5 TV shows to complement your reading

I have to admit, the past few years have conjured up some great offerings on television for fans of sci-fi, paranormal and fantasy. Just skimming through the TV Guide, I counted 20 shows airing in the United States before, well, I got tired and stopped counting. Maybe that's why I'm watching more television now than I think I've ever watched in my life! It puts a serious cramp into my writing time, but quite frankly, when I turn off my television after watching one of my favorite TV shows, I usually want to head straight for the computer because I feel quite inspired. I call it my Television Muse.

So what shows do I recommend? I've picked five that I just can't stop watching.

1. The CW's Supernatural, Fridays at 9 p.m. EST. Aside from the fact I could drool all night by simply pausing the screen on the show's main stars, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, I think the writing on this show is top notch. I mean, how can you go wrong with two demon-hunting brothers battling monsters every week? Plus, they drive an Impala. Or, they used to. OK, don't get me started on the Impala, or I might start crying.

2. Once Upon a Time, ABC, Sundays at 8 p.m. EST. I honestly didn't expect to like this show as much as I do. The town of Storybrooke, Maine, is populated by characters from fairy tales, who have been exiled to the real world due to a curse cast by the Evil Queen as part of a revenge plot against Snow White and Prince Charming. Because of the curse, most of the inhabitants of Storybrooke have no memory of their true identities and have been stuck timelessly in Storybrooke for years. The show has a creative premise, and I love that each week it seems to focus on a different character from fairy tales.

3. The CW's The Vampire Diaries, Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST. I think this one is aimed at teens, but it's my guilty pleasure and IMHO far too sexy to be aimed only at teens. Set in the appropriately named Mystic Falls, this soap opera revolves around Elena Gilbert, a 17-year-old girl who falls for a 162-year-old vampire named Stefan Salvatore. Of course, Stefan has a much sexier, snarky older brother, Damon, who is also a vampire, vying for Elena's affections. Plus, there are werewolves, witches and more plot twists and turns than you can count.

4. SyFy's Being Human, Mondays at 9 p.m. EST. Actually, I should note that there is also a UK version of this show that is probably more awesome than the U.S. version, but since I haven't finished watching the UK seasons, I can only fully comment on the U.S. version, which is about a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost - 3 roommates who are struggling to find their humanity despite being monsters. I love the dynamics that have evolved in season two, and I have become quite emotionally attached to these characters. Plus, I really heart Josh and Nora as a couple.

5. SyFy's Lost Girl, Mondays at 10 p.m. EST. I now know this is a Canadian show that has only recently begun airing in the U.S., and I must say, it is quite a sexy show for television. It's the story of supernatural seductress Bo, a Succubus who feeds off sexual energy. She's torn between the worlds of the Fae - light and dark - and is the center of a love triangle with Dyson, a wolf shifter, and Lauren, a human doctor. This is a show that isn't afraid to push the sexual envelope, but I'm more drawn to the magical stories of Fae.

Honorable mentions: HBO's True Blood (vampires), NBC's Grimm (fairytale creatures), AMC's The Walking Dead (zombies), and the CW's Secret Circle (witches).

Tell me. What sci-fi, paranormal or fantasy shows inspire you?