Rebecca Zanetti Shares Why She Loves Out-of-This-World Series

The bestselling author of the Dark Protectors series exposes the fun behind writing paranormal romance.

Rebecca Zanetti

Happy Mother’s Day Celebration to everyone! I think the fun in writing ‘out of this world’ type of books is in the creative freedom of the genres. While it’s important to make any world believable as well as relatable to the reader, there’s still a lot of latitude an author can take in making vampires just another species or creating beyond human survivors of the apocalypse—so long as there’s some romance in there as well. Otherwise, what’s the point?


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The heroines in my books are smart and strong, much like the women in my life. My mom and two sisters give me plenty to write about, as do my daughter and nieces. Also, when you’re writing a paranormal, you can create heroines who have otherworldly abilities, which is often balanced by being a little bit, well, crazy. (I also find a bit of crazy in my family members, but don’t tell them that. They don’t see it as clearly as I do!). 

One of my favorite heroines in my Dark Protector world is Felicity Kyllwood, who has three very powerful and dangerous sons. The fun thing about Felicity is that she’s half their size and twice as powerful as them all. And she’s completely off the charts when it comes to being eccentric. The woman likes to rob banks for fun, to be honest. Can you imagine being her son? Especially being her son and also being the king of the demon nation? I imagine it’d be a tough balancing act, which only adds to the humor that’s often hidden in paranormal romances.

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Rebecca Zanetti

Another favorite heroine in the series is Janie, whose daughter, Hope, has one of those deep and mysterious fated callings. How nerve-racking would that be? Well, probably just as nerve-racking as it is for the rest of us when our child takes their first step, goes to first grade, plays sports, heads off to college, and so on. I imagine, regardless of the species, vampire or human, we all worry about our kids and hope for their future.

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Rebecca Zanetti

There are many good ‘out of this world’ shows with fantastic moms out there. Here are five of my favorites:

1. 1. Allison Blake in Eureka

Rebecca Zanetti
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  • Photo Credit: NBC

I love Eureka. If you haven’t seen it, definitely give it a shot. It’s set in the hypothetical town of Eureka, where geniuses try to invent the future and end up blowing things up all the time. Allison is a single mom throughout most of the series, and she has several jobs, including head of Global Dynamics and liaison with the Department of Defense. She has a couple of romances that are tons of fun to watch, too.

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Audrey Parker in Haven

Rebecca Zanetti
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  • Photo Credit: Entertainment One

Okay, Audrey Parker's not a typical mom with a typical relationship with her kid, considering she doesn’t know who she is throughout most of the show or that she has a kid until much later. But she’s tough and smart, and she solves crimes. And she gets a chance to be a mom…that’s all I’ll say so I don’t ruin the end for you.

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Darla in Angel

Rebecca Zanetti
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  • Photo Credit: 20th Television

I know, I know. Darla was the bad vampire, and she wasn’t around much after giving birth (or at all), but she made the ultimate sacrifice for her son, so that makes her okay in my book. Plus, she was pretty interesting and had great lines when it came to sarcasm. She was an interesting character to watch, and sometimes that matters more than being likable. (In make-believe worlds, anyway).

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Mary Winchester in Supernatural

Rebecca Zanetti
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Spoilers for Supernatural to follow! No list in any form is complete without a Dean Winchester reference, if you ask me. Mary has been pretty interesting since returning from the dead, and it has been intriguing the last couple of seasons to see her interact and get along with her two grown sons. I really wonder how the show will conclude next year.

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Tayla Emmagan from Stargate Atlantis

Rebecca Zanetti
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  • Photo Credit: Sci-Fi Channel

I love Tayla and not just because she is BFFs with Ronon Dex (Jason Momoa). She is strong, powerful, loyal, and a great mother. She does everything she can to protect her people and her son; and man, I wish I could fight like her.

So those are five of my favorite moms in supernatural type worlds. My mom is pretty awesome, too. Happy Mother’s Day celebration out to all the moms!

Want more from Rebecca Zanetti? Enter the Relaxing Reader Giveaway to win her new book, Hidden!   

Rebecca Zanetti