Comments on: Samhain to Refocus on Romance

By: Cookie

Cookie — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 19:39:28 +0000

Okay-Sarah Just thought that it came across that way.
No harm done.

By: Jules Jones

Jules Jones — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 11:40:14 +0000

Well, I’m glad to see that urban fantasy with romantic elements is still of interest, because I’ve got one in progress right now, and was thinking of Samhain as an obvious place to submit it once it’s done. Nearly had a heart attack when I caught up on Dear Author this morning…

By: Sarah McCarty

Sarah McCarty — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 22:28:53 +0000

Cookie- I wasn’t being sarcastic. I meant I was the third who found it refreshing.

*sigh* I miss the old go back and edit feature.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 22:27:23 +0000

As to the Ward/Feehan/Kenyon, eh, I’m not so sure I could call them UF, either. UF generally isn’t about romance. Now I love when somebody can blend them well, but it doesn’t happen that often.

Ward/Feehan/Kenyon all strike me as paranormal romance.

Feehan I would say is still paranormal romance but I think Ward and Kenyon are heading towards Urban Fantasy.

By: Cookie

Cookie — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 19:29:56 +0000

Name me three who finds it refreshing.

Talk about sarcastic, huh Sarah?

By: Dayna

Dayna — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 18:37:50 +0000

DS: Thank you for mentioning de Lint (I always do…I love his work) He, in my mind defines the UF genre. As a result, I find it hard to see Vamps and Weres lumped in as UF…they seem so steeped in their own mythos that they need their own genre, whatever it might be.

By: Keishon

Keishon — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 17:50:27 +0000

LKH wasn’t always considered UF, but then the labels for her books have stretched all away across to be Romantic Fantasy. Go figure on that one. I love Patricia Briggs. She does write circles around LKH. Her fantasy world is pretty solid as is her characterization. Holly Black is another great author in the UF genre for YA. I am sick of vampires and werewolves but those two authors seem to write about such mythical creatures as being apart of the social fabric of reality, having the same strengths and weaknesses of their human counterparts. I don’t know, but I do enjoy and prefer UF novels. I am always looking for a new writer in that genre to squee over.

By: DS

DS — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 17:33:33 +0000

My first introduction to UF was the Bordertowns series, shared world anthologies where the worlds of Faery were impinging on the urban mundane world. It was subtitled at one point Where Magic Meets Rock and Roll. Will Shettley was involved and Ellen Kushner and (I think) Charles de Lint. I don’t know if Lackey’s later co-authored Urban Fantasy books were actually spin offs from that series or simply used the same premise. MacAvoy’s Tea with the Black Dragon and Twisting the Rope are usually included under the UF umbrella. Some of Josepha Shermans fantasies also fall into that group. But the emphasis wasn’t really on vampires, werewolves, etc. as on Elves, Magic and traveling between worlds were two theme that were used a lot. Music was very important, folk, rock and roll or fusion.

When LKH’s first books came out they were generally considered horror “lite” with all the references to dead bodies and necromancy. Dresden’s books fell rather easily into UF. Some of Gaiman’s work and Simon Green seems to have fallen across the horror/UF divide.

By: Angela James

Angela James — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 17:11:15 +0000

aha! That makes much more sense to me. Thanks for clearing that up!

By: Patrice Michelle

Patrice Michelle — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 17:03:15 +0000

Patrice, I’m going to have to disagree with your statement. To the best of my remembrance, there’s no romance at all in Ilona’s book, and I don’t think Lilith’s Dante series can be considered romance or a HEA

Sorry for the confusion, Angie. I wasn’t referring to Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews or Lilith’s books. I was referring to Ward, Kenyon and Feehan when I said their books fall in the paranormal romance category in my mind (due to the fact they focus on the romance and have an HEA). I should’ve given their names. Patricia Briggs books, in my mind, fall in the UF with romantic elements category because the focus of her books aren’t on the romance per se. That said, I DO enjoy the romantic elements in her books very much! She blends it well.

To me, in the end, the labels don’t really matter either. I enjoy both genres equally.