tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post203020685009497852..comments2024-03-18T10:04:00.985-06:00Comments on The Warrior Muse: U is for...Shannon Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00934641808195675935noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-82971376098622755672011-04-27T14:17:59.250-06:002011-04-27T14:17:59.250-06:00Andrew, huh! It definitely does seem to be about ...Andrew, huh! It definitely does seem to be about perspective.<br /><br />Ani, that's exactly why it's so important. I've been told that one must be clear on exactly what niche they fit into once they're pitching/querying.<br /><br />Damyanti, very true. They have to know where to shelve the books once they get published.<br /><br />Rachel, I hadn't heard of that series, but I'm going to look into it. Thanks!<br /><br />Nutschell, concise, and I tend to agree.Shannon Lawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00934641808195675935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-12438411964263011652011-04-27T13:12:19.137-06:002011-04-27T13:12:19.137-06:00Great post! I think urban fantasy means it's s...Great post! I think urban fantasy means it's set in our modern day and age. :0<br />nutschell<br />www.thewritingnut.comnutschellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10967710710805174781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-10194578786214432552011-04-27T06:17:10.001-06:002011-04-27T06:17:10.001-06:00Um... um... I think you've summed up pretty mu...Um... um... I think you've summed up pretty much how I'd describe Urban Fantasy. I don't think it necessarily has to have sex. What comes to my mind first when I think Urban Fantasy is Cassie Clare's The Mortal Instruments series. Shadowhunters, werewolves, vampires, warlocks and other paranormal creatures kicking demon butt in New York City and surrounding urban areas.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06181241692016438730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-62715495653068249152011-04-26T08:39:44.613-06:002011-04-26T08:39:44.613-06:00very interesting post, and also comments. Labels c...very interesting post, and also comments. Labels can be confusing sometimes, but they are important to help categorize the book in the publishing world. Thanks for sharing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-65710359030845684012011-04-25T23:38:16.679-06:002011-04-25T23:38:16.679-06:00Awesome awesome AWESOME post! This question is sti...Awesome awesome AWESOME post! This question is still something I'm not clear on and this could pose to be a potential problem when querying as the genre of the story must be stated. I've ready different things on different sites about the lines that make urban fantasies different from say, paranormal romance? What if the urban fantasy has romance in it? What if the paranormal romance is in an urban setting? <br /><br />But great examples and loved the humor! :DAnihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10708453250023278530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-46311544172516614882011-04-25T23:13:32.570-06:002011-04-25T23:13:32.570-06:00Yeah, Gaiman won the Nebula for best sci-fi of the...Yeah, Gaiman won the Nebula for best sci-fi of the year with American Gods in... um, 2002? To some extent, it's all a matter of perspective.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-25914816194266347272011-04-25T23:09:03.474-06:002011-04-25T23:09:03.474-06:00Rebecca, definitely on True Blood, but also in Lau...Rebecca, definitely on True Blood, but also in Laurell K. Hamilton's books! <br /><br />Michelle, good place to be, for sure!<br /><br />Andrew, really? Sci-fi? Anne McCaffrey was probably my first fantasy novel. I've been thinking I should revisit Pern since I only ever read one of her books.<br /><br />Donna, while I wouldn't say I hate Sookie, I don't go out of my way to read one of the series and I often want to shake her. Hard.<br /><br />Jo, oh man, I'm not sure I'll ever get over the sparkly vampire thing. I just can't bring myself to take it seriously. Glitter! Hahahaha!Shannon Lawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00934641808195675935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-4761964073942820942011-04-25T23:00:24.862-06:002011-04-25T23:00:24.862-06:00Confusion! Vampre sex? Without glitter preferably....Confusion! Vampre sex? Without glitter preferably.Jo Schafferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11514820971898568397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-55732805869656349402011-04-25T19:47:36.675-06:002011-04-25T19:47:36.675-06:00Lot of good questions there. May someday it will f...Lot of good questions there. May someday it will figure itself out (or not). I love the Mercy series, hate Sookie.Donna K. Weaverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17158114738303231773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-67776017623693319722011-04-25T17:34:56.576-06:002011-04-25T17:34:56.576-06:00Actually, Gaiman is a good example, but not for hi...Actually, Gaiman is a good example, but not for his books... his comic books. <br />And American Gods is classified as Sci-Fi, although I never would have considered it that.<br /><br />I remember the very first "cross-genre" books I read: 1. the original Apprentice Adept trilogy by Piers Anthony 2. The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey 3. The Warlock of Gramarye series by Christopher Stasheff. All crossing the sci-fi/fantasy threshold. I though it was sooo cool back in the 80s.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-56212347382081618312011-04-25T17:10:27.692-06:002011-04-25T17:10:27.692-06:00great post. makes me glad i'm not trying to fi...great post. makes me glad i'm not trying to fit my story into a niche.Michelle Gregoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05747275507200268417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-52922463066183724662011-04-25T16:53:34.991-06:002011-04-25T16:53:34.991-06:00Urban Fantasy = Sex. Hahahaha. Only on True Bloo...Urban Fantasy = Sex. Hahahaha. Only on True Blood. :DRebecca Dupreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08687364861479901764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-91185963629091107622011-04-25T16:45:29.356-06:002011-04-25T16:45:29.356-06:00Lydia, it sounds like it could be considered under...Lydia, it sounds like it could be considered under UF, but I've also seen the sub-genre of Paranormal Romance, so that might actually fit better. Thank you for the series recommendation! <br /><br />Katie, it IS confusing! I hope you get it all figured out and your querying finds you the perfect one to publish your book!<br /><br />Jeffrey, I'm looking forward to the Cowboys vs. Aliens sci-fi western, despite the cheesy name. But you're right. It's like horror movies, where all the rules suddenly changed. That medium has been rocked, as well.<br /><br />Al, yes, I think both of those definitions work. Ha! Or finding parking downtown without driving in circles for an hour. <br /><br />M.J., that's a good, non-complicated way to look at it. I like the way you think.<br /><br />Andrew, that's a really good point, and well said. On the one hand, it would have been easier to classify when it was only genres (sci-fi, horror, romance, drama, etc.). On the other hand, the one story I tried to submit to two magazines (and then gave up on, this being about a decade ago), was getting turned down by sci-fi mags as not fitting that genre, horror mags for the same, and I had no knowledge of any fantasy mags or that as a genre, to begin with. All that to say that the blurring of the lines may have been good for at least one thing--when your story didn't fit one specific shape.<br /><br />Margo, all very true, and Gaiman is a great example of someone who blurred the lines way back when. I think he was always listed under horror not too many years ago, if I remember correctly. I don't remember having a separate fantasy section back then at all, though. It was sci-fi or horror.<br /><br />K.C., I love the comments! Framework is a good way to classify it. Contemporary Fantasy seems like a good catch-all and a way to envelope multiple sub-genres and those that blur the lines. It sort of makes the term Urban Fantasy sound like an extraneous sub-genre.Shannon Lawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00934641808195675935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-76038138570672664872011-04-25T13:10:18.628-06:002011-04-25T13:10:18.628-06:00Interesting post, and comments.
Genres and subgen...Interesting post, and comments.<br /><br />Genres and subgenres are just a framework, aren't they. Of course they're important for sales and marketing purposes, which is a valid reason to take them into account, but as it's a framework, it's a simplification of reality that helps us understand. Many novels are crossovers and could be categorised in different genres / subgenres.<br /><br />Like Kelley Armstrong's 'Women of the Otherworld': some of the books (on Amazon) are under paranormal, others urban fantasy, and some both.<br /><br />I write contemporary fantasy in a rural setting, so I find it difficult to call my novel 'urban fantasy', and usually go by modern fantasy or contemporary fantasy.<br /><br />Thanks for the post! :-)K.C. Woolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04047055661710059161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-81250010192740250132011-04-25T11:55:53.015-06:002011-04-25T11:55:53.015-06:00Because there is so much disagreement on the topic...Because there is so much disagreement on the topic, and out of respect for some of the pioneers (whose stories weren't set in cities) I tend to say contemporary fantasy for works by writers like Gaiman and De Lint. They may or may not be set in an urban environment, but they are modern and heavily influenced by mythology and folklore.<br /><br />I tend to use urban fantasy for the stories with a particularly crime noir sensability, though I think for some writers just throwing in a detective acts as shorthand for really exploring the noir roots of some of the most popular urban fantasy.<br /><br />Within urban fantasy, I will often refer to Angry Chicks in Leather (a term coined by Lilith Saintcrow, I believe) for the Anita Blake style character (which may or may not include strong sexual context - I don't think there are hard and fast rules for that).<br /><br />Of course, there's so much crossover and blurring, the usefulness of labels only goes so far.Margo Lerwillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00773653995392669855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-83069172658770123462011-04-25T10:21:44.576-06:002011-04-25T10:21:44.576-06:00I think the problem with all of these "genres...I think the problem with all of these "genres" is that none of them are really genres. At best, they're just sub-genres under fantasy, and, really, I think, they're just attempts at labeling a particular fad. It's why the lines are so blurry.<br />These aren't sonnets. It's all a lot of free verse that people want to catagorize, and you really just can't do that.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-21580678998173630452011-04-25T09:17:38.078-06:002011-04-25T09:17:38.078-06:00I've been using the definition of "Parano...I've been using the definition of "Paranormal stories that take place in an urban setting." After that, I just kind of wing it and see where the story takes me.M.J. Fifieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15626475963328519693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-2986686901992258232011-04-25T06:55:45.375-06:002011-04-25T06:55:45.375-06:00Urban Fantasy...? Would that be finding a parking...Urban Fantasy...? Would that be finding a parking space right in front of your apartment building?<br />Seriously, Urban Fantasy to me is when the antagonist is just like us (apart from the whole supernatural bits). You couldn't tell him/her apart from anyone else. Graphic sex isn't a requirement, but like the est of the human experience, it's still necessary.Al Penwasserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14052950809151897315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-41093840821885024652011-04-25T03:49:48.846-06:002011-04-25T03:49:48.846-06:00I think with the onset of Twilight it set the stan...I think with the onset of Twilight it set the standard for what Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance is. But the genres altogether blur more now than ever. You can have an urban fantasy with horror elements. You can have a science fiction western. You can even have a cook book memoir. Genre has always been a difficult beast to tame and I think it's going to stay that way.Jeff Beeslerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17935580053176710609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-75691093624151431812011-04-25T01:19:47.170-06:002011-04-25T01:19:47.170-06:00It is confusing isn't it? I have a YA urban f...It is confusing isn't it? I have a YA urban fantasy that I'm querying and I hazard to label that way because 1. It concerns a classic fantasy creature (fantasy creatures have more to do with dwarves, unicorns, wizards, mermaids, dragons and lord of the ring/peter pan/legend type stuff, you know? I would call a vampire or a werewolf more paranormal or supernatural.) 2. It also has world building but is also a contemporary story that takes place in a modern-day town.Creepy Query Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18115161057496086972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7646134662936278718.post-58826484065915813282011-04-25T00:41:38.745-06:002011-04-25T00:41:38.745-06:00Hm....several good points here. I hadn't thoug...Hm....several good points here. I hadn't thought of myself as an urban fantasy writer, but I suppose since my only published work involves a strong female vampire who loves a male human (who knows who and what she is, shock!), then I fit most of those "rules". Although, come to think of it, mine is set in the city, not on sprawling land. So would that disclude me? Interesting thoughts to ponder...<br /><br />Also, I suggest reading PC and Kristen Cast's 'House of Night' series, if vampires is what you seek. They, too, have vampires and humans co-existing (though the humans do not like them much), has many strong women (but some men as well), is partly (okay, mostly) set on land outside the city, and has some sex (though not much--mostly implied or tastefully alluded to). I really enjoy their books and they release a new one every six months (next one is in June! Yay!). If you want to take a look, the first novel is called "Marked". It's a bit different take on the vampire world (and took me quite some getting used to), but a very good, evolving story!Lydia Elizabeth Burnwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05081888797720807169noreply@blogger.com