Diversifying the
Paranormal: Creating the Multicultural Women of Kala West
Auriella Skye
I’ve been a fan of paranormal erotic romance stories for
years now. One of my first encounters came from Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. Some
fans were angry at the erotic turn of the series. However, I ate it up like a
jolly kid in a candy store with no appetite control. Then came my Kate Douglas
addiction. I gladly shelled out dollars for her sexy Wolf Tales series to get my erotic fix. Don’t even get me started
on J. R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood world. Now, those are some alpha
males.
These worlds were worth every cent I spent on them. They
offered some diversity here and there, but not much. I always loved the stories
that had black female protagonists because this made it easier to see myself in
the heroine’s shoes. That’s when I ventured out into the world of interracial
romance. I discovered authors like Eve Vaughn and Tressie Lockwood and
instantly fell in love with interracial paranormal romance.
The problem? There are not many interracial paranormal
romance books out there to frequently devour. Even fewer in this unique
category have erotic romance elements. One thing that I’ve learned as a writer
is that sometimes you have to write what you really want to read. I wanted
paranormal erotic romance with interracial main characters that I could fall in
love with and daydream about. That’s how my idea for the world of Kala West,
Florida came into writing reality.
It certainly helped to have a television show love for
paranormal themes too. Shows like Charmed,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, Lost Girl, Witches of East
End, Penny Dreadful, and the
numerous other supernatural shows available have all planted seeds to help grow
my own paranormal universe. There’s something spectacular about getting lost in
the surreal and forgetting about reality, especially when they have memorable
heroines.
What I really wanted as a writer was to take what I learned
from all of these elements to create strong, magical, and multicultural female
heroines who proved to be just as strong as the many non-multicultural heroines
who inhabit amazing stories today. Add in some sexy alpha heroes who know how
to appreciate curvy women and their diverse roots, and I knew I had created
something special.
I would absolutely love to see more books that capture the
amazing world of interracial and multicultural paranormal romance. It may be
small now, but there’s a need for it, and it is steadily growing. I know as a
reader, I needed it. I’m sure I’m not alone. Until then, I certainly plan on
writing my own contributions to this sexy and magical genre.
Although I have three planned stories circled around the
strong and bold people in my Alpha Warlock of Kala West universe, my
imagination has so much more to create. I absolutely love this world, and I’m
hungry for it. It’s a place I don’t mind living in often, even if it’s just as
a erotic romance language contributor.