Donna Galanti - The Element Trilogy

Link to my Email-splatter Page
Link to my Facebook-splatter Page
Link to my Goodreads-splatter Page
Link to my Rss-splatter Page
Link to my Twitter-splatter Page

Visit Donna Galanti’s books for children

  • Home
  • About Donna
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Books for Adults
    • Books for Teens & Tweens
  • Contact
  • News & Events
  • Writers

Romance Amid High Stakes and High Action

By Donna Galanti

I’m thrilled to have my friend and super talented writer, Janice Gable Bashman, on today talking about writing romance amid high stakes and high action. Janice’s debut young adult novel, Predator, just released to high praise! New York Times bestselling author Nancy Holder says “Predator is a fast-paced, creepy page-turner!” and Suspense Magazine says “Every twist and fascinating revelation fell into place smoothly, with an ending that will leave readers wanting more.” For a unique werewolf tale with a scientific twist check it out!

Romance Amid High Stakes and High Action
By Janice Gable Bashman

JBashman_M9B_Predator_REV2_-Final-Cover-for-webIt seems difficult to imagine that romance can occur in a novel among high stakes and high action. If a protagonist is busy running around trying to save others or the world from disaster, how could she possibly have time for romance? Where would she meet someone? How would they have time to get to know one another? How would the distraction interfere with her goals? If she falls for someone, does saving that person become more important than saving others? How can she judge, keep an impartial view, let her feelings take a back burner to the greater stakes at hand?

Romance happens at the most unlikely times and in the most unlikely places, especially when it comes to our heroines. So what’s an author to do? If we look at the Hunger Games trilogy, Katniss Everdeen is in a fight for her life. She must face insurmountable odds to survive every second of every day while participating in the Hunger Games where twenty-four teens are pitted against one another and only one will survive. At first she bonds with Peeta, another teen who is fighting for his life, as a means for survival and rebellion, but ultimately it becomes something more. Their relationship develops during their struggle to survive.

In the initial drafts of my young adult novel Predator, my protagonist’s love interest was often in scenes unrelated to the plot that simply served to show his relationship with the protagonist. He was a mysterious young man who my protagonist saw here and there. But it soon became clear there was a problem. My protagonist’s love interest wasn’t really part of the story. So, like Suzanne Collins did in the Hunger Games, I brought my protagonist’s love interest into my protagonist’s fight. I made him stand side-by-side with her as she struggled to overcome the odds and save not only herself but the world. This enabled their romance to grow and advance within the plot as it moved forward.

Many other young adult novels seamlessly blend high stakes and high action with romance, making the books one heck of a ride: Jonathan Maberry’s Rot and Ruin series, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, Veronica Roth’s Divergent series, and James Patterson’s Maximum Ride series, just to name a few. In each, the author creates stakes that matter to both the protagonist and the love interest and makes them fight together to accomplish their goals and stand up for their beliefs and ideals. By creating this pairing, romance exists among action instead of in the background. It helps propel the story forward and ups the stakes for the protagonist. It gives us more than one person to root for and care about. It also gives us hope that no matter what goes wrong in the world or in our lives there is always the possibility of love.

ABOUT PREDATOR:

The hunt is on! Sixteen-year-old Bree Sunderland must inject herself with an untested version of her father’s gene therapy to become a werewolf in order to stop a corrupt group of mercenaries from creating a team of unstoppable lycanthrope soldiers.

When Bree went with her scientist father to Ireland, she thought it would be a vacation to study bog bodies. She never expected to fall in love with a mysterious young Irishman and certainly never expected to become the kind of monster her father said only existed in nightmares.

Dr. Sunderland discovers that lycanthropy was not a supernatural curse but rather a genetic mutation. When they return home, her dad continues his research, but the military wants to turn that research into a bio weapons program and rogue soldiers want to steal the research to turn themselves into unstoppable killing machines. Bree’s boyfriend Liam surprises her with a visit to the United States, but there are darker surprises in store for both of them.

As evil forces hunt those she loves, Bree must become an even more dangerous hunter to save them all. Predator gives the werewolf legend a couple of new spins by introducing the Benandanti (an actual folkloric belief that certain families of Italy and Livonia were werewolves who fought against evil), as well as a modern scientific approach to mutation and the science of transgenics.

She will become the thing she hates, to protect those she loves!

ABOUT JANICE:

headshot-small-slide-246x300Janice Gable Bashman is the Bram Stoker nominated author of PREDATOR, a young adult novel (Month9Books 2014), and WANTED UNDEAD OR ALIVE (w/NEW YORK TIMES bestseller Jonathan Maberry) (Citadel Press 2010). She is editor of THE BIG THRILL (International Thriller Writers’ magazine). Her short fiction has been published in various anthologies and magazines. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Mystery Writers of America, Horror Writers Association, and the International Thriller Writers, where she serves on the board of directors as Vice President, Technology.

CONNECT WITH JANICE:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

 

 

 

 

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Authors Tagged With: Horror Writers Association Writers, International Thriller, Janice Gable Bashman, Jonathan Maberry, Month9Books, Mystery Writers of America, Predator, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, werewolf

Comments

  1. Janice Gable Bashman says

    October 3, 2014 at 9:47 am

    Thanks so much for having me on your site Donna.

    • Donna Galanti says

      October 3, 2014 at 11:54 am

      Thanks for coming on Janice! I love your idea of blending action with romance to move the plot along AND deliver a bigger emotional punch!

  2. Dana says

    October 3, 2014 at 11:45 am

    I love the romance element in Predator! I like that it ties into the plot, and I can see how keeping it separate might not have been as effective.

    Great post Janice! And awesome book 🙂
    -Dana

    • Janice Gable Bashman says

      October 3, 2014 at 2:08 pm

      Thanks Dana – so glad you enjoyed the book!

  3. sherry fundin says

    October 3, 2014 at 1:05 pm

    I like the cover and title. Would pick it up by that alone. Then I read on and became even more intrigued. Sounds like a great read. Thanks for sharing and have a super weekend.
    sherry @ fundinmental

    • Janice Gable Bashman says

      October 3, 2014 at 2:07 pm

      Hope you have a great weekend too Sherry, and enjoy the book!
      Janice

  4. Catherine "Kitsy" Stine says

    October 8, 2014 at 11:49 am

    Your new novel sounds good, Janice! I like the combo of suspense and romance a lot.

NOW AVAILABLE!

NOW AVAILABLE!

Reviews for A Human Element

Reviews from Goodreads.com

Short Story Collection!

Recent Posts

  • Love Mystery, Thriller & Suspense? Holiday Kindle Deals! $0.99 & $1.99
  • My Live Radio Interview with Dean Koontz Tonight!
  • Spooky Element Trilogy Blog Tour: Book 1 .99cents, Book 2 FREE + Enter to Win $25 Amazon GC!
  • Spooktacular Giveaway Blog Hop! Books & Prizes!
  • Sign up for Element Trilogy book blog tour, enter to win $15 Amazon GC + get free review copy!
  • Lines To Leave Us Hanging

Categories

  • 9/11 (2)
  • A to Z Blog Challenge (25)
  • Audio Books (6)
  • Authors (106)
  • blog tour (10)
  • Book Marketing (7)
  • Books (80)
  • Characters (14)
  • charity (1)
  • Comic Relief (10)
  • Inspirational (25)
  • ITW Debut Authors (8)
  • Journal Writing (3)
  • Memoir Writing (3)
  • Navy (2)
  • Seasonal (6)
  • Social Media (3)
  • The Dark Side (7)
  • Writing Conferences (6)
  • Writing Resources (17)
  • Writing Techniques (30)
  • Young Adult (4)
World Literary Cafe

Support Indie Bookshops

SAVE Kids Castle!

Blogroll

  • Algonguin Redux
  • August McLaughliin
  • Author Chronicles
  • Blood Red Pencil
  • Casey McCormick
  • Catherine Stine Idea City
  • Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group
  • Janice Gable Bashman
  • Jess Cooper
  • Joe McGee
  • Jon Gibbs
  • Jonathan Maberry
  • Lucas Mangum:Dark Dimensions
  • Marketing Tips for Authors
  • Mina Burrows: Books for Paranormal & Mystic Minds
  • Nicole Zoltak
  • Philly Liars Club
  • Rebecca Rose
  • Stacy Green
  • The Big Thrill
  • The Thrill Begins
  • Write it Forward

© Copyright 2017 www.elementtrilogy · All Rights Reserved ·

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.