PHOTO: Canadian author Bonnie Randall, inspired by the wild majesty of the Rockies, channels mysticism and human truth into her emotionally resonant fiction.
Exploring Love Loss And The Paranormal
Bonnie Randall delves into the mystic and emotional, weaving tales where love, trauma, and the supernatural collide amidst the haunting beauty of the Canadian Rockies.
Bonnie Randall writes as though the veil between worlds is not only thin, but welcoming. With every page, she ushers readers into landscapes both internal and elemental—where the haunted corners of the human psyche meet the wild, brooding majesty of the Canadian Rockies. Her work pulses with a deep emotional intelligence, drawing on the kind of insight that can only be gained from bearing witness to life’s most tender and terrifying thresholds.
A clinical social worker by profession, Randall brings a rare authenticity to her characters’ pain, healing, and transformation. Trauma and grief are not abstract concepts in her fiction—they are lived experiences, navigated with compassion and a hard-earned sense of hope. Her stories refuse to flinch from darkness, yet always seek the light.
Mysticism, fate, and the supernatural are not mere narrative devices in Randall’s world—they are invitations to deeper reflection. Whether through tarot cards or ghostly apparitions, she reminds us that love, in its truest form, transcends time, death, and fear. True love never dies—and in Randall’s fiction, neither do the stories that shape us.
What first drew you to blend romance with the paranormal, and how do you maintain balance between the two genres in your storytelling?
It is a high wire act with no safety net! I find myself scouring every chapter: Is it eerie enough? Is the emotional connection still palpable? If not, I redraft, then redraft, and redraft again!
The Canadian Rockies are an evocative setting—how does living in such a mysterious and rugged environment influence your writing?
I am incredibly fortunate to live within such a beautiful and formidable landscape, and I would suspect that itself is the inspiration; the beauty yet danger of my surroundings—much the same atmosphere I try to evoke in my fiction.
Your background in social work, especially in child protection and addictions counselling, is deeply human-centred. How does that experience shape your characters and the emotional depth of your stories?
Practicing social work deeply informs my writing—I have had the privilege (and joy and heartbreak) of seeing so many facets of the human experience firsthand, and every experience has deepened my understanding of what emotional reactions and choices truly look like—especially under adverse circumstances.
Many of your protagonists grapple with trauma, grief, or haunted pasts—do you find writing these elements to be cathartic or challenging?
The goal of every story is the hard-won ‘Happy Ever After,’ and the foundation of social work practice is that ‘Change Is Always Possible.’ These two things are not mutually exclusive, so when my fictional characters muscle their way through their own personal Hellscapes and come out the other side with insight, strength, resolution, and love, I’m reminded of that core counseling value: that anything can indeed be overcome.
Tarot, psychics, and supernatural visions often appear in your novels. What draws you to these mystical themes, and do you have any personal connection to them?
Ha! I am a Scorpio to the core! There has never been a time when I was not compelled by mysteries. (I am head-over-heels down rabbit holes in perpetuity). To that end, there are no greater mysteries than the ones we cannot see, so much like my current series villain Vince Haslom, I have long been seduced by all things supernatural and esoteric.
The concept of soul mates and love beyond death is central to much of your work—how do you keep such a timeless theme feeling fresh and compelling?
“Love Never Dies” is thematic in my work, yet admittedly cliché in real life. I keep it fresh by reminding my readers that a Great Love is not necessarily romantic or sexual. A parent and child can be Soul Mates (or, in the case of my current Shadow Valley series, soul-fated. EEEK!). Best friends can have a love and loyalty that extends beyond the grave.
“No Vacancy” and “The Shadow Collector” both explore mental fragility alongside supernatural peril—how do you approach writing characters with psychological complexity?
Characters, like all human beings, are intensely complex creatures who are in a very long, and highly causal relationship with their environments right from birth. Our environmental settings build the very brain architecture with which we make choices, form connections, respond, and react. And these responses and choices will become highly charged if our environments are perilous or turbulent…or eerie and haunted.
What advice would you give to other authors trying to weave meaningful emotional truths into stories filled with suspense, romance, or the supernatural?
To quote the late and immeasurably talented Anne Rice, “Go where the emotion is.” Consider every feeling that underpins your scenes, then bring that emotion to life via the five senses of your protagonist…or antagonist.
