Romantic fantasy.

But these are two completely separate genres! As any good fantasy writer will tell you, the key to good Fantasy is the myth/magic that’s inherant to the story. If you can take away the magic then you don’t have a Fantasy story.

The same is true of romance. In romance, the love story and the emotional journey between the characters is the central focus of the plot. If you don’t have love that grows over the course of the story, you don’t have romance.

Fantasy has been such an explosive genre in recent years that it’s not hard to see why it’s spilled over into romance. Readers are drawn to the paranormal romance market because they primarly love discovering relationships between characters but are interested in exploring it in a spectacular place full of out of this world ideas. Paranormal gives authors room to play with new romance concepts and intrigue us with old, but still very romantic and emotionally stirring ideas (mundane desk job by day, hunky men sneaking around in the dark just waiting to ravage us by night.) Some of these ideas cross genres and draw both markets of readers, and some are the kinds of things that one or the other genre wouldn’t usually tolerate. But somewhere along the line I think paranormal romance authors/editors/publishers left the emphasis on “romance” and forgot the single most important rule of Fantasy literature. What the paranormal romance genre has been asking its audience up until now is: “Can two people fall in love in a unique fantasy world?” But the question it REALLY needs to be asking is, “How does this unique world define whether these two people fall in love?”

Take Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. The heroine in the story is happily married up until she steps through a portal and traverses time back to the 18th century. There, believing her former life lost, she marries a Highlander to keep him out of jail and over time falls madly in love with him. And from there on out, the whole story hinges on their romance being threatened by the heroine’s otherworldly status and the very real problems of living in the 1700′s. Separate the magic from the story (the time-travel/mystical portal) and the romance doesn’t/can’t happen. Take the romance out of the story and a time-travel story back to observe 18th century Scotland life is just ho-hum.

Hence, the key to good paranormal romance (and what we’ve been missing) is meshing the romance with the fantasy so that the two depend entirely on each other. Take note, all you writers! No more setting and backdrop, please. Give us something so rich in myth and romance that we can’t separate the two!

I read her first historical, Danegeld, though I don’t remember it very well. I tend to prefer fiction with fantastic elements. :) I really liked Sacrament, the first vampire book, but I’m way behind on that series. She has a contemporary paranormal, too, that’s on my TBR pile.

Susan Squires' Philomancer was brilliant.

What? How did I miss a Susan Squires book? I loved Body Electric.

And now I’ve looked for it and still can’t find any reference to it. Was it published?

(I love threads like these where you find gobs of recommendations.)

And do you know, I recently finished Karin Shah’s STARJACKED (Samhain)–that story has a heroine space pirate named Tia Sen. Fun read, and Shah really put Tia through the wringer–yeah, baby! Kimber An, you would like how STARJACKED ends.

For really awesome sci-fi world building (and a bit of opera) I would highly recommend Ann Sommerville.

I enjoyed Somerville’s INTERSTITIAL immensely. I highly recommend it.

Actually, Susan, my WIP doesn’t involve any aliens or otherworldly events.

I KNOW. That’s what I was trying to say at any rate. :) :) My point was I’d find that sort of story hard to write FOR ME. (It’s the conflict between disparate cultures that drives my muse.) But I DO love reading it. Susan Squires’ Philomancer was brilliant. Have you read it? Loved that book–so different. There was also a funny one a few years back, forgot the title, by Katie MacAllister about people stuck in virtual reality. Like Anion, I, too, think editors are gung ho about finding new and exciting stuff. Whoever quoted the Publisher deals, not all agents post to that. Mine doesn’t like to. So maybe there’s lots of stuff not being reported that would have fallen outside the vampire/UF box.

I write using a story idea and think about the genre and where/how it all fits later.

Don’t we all? :) I think I’d drive myself crazy if I tried to squish my work-in-progress into a hole that never really will quite fit. Besides, whatever you decide to call what you write, the publisher will label it what they want anyway, and readers don’t seem tho split hairs with the subgenres as much as the authors do, in my experience. There were some great debates over at Galaxy Express recently over SFR versus futuristic and the opinion from the readers was they didn’t care so much what it was called, as long as it delivered what they wanted.

Right after I turned off my computer, I realized how my statement could have come across, and that I should have provided a link–d’oh! But I didn’t want to insult anyone’s intelligence.

Heather, thank you for assuming I’d know! You are so knowledgeable about the genre and many would love to learn more, namely me. From here on out, never assume–at least not with me! ;)

Absolutely! cannot wait for Susan Grant’s next novel to come out, about a lady space pirate who happens to be an, ahem, working mother. Can you imagine a Kick-Butt Heroine who actually gets knocked up from all that Hot Nookie in Outer Space? Bring it on!

Ah, Kimber–thank you! Val is one of my fav heroines that I’ve ever written, because she is momming DURING the book. Yes, a single-mom-pirate, she can kick butt, but she is so maternal, not just wallpaper maternal: she’s fiercely protective of her cub, and utterly tender with him, hiding her fears and worry as she goes off to raid in the morning… (pirate day care anyone??) :)It brings out a whole other side of such a strong woman, and makes her even stronger, IMO. The emotional triangle of her, her rival and lover Dake, and their unplanned son is something I am absolutely loving to write.

Absolutely! I complain about wanting more variety in SFR all the time, but actually it has a lot more variety than other Paranormal Romance in my opinion. For example, I cannot wait for Susan Grant’s next novel to come out, about a lady space pirate who happens to be an, ahem, working mother. Can you imagine a Kick-Butt Heroine who actually gets knocked up from all that Hot Nookie in Outer Space? Bring it on!

But I know for a fact at least *most* of those are were- and vamp-free. :-)

Heather, I have to laugh.

Right after I turned off my computer, I realized how my statement could have come across, and that I should have provided a link–d’oh! But I didn’t want to insult anyone’s intelligence.

I second the recommend for Heather's GALAXY EXPRESS.

Thanks, Susan! That means a lot.

Leslie's WIP would be entirely different then if no ET civilizations or interaction, advanced tech etc. Wow, that would be hard to write, though, wouldn't it? A lot of restrictions. Yet, a chance to imagine what we can do within our limitations…

Actually, Susan, my WIP doesn’t involve any aliens or otherworldly events. I just use a technology (computer simulation, virtual reality) that exists today in a limited form. I’ve expanded the uses to suit my storyline and drive my plot and characters. I wasn’t even sure this was SF until Lisa assured me it was (the use of science/technology, I suppose)! LOL!

I write using a story idea and think about the genre and where/how it all fits later.

Glad I wasn’t the only one confused at first with Heather’s comment. LOL!

Heather, I have to laugh. I’m such a dork. I said to Lisa: is MUNDANE a good thing? And she pointed me to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mundane_SF . Who knew what I was writing actually had a name! “It focuses on stories set on or near the Earth, with a believable use of technology and science as it exists at the time the story is written.” Yeah, that’s pretty close to what I’m working on. COOL!

I’ve learned something, too. I thought: is that an insult? “Mundane”? :) Then read the link. Cool. Thanks, Heather, for enlightening us. My O.W. series isn’t this (mundane sf), as my ETs have all that high tech even if Earth doesn’t, if I read that def. right. Leslie’s WIP would be entirely different then if no ET civilizations or interaction, advanced tech etc. Wow, that would be hard to write, though, wouldn’t it? A lot of restrictions. Yet, a chance to imagine what we can do within our limitations…

I second the recommend for Heather’s GALAXY EXPRESS. Truly extraordinary blog, and one-stop shopping for those wanting to know more about SFR.

Leslie, that sounds like mundane SF with a romance-bring it on! Best of luck with finding it a home.

Heather, I have to laugh. I’m such a dork. I said to Lisa: is MUNDANE a good thing? And she pointed me to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mundane_SF .

Who knew what I was writing actually had a name! “It focuses on stories set on or near the Earth, with a believable use of technology and science as it exists at the time the story is written.” Yeah, that’s pretty close to what I’m working on. COOL!

Thanks for the shout out and for letting me know that my little story is a true subgenre! :-)

Speaking of what I'm looking forward to, I'm looking forward to Lisa Paitz Spindler's THE KINSHIP, *when* it gets published.

Thank you so much Heather. THE KINSHIP is in the Harper Collins competition over at Authonomy where currently the first four chapters are available.

Anion, if these “six or seven new series coming out” aren't epubbed or erotic, I'd LOVE to know about them so would you please share? I'm totally eager to try out someone new I might have missed.

And again, I respectfully disagree that editors/agents are wanting the other stuff – not when I do the To Market column for my chapter and every week I'm seeing paranormals that are the “same” as everything else already released. I can certainly understand and share Jane's frustration as I share it.

Okay, I’ve just spent forty minutes or so trying to find the Deal Lunch postings and can’t find them here anymore! So I’m going mostly by memory here, sadly, and some of my info might be a little fuzzy:

Laura Ann Gilman's Retrievers series

Lori Devoti's upcoming AMAZON INK (June)

Caitlin Kittredge's upcoming STREET MAGIC (June)

Anya Bast's WITCH HEART

Seressia Glass's upcoming series-’not sure of the release date yet-’has no weres or vamps afaik and uses Egyptian mythology

Cherie Priest's FATHOM

Stacia Kane’s Megan Chase books and her upcoming UNHOLY GHOSTS (November)

Jill Myles’s upcoming GENTLEMEN PREFER SUCCUBI (Feb 2010)

Richelle Mead’s SUCCUBUS series

Cat Adams’s MAGIC’S DESIGN

Jenna Black’s Morgan Kingsley books

Rachel Caine’s just-released Outcast Season series

Karen Chance’s Cassie Palmer books

Annaleise Evans’s upcoming NIGHTS ROSE series, fantastic historical romantic UF (I believe there is a vampire in it but in a small role, it’s not the focus)

…heck, just go on Amazon and look up any one of those titles, and check the reader-created lists they’re on. Like I said I wanted to go back through the Deal Posts here because I remember dozens of non-were non-vamp blurbs in those but I can’t seem to find them, sigh.

For that matter, go check out the Fangs Fur Fey community at livejournal; over 150 authors of fantasy, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance, just waiting for you to trot on over and pick up our books. http://community.livejournal.com/fangs_fur_fey/

As for agents and editors…I seriously have not heard a single one who isn’t saying they’re looking for something new and different. I’m not sure which houses are included in most of these same-old same-old sales you’re listing? Maybe that would help us figure out where the disconnect is.

I hope that helps. :-)

Yes Ysabel is a sequel but its set about 20 years later, and only some of the original characters are in it but yes, it gives some nice closure to the whole “what happened next” question.

Its utterly delightful tho – I was almost tempted to buy it in hardback (approx $50 here in NZ)

You all should pop over to Heather's blog, The Galaxy Express, if you want variety. She's got the whole run-down on SFR.

http://www.thegalaxyexpress.net

Thanks for the shout out, Kimber An! You’re very kind.

Why is it the paranormal character is so often the hero and not the heroine?

I believe SFR is more equalizing in that regard. Heroines range from kick butt warriors to brainy scientists to space pirates–and the same goes for the heroes.

Speaking of what I’m looking forward to, I’m looking forward to Lisa Paitz Spindler’s THE KINSHIP, *when* it gets published. The list of aspiring SFR authors is growing, not to mention the whispers I’m hearing regarding established authors with SFR projects in the works.

To the great recommendations provided upthread, I’d also add Kristin Landon’s THE HIDDEN WORLDS, the first in a trilogy. It’s serious in tone but has a strong romance arc that adds a layer of hope.

A new story I've started seems to be it's own SFR Lite, taking a SF idea and placing it in a contemporary setting with ordinary (gasp!) characters.

Leslie, that sounds like mundane SF with a romance–bring it on! Best of luck with finding it a home.

We're out here, we're pushing the boundaries.

Susan, that sounds pretty cool to me! (not that I’m biased or anything)