Stephanie Rowe | Writing in Different Genres

What do the following all have in common?

SATIRICAL FUN: The Soulfire Series (HOLD ME IF YOU CAN, Jan 2012): A satirical, outrageously fun paranormal romance series in which a group of delectable warriors have been tortured for 150 years by Death's grandma in the Den of Womanly pursuits. During their hellacious incarceration, they were tortured into becoming the "perfect" mates: deadly enough to take down a posse of demons while finishing their latest cross-stitching sampler and writing poetry (much to their dismay).

EMOTIONAL SUSPENSE: The Alaska Heat series (ICE, Jan 2012): An emotional, high-octane romantic suspense series in which a rugged Alaskan bush pilot with a yen for high octane and a past that still haunts him teams up with a reluctant accountant from Seattle in a dangerous flight through the Alaska wilds to escape a madman.

DARK PASSION: The ORDER OF THE BLADE (March 2012): A dark and sexy paranormal romance series in which an elite group of ancient warriors with a mission to save the world from members of their own race when they go rogue. Each Calydon is destined to meet his mate and bond with her, but the moment the bond is complete, both will die and destroy everyone one they care about, unless the Order of the Blade kills them first. No warrior can afford to bond, and yet it is their destiny to do so. It's dark. It's passionate. It's dangerous.

REAL-LIFE COPING: THE FEEL GOOD LIFE (Dec 2011): A collection of funny, heartfelt and insightful essays about getting through the tough times in life.

FIRST LOVE: The Girlfriend's Guide to Boys series (PUTTING BOYS ON THE LEDGE, Nov 2011): A teen romance "girl power" series where first kisses, best friends and high school are the place where you find out who you really are.

HE MAGIC OF WISHES: PENELOPE MOONSWOGGLE, THE GIRL WHO COULD NOT RIDE A DRAGON (Nov 2011):  A whimsical pre-teen fantasy adventure about following your dreams.

At first glance, the six different stories listed above may seem to be a random collection of different types of fiction. Oh, sure, there's a common thread of romance running through most of them, but how that romance is delivered is different in each story. Toss in the non-fiction, the pre-teen adventure and what do you have?

You have six different ways to touch the human soul.

All of those series are mine, and people often ask about why and how I write in different genres. In my mind, those series aren't all that different. Why? Because when I write, my goal is to reach inside my soul and that of my characters, and to share a story of courage, of triumph, of facing the darkest and the worst that life has to offer, and to somehow, someway, pull through it and come on top, wiser, happier and a more complete (albeit possibly scarred!) person. The forum may differ, the tone may vary, the age of the target audience may shift, but in the end, every single one of my books delivers the same thing: a story of struggle that ends in hope and triumph. This is a message that I think everyone needs to hear, a victory that everyone needs to believe for themselves, for their loved ones, for their friends.

Kiss At Your Own Risk Soulfire #1 January 2011

Touch If You Dare Soulfire #2 July 2011

Hold Me If You Can Soulfire #3 January 2012

For example, in my Soulfire series, my goal is to take the expected and the traditional of both paranormal romance and society in general, and then twist it on its head. It's a satirical look at the assumptions we all have, and it will keep the reader on her toes trying to keep up. At first glance, it's an outrageous and fun series about very sexy badass warriors with a penchant for their softer side, be it cross-stitching, knitting or painting. On a deeper level, however, it's the poignant story about people were lost, who have been thrust into their worst nightmare for a hundred and fifty years, who are now struggling to overcome that past and find their equilibrium. These guys do it with courage, with loyalty, and with the help of the one woman who can get past their emotional shields and teach them to love.

Likewise, my Alaska Heat series is a dark, dangerous adventure in the wilds of Alaska with a very scary bad guy, guns, and dead bodies, but it's rich with the emotional journey of two ordinary people with tragic pasts that still haunt them. Two courageous souls struggling to find out who they are, and to come out of the darkness into a place of peace. It's their shared journey, their finding of a soulmate, that helps push them to face their worst nightmares and finally find the relief and love that they've struggling to find for so long.

They could be you. They could be me. They could be any of us who wake up in the morning wishing for more. The characters in my stories find their happy endings because they don't give up, because they have courage, because they let love into their lives, and it's my hope that sharing their journeys will be hope and joy and peace into my reader's lives as well. Never give up on a happier life. Never give up that things can get better. It can. Truly. I know it, I've lived it, and I want to give that hope to others who are struggling the way I did for so long.

You can read directly about my journey in my non-fiction book, THE FEEL GOOD LIFE, but in truth, all my books take that same path of tapping into the depths of the human soul, of touching up on that anguish, that loneliness, those though times, and using love, romance and dreams to bring that uplifting happy ending that helps us look at the world with a smile that's just a little brighter.

BIO: Four-time RITA® Award nominee and Golden Heart® Award winner Stephanie Rowe is the nationally bestselling author of more than twenty-five books. Stephanie writes romance (paranormal, contemporary and suspense), teen fiction, middle grade fiction and inspirational non-fiction. Stephanie's next projects include a re-release of her sexy Alaska Heat romantic suspense ICE (Jan '12) and CHILL (Feb '12) and the March '12 launch of her new dark paranormal series The Order of the Blade. The next Soulfire book, SEIZE WITH YOUR KISS, will be out in Summer 2012. Visit www.stephanierowe.com for more info.

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