Tall, dark and handsome takes on a new twist when he's also pale, dead and sporting fangs.

So much for dashing dukes and bare-chested cowboys. These days more and more romance readers - and yes, they're mostly women - pine for vampires, werewolves and ghosts. (Oh my.)

The trend extends far beyond Halloween - though this time of year, many bookstores showcase romance novels featuring undead heroes and heroines.

"It sells very well," said Juan Rascon, who works at Methuen's Borders.

About 20 percent of the $1.37-billion industry comes from the sale of these stories of love, ghosts and magic, often called paranormals.

"It is hot, hot, hot," said Kate Duffy, an editor at Kensington Publishers, which prints paranormal romance stories.

"When a romance writer writes about historical settings, people can act differently than the way they would act in 2007," Duffy said. "The same thing happens when you put people in a world you have created. There are no rules. Characters can be more intense and more interesting and more brave. The romance readers love more."

In other words, "Will he or won't he commit?" is far less interesting a question than, "Will he or won't he turn into a furry beast and eat me?"

"In paranormal romances, you get to completely escape the mundane world," said Haverhill fan and writer Brenna Lyons, who with New Hampshire author Greg Norris is working on the book "Once Upon a Time, Yesterday," modernizing Grimm's fairy tales.

Part of the fun, Lyons said, comes from the humor that can grow from these out-of-this-world situations.

The opportunity is not lost on authors like New York Times best-seller Mary Janice Davidson, who penned "Undead and Unwed," the first in a series about a 30-year-old single model-turned-vampire with a penchant for designer shoes. The tag line on her book's cover reads, "The day I died started out bad, and got worse in a hurry . . . "

"Hell on Earth" series author Jackie Kessler has gained acclaim for attention to detail in her novels about a stripper/succubus named Jezebel. But she's funny, too.

About the map of Hell she created for readers to keep track of spots she writes about, the upstate New York author said, "It kind of looks like Manhattan."

Duffy said paranormals do especially well with "snark" - or snide remarks.

"The book buyers are smart women," she said. "I think the packaging is very sophisticated but it's not terribly pretentious. The authors are having a good time, and so is this editor, and a lot of readers. They like fast, witty, sharp, interesting dialogue and characters who can deliver that."

"Double Dating with the Dead" author Karen Kelly of Texas thinks that paranormal romances are hot right now because the paranormal in general is popular. For evidence, she points to new fall TV series like "Moonlight" (about a vampire/private detective) and "Pushing Daisies" (about a man who can revive the dead with a touch).

"Something is going on in society," she said. "I think everybody is searching for answers."

The search continues. While shelves glut with tales of heart-stopping romance between the dead and living, publishers are looking for the next top paranormal romantic hero - demons and changlings.

Still, no matter who is doing the wooing (or biting) and regardless of whether participants have a (quickening) pulse or not, one thing remains at the heart of these stories.

"It's the love story," Duffy said. "I used to say between people, but now I have to say between entities - it's not even political correctness. I don't know how else to describe it."

By the numbers

Romantic fiction generated sales of $1.37 billion in 2006.

6,400 titles were released, accounting for 26.4 percent of all books sold.

Paranormal romances made up 9 percent of all romances published.

Last year they accounted for 20 percent of all romances sold.

Source: Romance Writers of America.

Glossary of paranormal heroes:

Vampire: Technically dead, but able to "live" by feeding on blood. While rules of being a vampire can change from book to book and author to author, basically they are allergic to sunlight, garlic and holy water and can be killed by a stake to the heart and/or beheading. Can live, unaged or aging slowly, for centuries.

Werewolf: Not dead, but usually someone who was born to werewolves or bitten by a werewolf. Usually possessed of great speed, strength and sense of smell. Other traits vary from book to book.

Lychan: Sometimes the same as werewolves. Other times portrayed as a vampire/werewolf hybrid. Can be male or female.

Demon: Can be evil, or not. Common types (in romances) are succubus (female) or incubus (male), who can steal a person's soul during intimate moments.

Ghost: A dead person who returns to Earth in a spirit form and can interact in some way with the living.

Changeling: Possibly the offspring of a troll or fairy. Can take on the form of a human and possibly other creatures.

- Rosemary Ford