Guestpost by Author J. A. Saare

I'm happy to have Author J.A. Saare aka Jaime here today. I met her on twitter and she is such a nice and funny person. She's also a multi-published author in varying genres. Jaime is here today to talk about inspiration and movies. Please give her a warm welcome.

Authors can find inspiration in the oddest of places, whether it’s while they’re out for lunch, driving in their car, or taking a shower. For me, inspiration struck before I was even aware of what the concept was. So when Susi asked if I’d be willing to write something about my influences when it comes to reading/writing, I knew my answer probably wouldn't come as the norm. You see, I started creating stories in my head when I was a kid but, unlike many authors, never put them to paper. They remained untouched in my mind, little movies if you will, and it all began after I spent a weekend at my grandmother’s home and watched a film that changed my life forever.

Let me take you back. I was seven or eight years old and my Mommaw had this enormous video library. I spent hours combing the shelves, trying to decide what I’d watch after she went to bed and it was just me and her enormous television (remember the big wooden monsters that you pushed, not carried, from place to place?). She’d recently gotten a new flick with this awesome cover of a woman with glowing iridescent eyes and a beautiful man. There was something captivating about the image and I immediately chose it -- the movie was The Bride featuring Sting and Jennifer Beals.

I can’t tell you how much that movie changed my life. It gave me an entirely new outlook on romance (Bride of Frankenstein remakes will do that to you, or so I’m told) and warped the way I viewed things. Forever gone was the young girl who believed in knights in shining armor and happily ever after. Love didn’t have to be wholesome and pure, not when touched by obsessive madness, not when it ended in rage and hate. It wasn't until I was older that I learned that the motion picture industry wasn't the only venue to relate that concept, finding it was just a matter of perusing the bookshelves of the local B&N. It was because of this that those little movies in my brain became something far darker, more macabre, and at times rather terrifying.

Oftentimes, I tell people I believe the rise in PNR popularity is directly due to those who love a dash of dark in their romance, perhaps not as ghastly as I prefer but prevalent. There is a reason vampires, werewolves, magic, shape shifters, and things that go bump in the night are so huge right now. People are drawn to the unknown, unable to turn away as horrible things are presented to them because it’s something new in a genre saturated by devilishly handsome rogues who claim to be big and bad but are about as dangerous as a gnarly looking gun minus the bullets. I know that for me, there is nothing sexier than a hero that is truly unobtainable or so deadly that one kiss can kill. Where is the adventure if you remove the risks?

Now that I’ve shared, I’d like to know if there is a film that changed the way you viewed romance. Was it something sweet, like Steel Magnolias, Flashdance, or The Princess Bride? Or was it something darker? Like say…The Lost Boys, Dracula, or The Wolf Man?

Please share a comment. I can’t wait to read your answers.

Happy Reading!

Jaime AKA J.A. Saare

About the Author:
J.A. Saare is a multi-published author in varying genres and has written stories featured in horror magazines, zombie romance anthologies, and flash fiction contests. Her work has a notable dark undertone, which she credits to her love of old eighties horror films, tastes in music, and choices in reading, and have been described as “full of sensual promise,” “gritty and sexy,” and “a breath of fresh air.”

Currently she is penning numerous projects within the urban fantasy, erotic and contemporary, and of course, paranormal romance categories.
Where you can find Jaime:
website, blog, twitter

About her new book: Dead, Undead, or Somewehere in Between
One bad corpse can ruin your whole day. No one knows that better than Rhiannon Murphy. She’s left behind the flash and sass of Miami for the no-nonsense groove of New York City, eager for a clean slate and a fresh start. A bartender by trade, a loud mouth by choice, and a necromancer by chance; she’s managed to keep her nifty talent hidden from those around her – until now.
The deliciously good-looking vampire Disco knows her secret, and when he strolls into her bar to solicit help investigating the mysterious disappearances of his kind from the city, she discovers he’s not the kind of person that appreciates the significance of the word no.
But in a world where vampires peddle their blood as the latest and greatest drug of choice, it’s only a matter of time before the next big thing hits the market. Someone or something is killing vampires to steal their hearts, and unlike Rhiannon, this isn't their first stroll around the undead block.