I've been contemplating the kinds of stories and characters I like to write for a couple of months now, part of my (probably eternal) quest to become a better writer. One of the reasons I pursue writing is because I have a difficult time finding stories I like to read. Since I have such a hard time, I figure others do, too, and that those readers might appreciate having an author who takes a different approach to writing paranormal romances, someone who steps outside the norms a little while still drawing on the powerful traditions of authors who have gone before.

Below, I've outlined a couple of my objectives as a writer when it comes to plot, characters, paranormal elements, and stories. (There are a few mild spoilers, so I've put my discussion behind a "Read More" link.)

Strong, complex characters.
So, here's my basic philosophy about characters, based on four decades as a reader (at least half of them reading critically) and the research I've done as a writer, plus my own (admittedly limited) experiences as the latter: 

• Characters might have a "fatal flaw," but that's not the only thing that defines them.
• Jennifer Crusie was dead-on when she said that all characters think they're the protagonist.

Those are the two keys I've found, so far, to writing characters that:

• Are comfortable in their own skin, or learn to be. Ella Southards doesn't start out this way in A Higher Purpose, but she gets there. It's part of the story's charm.
• Aren't perpetual victims, even if they've been victimized. Hawthorne was brutally raped as a child. (Perspective: She was nearly an adult by the standards of the People. ETA: Not that that makes it easier to deal with.) It still gives her problems, but she's learned to deal with it, in part by helping other people learn to defend themselves against assault. To be fair, she's had nearly two millennia to deal with it and has a bad habit of beheading men who treat her poorly, but still; she's dealing with it, in her own Hawthorne-y way.
• Are multi-faceted. Dani Nehring was a performer for a while, earned a serious rep as a street fighter, and enjoys knitting. She cooks, likes B movies and corny jokes, has a deep appreciation of the male body (especially Dave's; it gets her into trouble, not the way you're thinking, either) and the Russian Romantics. Ok, she's obsessed with yarn, but who wouldn't be? The point is, there's more to her than one "fatal flaw," her current job, and her, ah, girly parts.
• Are mature and responsible. Dierdre, Maya's teen-aged daughter, is fourteen. She's also more of an adult, even when she's being a typical teenager, than many of the adult characters that are written today. Of course, that's the way she was raised; it's the way most of the immortal children of the People are raised because they have to be. Can you imagine a centuries-old character with the strength, training, and agility of a warrior who's set loose on the world without the mental ability and discipline to mitigate that strength? Oh, wait, Lilith (which makes her the perfect villain, yes?).
• ...for the most part. Let's face it. No one's mature and responsible 100% of the time. It's part of being human. Plus, it's boring when people behave all the time and are perfect. We mess up. We're flawed, often deeply so. And sometimes we lash out when we really shouldn't. Take Bobby Upton. Bless his heart, you know I love him, but he's got issues. Sometimes, he expresses his anger at his own [past] behavior in inappropriate ways. That doesn't make him a bad character, just a realistic one.

The Boy Scouts' oath contains two components that I also keep in mind: Mentally strong and morally straight. Some of my characters could rightly be called morally relativistic, even when they believe they're being morally straight. India Furia is a perfect example of this. She has a deep moral conviction in her cause and believes it absolutely to be the correct path. To achieve that goal, however, she hurts people, including her family, her lover, even her cohorts. The strength of her conviction (her moral straightness) allows her to justify that harm (moral relativism). She holds a deep contempt for people who have compassion for their enemies, and is utterly ruthless about pushing people out of her way. Honestly? It's what makes her such a great character. It's also what makes me root for her reform.

So, that's it. I enjoy writing strong, complex characters with depth and maturity.

Stories with Multiple Subplots.
Ok, I admit it. I really enjoy reading complex stories as well. There's nothing worse to me than a book that follows a straight path from beginning to end without stopping to explore some of that story world's quirks. This is, I think, one of the fabulous things about being an indie writer and, as a reader, having lots of other indie stories to draw from. As such, we can take some time to wander down a side path, as long as we don't wander too far and can make it relevant to the main story, whereas a lot of traditionally published authors have such quirks cut by editors (who shouldn't be knocked for doing their jobs). Now, epic fantasy takes this to a bit of an extreme, which is why I don't read it that often, but hey, I appreciate the effort immensely and understand why readers can't get enough.

Now, I'll also admit that a lot of the subplots I weave into narratives are pretty subtle. I've seeded a lot of information into the first few books in the Daughters of the People series that won't make sense (and most readers won't catch) until the end of the series: The role of the Woman with No Face; the importance of the Oracle to the People; the true location and meaning of Sanctuary; the reason Lukas Alexiou is trying to achieve peace between the Shadow Enemy and the People; and so on. These subplots keep the main stories interesting while foreshadowing later events. It's what keeps me reading Kresley Cole's Immortals after Dark series: I want to know what happens during the Accession!

Paranormal Elements 
I love paranormal romances, but I'm getting a little tired of the whole "special powers" trend. That's why I went with something more subtle for the Witches of Cullowhee series. In A Higher Purpose, Ella learns she's a hereditary witch. It plays a large role in the story (that's the whole reason she kept dreaming about Adam), but is woven into the story in such as way as to make it not that big of a deal, to make it an ordinary part of Ella's world. As Ella says in A Wicked Love, her magic, and the magic of her kin, is a gentle kind of magic. It's not an in-your-face, casting spells, sparks flying from the fingertips kind of magic, and because of that, it's put off some readers. That's ok. I wasn't writing to those readers. I was writing to the readers who, like me, would like to see something more subtle.

Now, fair warning, but the magic becomes a bigger part of future stories. It gets stronger as these women find one another, and I can't promise that, eventually, someone won't cast a spell. But it's not going to happen anytime soon because the overall series is a gradual, gentle build. Have patience, my friends. It's going to get interesting.

As far as the other stories I'm writing go, the paranormal elements are also a bit more toned down than is usual in modern paranormal romances. I've "branded" the Daughters of the People series as paranormal because the Daughters are immortal and they're under a heavy curse. See? That's paranormal. One of the characters in Second Chance Christmas is a ghost, though it's not a ghost-human romance. (Sorry to disappoint, but I promise, you'll love the ghost.) Later on, I might write something that's a little more in your face with the paranormal elements. Actually, I can confirm this now: One series I'm planning for release in 2016 is most definitely more along the lines of a modern paranormal romance. Also, it's set in Cullowhee in the same story world as the Witches series. (One of the characters for the new series is mentioned in passing in A Wicked Love.) So, I enjoy writing paranormal elements, but of varying degrees, and I prefer subtle over larger than life. But that's ok, because....

I Write What I Like to Read and It's All Subjective.
Now, recently, another author accused me of releasing substandard work into the market because I understand that reading is a subjective experience. Specifically, I understand that not everyone is going to like A Higher Purpose's length because it's a novella and some people prefer longer stories; also, some people prefer stronger paranormal elements than what AHP contains; and, hey, some people aren't going to connect to the characters because, as readers, they were expecting something else. In other words, what makes a story "good" in a reader's mind is subjective and depends more upon the reader than it does the story. 

When I released AHP, I knew I'd get dinged in reviews by people who prefer longer stories with stronger paranormal elements and characters who were perpetually "damaged." (It's a trend.) And I was ok with that. That doesn't mean I released a substandard work. Even at thirty thousand words, AHP has strong, complex characters, a detailed story world, and a fully-developed plot. It's well-written, contains few, if any, typographical or grammatical errors (Dialogue doesn't count!), and is subtly funny to boot. AHP is different, but that doesn't make it substandard, and understanding its comparative differences doesn't make me a poor author.

The truth is that most authors write what they enjoy reading (to some extent, at least), and nearly all of them hope their stories are commercially viable, particularly if they want to make a living through their craft. This is something I hope to achieve as well, but the only way I can do that is to really connect with readers who enjoy the same kinds of stories I like to read and, thus, am writing. Hopefully, y'all will find me eventually. Until then, I write on.