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Blogs by Jerome Parisse
Angels are the new vampires! 6/1/2010 1:56:10 PM It seems like angels have recently taken over the literary world. Angel fever is spreading fast. Gone are zombies and the living dead, and the very successful vampires may soon follow them down the drain, although they still have a very strong following; in fact I doubt they will ever leave us entirely. A string of angel books have appeared on the shelves in the last few months. To name a few, “Kissed by an Angel” by Elizabeth Chandler, “Original Sin” by Allison Brennan, “Hush Hush” by Becca Fitzpatrick, “Fallen” by Laura Kate, “Angel Time”, by Anne Rice, “The Unfinished Angel” by Sharon Creech, and the recent “Angelology” by Danielle Trussoni, which has been optioned by Will Smith’s film production company (She’s already working on the sequel, “Angelopolis”).
Many of these novels could be categorised in the romance genre and seem to be geared towards a similar audience as the Twilight series. Young, innocent, beautiful girls fall in love with equally beautiful angels -with the added complication of fallen angels and the dire consequences their relationship will have on the community, or even the world. Battles and wars are rife. I predict a huge success for angel novels in the near future. Indeed it seems that many authors have had the same idea at the same time. Maybe it’s a case of what some believe to be a mind-to-mind communication phenomenon, as when a discovery is made simultaneously in various parts of the world. Writers must have a spiritual connection of some kind.
I can think of many reasons why angels offer great material for novels, whether romance or adventure. Here are just a few:
Angels are safer than vampires. They are not as scary for a start. Falling in love with an angel, even if it were to be a fallen one, is less risky and not as physically repulsive than falling in love with a vampire.
The concept of fallen angels offer the opportunity to stage the necessary fight between good and evil, and of course, relentless conflict.
Angels are much more complex material than vampires: there is a number of angel hierarchies, with various roles and skill set. The hierarchies can create a world in themselves (therefore fitting fantasy well), and the combinations are endless.
Angels are perfect for teen-age romance. Beautiful beings with supernatural powers, almost unreachable, but at the same time very human, and not devoid of sins either…
Angels are linked to religion, wich can widen the audience dramatically. Religion offers another angle (Please note spelling ) to a story.
They are half-human.
They can fly – one of mankind’s oldest desires.
There is a “science” that studies angels: angelology, making then more real than vampires, zombies and other ugly beasts.
I like angels. They are complex, human, godly, gorgeous, sexual (?), irresistible and romantic. I look forward to reading more of their stories, and I think we have plenty of them ahead. Fads come and go of course, and it applies to literature as well. It’s all about loops, really. We’ve left zombies behind, we’re still frolicking with vampires, but we’re already thinking of angels. Is ghost romance what’s round the corner? It may very well be. After which we’ll be back to square one with Zombies. Wanna bet?
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More Blogs by Jerome Parisse Body Swap Interview and Yunnan Trip... - Thursday, March 10, 2011 The Corrections - Wednesday, March 09, 2011 Buried - Wednesday, March 09, 2011 Black Swan - Monday, March 07, 2011 Educating Rita - Sunday, February 27, 2011 Bidrman, by Mo hayder - Sunday, February 27, 2011 The Insomnia of Stars - Wednesday, February 23, 2011 If I Stay, by Gayle Forman - Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Blacklands by Belinda bauer - Wednesday, February 16, 2011 Where is Marc Levy's respect for his readers? - Saturday, February 12, 2011 The Wings of Leo Spencer at $10 only! - Wednesday, February 09, 2011 Boracay, twenty years later - Tuesday, February 08, 2011 Hereafter - Tuesday, February 08, 2011 Gone (Mo Hayder) - Tuesday, February 08, 2011 Free e-books until 6 February! - Monday, January 31, 2011 Two Brothers - Sunday, January 30, 2011 Miserere - Saturday, January 29, 2011 Shanghai - Saturday, January 22, 2011 3 e-books for free until 6 January! - Thursday, January 20, 2011 A Spot of Bother - Thursday, January 20, 2011 Sarah's Key - Wednesday, January 19, 2011 The Tree - Tuesday, January 18, 2011 Norwegian Wood - Tuesday, January 18, 2011 The American - Tuesday, January 18, 2011 Eat Pray Love - Saturday, January 08, 2011 50 literature ideas you really need to know, by John Sutherland - Saturday, January 08, 2011 Aftershock - Thursday, January 06, 2011 Room by Emma Donoghue - Tuesday, January 04, 2011 Harry Potter and the Deahtly Hallows - Friday, December 17, 2010 The art of happiness - Thursday, December 16, 2010 The Scold's Bridle by Minette Walters - Wednesday, December 15, 2010 Worst film ever? - Sunday, December 12, 2010 Trailer for BODY SWAP - Friday, December 10, 2010 Hong Kong Murders - Monday, December 06, 2010 The kids are all right - Monday, December 06, 2010 The Killing Fields - My Father's Guests - Tuesday, November 30, 2010 Interview on Body Swap and publishing on Kindle by David Wisehart - Friday, November 26, 2010 The Animated Version of the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival - Monday, November 22, 2010 What is it about Japan? - Saturday, November 13, 2010 The Ice House - Sunday, November 07, 2010 Body Swap - Wednesday, November 03, 2010 Taipei: the city that reads... - Tuesday, November 02, 2010 Free royalty-free music - Monday, October 25, 2010 Trailer for THE WINGS OF LEO SPENCER - Saturday, October 23, 2010 Reference Material for Learning Chinese - Saturday, October 23, 2010 The world’s first text message adventure romance with the other side! - Wednesday, October 20, 2010 Grease.... or a failed English test - Monday, October 18, 2010 The jungle temples of Angkor, Cambodia - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 A little lower than the angels - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 61 Hours by Lee Child - Friday, October 01, 2010 The obsessions of Amelie Nothomb - Monday, September 27, 2010 Kaohsiung, the friendly city - Sunday, September 26, 2010 A concise history of Hong Kong - Tuesday, September 21, 2010 Nicaragua, twenty years on... - Monday, September 20, 2010 We all make mistakes, don't we? - Saturday, September 18, 2010 Serena - Thursday, September 16, 2010 Early works: Coben takes us for a ride - Tuesday, September 14, 2010 Tokyo / The Devil of Nanking - Sunday, September 12, 2010 Young and bold - Saturday, September 11, 2010 Gay marriage anyone? - Thursday, September 09, 2010 iPad anyone? - Wednesday, September 08, 2010 Online book promotion: The French strike again! - Tuesday, September 07, 2010 Blood Canticle - Monday, September 06, 2010 More Vampires! Breaking Dawn and The Passage - Sunday, September 05, 2010 Blackwood Farm - Wednesday, August 04, 2010 Animal Kingdom - Wednesday, August 04, 2010 Breath - Sunday, August 01, 2010 The Ghost Writer - Date Night - Dragons et al - Thursday, July 29, 2010 According to Kit - Friday, July 23, 2010 Playtime - Wednesday, July 21, 2010 It's all about words... - Monday, July 19, 2010 Deed to Death - Friday, July 16, 2010 The Art of Flying - Thursday, July 15, 2010 A Gate a the Stairs - Wednesday, July 14, 2010 Twitter: the art of (non) conversation? - Sunday, July 11, 2010 City of Thieves - Saturday, July 10, 2010 Gravity and Drift - Thursday, July 08, 2010 Who says nobody is reading any more? - Wednesday, July 07, 2010 Watercolours: the travelling artist - Wednesday, July 07, 2010 Release of "My Sister's Choice" - Monday, July 05, 2010 Eclipse: the movie vs the book - Saturday, July 03, 2010 Three chocolate croissants, please! - Wednesday, June 30, 2010 Paranormal romance: The list goes on - Sunday, June 27, 2010 Sex and the City - Friday, June 25, 2010 A great launch - Thursday, June 24, 2010 Jackhammering, sniffles and gum chewing - Tuesday, June 22, 2010 New Moon, Stephenie Meyer again - Monday, June 21, 2010 Reilly: The case for literary fiction - Wednesday, June 16, 2010 TWILIGHT - Tuesday, June 15, 2010 Bedroom Farce - Wednesday, June 09, 2010 Writing for the deaf and the hearing - Monday, June 07, 2010 A kiss or three - Sunday, June 06, 2010 Is - Wednesday, June 02, 2010 A prolific writer - Tuesday, June 01, 2010 Angels are the new vampires! - Tuesday, June 01, 2010 The ebook epiphany! - Sunday, May 30, 2010 Theatre Value Meal: Small, Medium, or Large? - Saturday, May 29, 2010 Of the importance of detail - Friday, May 28, 2010 Literary fiction or gothic horror? - Friday, May 28, 2010
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