Beyond Bounds: The Paranormal and Fantasy with Katie

From vampires and werewolves to ghosts, psychics, and things that go bump in the night fiction is bursting with stories that have a paranormal or fantasy element of some kind. In a market that is saturated, how do you find the good stuff? Each week I’m going to highlight what looks good. I’ll point you in the right direction for honest reviews, news, and, if the authors will talk to me, even interviews.

One name that has caught my eye recently is Jennifer Rardin, author of the Jaz Parks series published by Orbit books. Jaz Parks is an assistant assassin in the CIA. Jaz isn’t your average girl; she’s a "foul-mouthed, wise-cracking, ass-kicking lady who kills bad guys." Partnered with a 300-year-old vampire by the name of Vayl (how great is that name?), together the two defeat demons, terrorists, and even find the time to fall in love. Sounds good to me.

Jennifer Rardin began writing at the age of 12 and spent her youth buried in fairy tales, Nordic myths, and supernatural legends like any other good fantasy author. It took her two years to write her first novel, Once Bitten, Twice Shy. She came up with the idea of "a vampire assassin and his deeply twisted assistant, Jasmine" after admitting to herself that she was a vampire lover, something she says isn’t easy for a Midwesterner.  

Once Bitten, Twice Shy is the first in the series and was released this month. The second, Another One Bites the Dust, hits stores in December. Jennifer Rardin is contracted for five books in the series so far, but if it turns out to be a hit, who knows? The sky is the limit.

Article Author: Katie Trattner

Ms. Trattner works for a non-profit agency where she is thankful for any internet time she can squeeze into her day. In her free time she reads one of the thousands of books stacked in her tiny apartment.

Visit Katie Trattner's author page — Katie Trattner's Blog