass in hand, either staring at the table in front of them, or at some distant point on the horizon.”
… so says the narrator
of Our Beautiful Child. And he’s been around long enough to know.
People end up in this
town almost by accident. Ella is running away from her nightmares, Sally is
running away from the memories of previous boyfriends and Rona is running away
from university. Each of them seek sanctuary in the 18th century pub, The
Boathouse; but in fact, that’s where their troubles begin.
Ella finds love, a
moment too late; Rona discovers a beautiful ability which needs refining before
she gets hurt; and Sally meets the captivating Murray, who threatens to ruin
everything.
I live in Cornwall UK, with a good supply of
beaches and moorland right on my doorstep to keep me inspired. I live with my
husband, two sons, a dog and a cat.
Despite my location, I neither surf nor sail, and
have never had any inclination to try. I much prefer walking along a deserted
beach and listening to the waves crashing over rocks. For this reason, I really
love the beach in the winter!
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