Paranormality in Portland ruled last night with a witchy moon suspended over the sparkling lights of downtown Portland. A crystal clear night, near freezing in temperature but who cares. It wasn’t raining! As I drove west on Sandy Boulevard I caught my breath in wonder at the sight before me. Across the river twinkling lights of buildings acted as backdrop under a glowing yellow moon. The moon appeared like the bottom half of a bowl, suspended in a thick beautiful slice as if the buildings themselves were holding it in the sky. As I drove further west, the moon began dropping behind the buildings until finally disappearing with a tiny glow from one point, a single pinprick of light between tall buildings…

I could hear the creatures of paranormal Portland howling in delight. Perhaps if I had been able to observe just a little longer, I may have seen the brief outline of an ecstatic  dragon winging across the burnt umber expanse of moon.

This town inspires fantasy in every cell of my writer’s heart. To find out more about my Portland inspiration, check out my online interveiw by Christy Caughie at:

http://www.examiner.com/romance-novel-in-portland/dragons-roam-portland-louisa-kelley-s-new-book
XO
Louisa

It’s true. Daughters of Draca, both Lydia, Cara, and of course myself, will be hopping our way through cyber space on a virtual blog tour March 5th-16th. What a fun process! I’m already preparing blog posts and perusing website requests and interview questions…Quite the thing, as they say. Here’s a link for information about where I’ll be:

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/01/virtual-book-tour-daughters-of-draca.html

Portland paranormality has quite perked up; all this stirring about on the internet with their stories. I’ve been repeatedly asked “what about the next story Louisa? Book Three?” And I always answer the same way. Nareen’s story will be told. I promise.  Next book is hers; Nareen of the Draca.
XO
Louisa

Great news dragon shape-shifter fans! The second book in my ‘Daughters of Draca’ series will be released on January 24th 2012!

It’s another hot and spicy read, with plenty of action and romance. Here’s an excerpt to wet your anticipation for the latest book on the Draca and the Portland women who love them:

(Our heroine, Cara, is taking her first flight in the air with her lover and Draca shape-shifter, Aedhan)

‘Cara gripped the ridges of his back, her knuckles white. When she didn’t fall off, she realized she was balanced. Perfectly, impeccably balanced. The thick muscles of his hide worked and contracted beneath her, hundreds of subtle adjustments that kept her upright. Her hair and clothes blew in the cool wind as he flew them into the clouds, surrounding them in a cloak of wet grayness. All sound seemed muffled; only the rhythmic noise of his hoarse breath and the huff of gigantic wings penetrated the fog. She relaxed her grip a little and tried to catch her breath….

They flew for what seemed like hours until Aedhan aimed down toward a green meadow next to a small lake. Slowing his approach in the manner of an airplane, he glided into a smooth descent and hit the ground in a few powerful steps. With immense grace, he lowered his great body to the soft wildflowers of the meadow.

Cara tumbled bonelessly down his side, laughing when she tried to stand and failed. Dizzy, she lay on her back and looked up at her Draca huffing above her and giving her what could only be a Draca grin. The high afternoon sun blazed, but nothing felt hotter than the look in her Draca’s eyes.

He moved his great bulk partly over her, pinning her in place. She grinned at him, fearless now, still laughing and out of breath. “What a ride, you fantastic beast! Can we do it again?…”

All Rights Reserved
Louisa Kelley, Author

 There’s been grumbling from Forest Park in Portland; apparently small groups of secretive paranormal creatures are feeling abandoned. Of course, Louisa has not gone away, she merely fell in love, and her story and theirs  went right out the window for a while. However, she has heard the complaining whispers floating in the dark…And she’s about to remedy the problem.

Louisa has found another dragon shape-shifter, living in a tattoo shop of all places. In Portland. And there’s a woman as well. Of course. Cara. She’s a massage therapist and a member of a dragon boat racing team. In the new story coming in January, Cara meets Aedhan, our mysterious tattoo artist with strange skills and tattoo ink imbued with something powerful. He’s a most paranormal creature and quite the eccentric, charming character.

He takes Cara on the ride of her life, all the while keeping a powerful truth secret from her. Incredibly, Aedhan discovers her blood carries a trace of an ancient DNA bloodline of Draca. And that means Aedhan and the shape-shifters called the Draca, have found yet another human daughter of Draca. This has huge ramifications for Aedhan and the Draca. How to break the news to Cara? And what about the secret Aedhan carries about the true purpose of the tattoo shop?…Stay tuned.

Here in Metro Portland, as the rich Autumn swell of trees lose their gold and red leaves to the chilly winter ground, all is well. The creatures are settled, waiting for the story to be told. They continue to hide from the day and the dangerous light of humans. They talk to only one, their favorite person, the woman who dares to spin tales of otherworldly romance. No one loves a good romance more than the local vampires and shape-shifters. And perhaps, a fairy or two. They eagerly await the January 2012 publication online of the story called “Cara and the Draca.”

It’s deep winter in paranormal 2011 Portland. A dry cold snap over new year’s eve week froze everything to fine ice.  All creatures, human, animal and other, huddle where there is warmth and comfort from the chill. The dry weather resulted in unusual clear winter nights with thick stars rarely seen when the skies are full of gray rain clouds.  This writer loves the juxtaposition of bone chill cold with crystal clear nights…The dim, early morning rays soaking the downtown in tones of gleaming pink and gold. A beautiful, devastating time, holding the promise of spring, yet forcing us to take our satisfaction in such moments of winter beauty, even as we long for the warmth of summer sun.

In this winter in particular, I feel the Goddess and the divine feminine stirring my heart and imagination like no other time in my life.  A dramatic winter solstice and beginning of the new year are bringing a heightened awareness of the heartbeats of the paranormal creatures. Slow and steady, my other worldly creatures wait for the cold to end, and they wait for my words to begin again. They know, more than anyone, of the romance that has taken over my life in real time and replaced the ones in my stories. My vampires and shape-shifters are amused by my distraction, pacing in their dens and basements, hidden in Forest Park and deep caves in the mountains of the Gorge.  Their conceit tells them soon I will be telling their stories again, painting their lives with my sentences and passion.

Life is good in summer Portland. The sun blazed us to the high nineties and golden heat radiated down on everyone and everything. For Portland citizens, the day called for immediate cessation of any work that didn’t involve going outside.

As I  laze in the backyard with the rare warm August breeze across my skin and the lengthening evening shadows darkening my quiet street, I feel the spirits of the paranormal at rest….My vampire disappeared at the first hint of 80 degree weather, and the werewolf has fled to a cool ravine in the Gorge. All of us, the humans and the ‘others’ take a well deserved break for the short, deliriously wonderful summer season of Portland.

Perhaps our ‘other’ citizens  are run from the parks by the plays and the music and the movies. They have left us, for now.  And yet I feel them even so. They too, are enjoying. Laying back somewhere secret and breathing the scented summer air.  Summer air smells completely different than any other time. Dry grasses and leafy trees and hot cement and gardens and newly growing things…

And what about dragons, you may ask? Forgive the segue, but you must know of my passion for mythical creatures and dragons most of all.  Last Monday night I was the guest blogger on a wonderful website about all things paranormal. Authors are invited to post something informative and interesting, about anything and everything to do with the paranormal/romance/magical world. It was my honor to write about dragons, of course.

I had some great responses and it was a total blast to do. I really thank Lynda Hilburn for the invite to post. Check it out at:http://paranormalityuniverse.blogspot.com/  I’m listed on the left as a guest blogger. Click on it and you’ll see my very dragon-esque post!

Do you suppose that was a dragon I saw crouched underneath the Hawthorne bridge? The Hawthorne turned 100 years old this year. Had it’s very own party. I sure hope all the craziness didn’t scare our dragon away. Dragons…more rare than a Portland summer day.

Here’s to Summer!

XO

Louisa

For those of you following the story of Annette and the Vampire- I’ve decided to turn it into a full-blown short story. The finished story will be offered to those who sign up for my newsletter. Look for me to continue Annette and the Vampire in enticing new directions…Newsletter will be sent out as soon as I hear word from my editor regarding my second book in the ‘Daughters of Draca’ series.

In the meantime, as always, the turning of the season is inspiring my muse. It’s trying to be spring in Portland, yet I brace for the inevitable disappointment. Surely, our days of gray rain are not over yet…But for now, I lift my face to the tiny pink blossoms that are starting their yearly fairy rain, and think of, unaccountably…werewolves…

I’ve heard whispers of a small group, drawn to the parks of inner south east Portland (the ‘People’s Republic of Portland’). Word has gone out in the hidden paranormal community…rumors of crafty writers, uncovering secrets. Secrets that lurk in the thick trees of Mt Tabor, and around the pond at Laurelhurst park. Secrets that hide in plain sight…

I wander the meandering paths of Laurelhurst park, and try to imagine I can see them. And they can see me…

A bushy, auburn tail vanishes in the underbrush; a slender canine form with a long, wolf-like muzzle. Just a flash, then sudden crunchy noises, like a heavy form landing hard in the remainders of the fall leaves…From behind the rough bark of a cluster of fir trees steps out a stranger.
This writer’s eyes widen at the sight of his incredibly buff and totally naked form. I open my mouth to call out an astonished remark when the naked image burned into my retinas vanishes. Just like that.

Knees weak, I sink to the damp grass. Dim spring sunlight barely warms the earth, but I give no heed to the wet soaking through my jeans. Every sense trembles in astonished understanding.
I have seen one. I have seen, with my own eyes, the evidence of what I long suspected. A wolf who is a man, a man who is a wolf. Piercing golden eyes had met my own, a brief moment of recognition and warning. As clear as if he had spoken the words, the message zinged in my veins.

Tell no one!

Ah, yet I am one of the writers they must complain about. The one finding their hidden places and exposing their needs. Their need of connection to the human world. To the world of lust and love and longing. It cannot be a coincidence that I find them, that their stories make their way to me. To my brain and heart and fingers flying across my keyboard.

I mean you no harm, sweet and dangerous paranormal creatures. I am more like you than you know. My stories seek you, are inspired by you, want you more than anything…All of us are bound by this city, trapped in it’s otherworldy charms. And we can comfort each other, protect each other. I vow to continue my writing quest, and to find you once again.

It is January 1st, 2010 and I feel the winter muse stirring…

Snow and rain have fallen this past week in Metro Portland, and the holiday lights still sparkle over the river…A full moon greets the ending of the old year, and everywhere are whispers of paranormal lust and attraction.

And speaking of…in our last paranormal post, we left Annette walking with the Vampire in Mt. Tabor Park.  Here is the next edition of their otherwordly attraction…

They walked slowly towards the tall stone statue at the curve of the path.  He asked her questions about her life, what did she do and what kinds of things interested her? Somehow his low voice turned beguiling and interested, and pulled answers from her when she never intended to reveal so much.  They shuffled to a stop and he turned to look at her, a slight smile on his compelling face.  “You amuse me,” he said, and lifted a hand, pushing back a stray hair off her forehead.  “It has been a very long time since anything in this world made any difference to me at all.”

“What do you mean by that?” Annette’s cheeks were cold, and a slight drizzle had started again.

Instead of answering, he leaned closer, his face inches from hers, his breath warm and spicy across her chilly face.  Like a dream, she couldn’t move.  She didn’t want to move.  Unbidden, her hands grasped the lapels of his overcoat, pulling him imperceptibly closer.  Her heart pounded and her lips tingled – she lifted her eyes and met molten gold.

“I want to kiss you,” he said.  “Will you be afraid if I do?”

‘No,” she breathed, and let him closer still, until hot and soft, his lips met hers, and licking the seam of her mouth, urged her to open, shocking her with the sudden thrust of his tongue; yet she met him, opening fully, tasting the spice and heat of him like nothing she’d ever known.  How long they stood like this she didn’t know, didn’t care. Suppressed, forgotten erotic longings sizzled up her backbone, between her legs, the tips of her breasts aching for the touch of his mouth…

He pulled her tight against him, his strong arms across her back, his mouth slanted just so, kissing kissing her until she felt almost mad with wanting him…. With a low gasp, he finally pulled away, and rested his forehead against hers, both of them breathing hard.  He gave a soft laugh.  “This is so very unusual for me, I assure you.” His eyes had gone back to dark, the molten gold retreating as they each caught their breath.  “My usual inclinations are not quite…” he hesitated. “I am, most often, a Queer Gentleman.  It is not the female of the species that tend to attract one of my kind.”

What? What did he mean by that? Annette stumbled back, suddenly confused and extremely self conscious.  He was a “Queer Gentleman?”

Annette and the Vampire will have to wait…because I went to see New Moon yesterday and just have to comment. Watching from the perspective of a paranormal romance writer is perhaps different than as a fan of Stephanie Meyer’s books. Many times I wanted to throw something at the screen and shout “Pacing! Pick up the pacing you idiots!” Errggh! The movie consisted mostly of long facial closeups of moody, sullen, broody, anguished, depressed or all of the above main characters. I don’t think Bella or Edward spoke more than 2 sentences at a time EVER. And when Edward spoke, it was in a mumble that I’m sure the director meant to sound all hot and moody but only sounded like he had mush in his mouth. So, I also wanted to shout “Speak up damn it!” And Bella was so obviously a total head case, (cliff diving in a near suicide jump into freezing Washington coastal waters, sitting isolated and depressed in a chair in her room for months on end, having to be rescued from a night on the ground in the forest all curled up in a little depressed ball etc etc etc ) – it was unbelievable that her family didn’t drag her to counseling or put her on meds immediately. She’d wake up screaming night after night and we never heard her father ask once “What are your dreams about? Why are you so afraid?”  And when finally her father tells her he’s ‘concerned’ and wants to send her to Florida to be with her mother, she placates him with a ‘I’m going shopping now.” Oh, right! Going shopping! Everything’s all better! Despite the fact that she still wakes up screaming every night!

Bella never cracks a smile, never looks happy, not even when people are giving her presents on her 18th birthday. She’s ungrateful, self-obsessed and clearly, clinically and chronically depressed.

The editing from scene to scene was sloppy, jumpy and many times the shift in the narrative didn’t make any sense at all. If you haven’t seen the first movie yet, you won’t have a CLUE about what is going on…And how about all that lipstick on Edward, huh? What’s up with that? None of the other male vampires plow on the lipstick like he does. I mean, lipstick on Vampires? Give me a break!
If I were a 13 year old girl, I would probably love this movie.  All that depressed angst over tortured love feeds into adolescent daydreams like catnip to kittens. But as a writer of paranormal romance, I can’t recommend it. Bella is just too mentally sick, a lousy heroine for young girls, and the film moves at a glacial, utterly incomprehensible pace.

On the upside, these teenage girls are the future readers of adult (much better and much hotter) paranormal romance. So as lousy as the movie was, I’m glad vampires are still making the news.  Bodes well for the future of paranormal romance writers!

He walked swiftly up the leave strewn path. His long overcoat hung on a tall, slender frame…He looked neither right nor left, seeming oblivious to the fall beauty of the park, and the watching woman in the shadows.
Then he turned his head and looked in her direction. Annette froze. His dark eyes glittered with a message: Danger. She turned to run. This was clearly insanity. She had seen him every evening at sunset during her jog and had been weirdly attracted, wondering at the air of mystery surrounding him. Clearly, the time had come to leave, Fast. Yet he held up a hand and her sneakers skidded to stop.
“You’ve been following me,” he said, his voice low and dark. “Why?”
“I – ah – so sorry,” Annette stammered, feet working again as she made her way awkwardly past him on the path.
His hand shot out. “Wait,” he said. He caught the shoulder of her sweatshirt and tugged her to stillness. His hand burned through the thin cotton and the most alarmingly handsome face she’d ever seen focused intently on her. “We have met before?” he murmured.
“No, don’t think so,” Annette managed, her heart beating fast.
“Walk with me,” he said.
And she had no choice, did she? Like she had felt all along, there was a connection here. An otherworldly vibe she couldn’t find an ounce of resistance to.

…Stay tuned for more.