genre

[Amanda Church]

Was just wondering, after looking around the site, how many people chose their genre, or did it choose you?

I know for myself, I have always had an interest in the paranormal, especially the sweeping, romantic notion of it. As a kid I would sneak my mother's old gothic romances (like Victoria Holt) and the first books I can remember ever buying and rereading were the Sergeanne Golon Angelique series. I loved these books because they were like a Beauty and the Beast tale with a strong female lead (rare in those days) and all kinds of action and adventure.

The first story I ever wrote (I think I was 10 or 11) was about a ghost who possessed people who walked in this small-town cemetary. I've always had a fascination with vamp/shifter stuff but could never find a book that told it the way I wanted it told, which is why I started writing in that vein (no pun intended).

[Lavender]

I've always loved gothic novels. I didn't chose to write in the genre, my characters did.

[Amanda Church]

(smiles) Don't you just love when that happens?

[Zoe Winters]

I tried to write in a lot of different genres. I tried a mystery/thriller (a few of those actually, but they don't hold my interest enough.) I tried kid's fantasy and middle grade paranormals along the lines of R.L. Stine. (I was in junior high, R.L. Stine was really big.) I did NOT think I would ever write romance. Even in the 8th grade, when my English teacher told me one of her good friends wrote romance novels and was published, I sort of looked down my nose at it.

In 8th grade! The snobbery toward romance I think runs pretty deep, lol.

Then of course it's the genre I end up loving lol. I was a big fan of Buffy, and then red fanfic like a crazy person. And a lot of that was fanfic getting Buffy and Spike romantically together. It wasn't a big jump from there to paranormal romance. I am in LOVE with this genre. Where the bad boys are REALLY bad. Yum.

Zoe :)

[Amanda Church]

Yeah, I have to admit to looking down my nose at romance writing years ago (my impression was those cheap little Harlequin paperbacks that frustrated housewives read), but romance has come a long way, and is now one of the best selling genres.

And like you said, Zoe, the bad boys are BAD - what girl could resist THAT?

I have to credit Joss Whedon (the Wunderkind) with reigniting the popularity of the paranormal/fantasy genre. Without BTVS and Angel, where would we all be now?

[C. M. Clark]

I find it very interesting that there is a lot of vampire novels etc coming out (Twilight being so big) so many years after Buffy and Angel aren't on the air any more.

[Amanda Church]

The nice thing is, despite all the vamp books coming out, everyone is trying something different. They're not all your typical broody Dracula-types any more. Everyone is bending the rules to fit their world-building, and I think that's very cool. I hear alot of people complain about all the vamp books, but that to me is just like saying there are a lot of mysteries or crime thrillers. Sure, but they're all different.

And hey, they're all selling, so someone must like them. (raises hand)

[C. M. Clark]

Right. It's very fun to see how each writer takes the vampire lore and uses it to their idea.
makes me want to looke up differnet lores and bend them to an idea... then I about how many ideas and outlines I have stacked up and I slowly back away from yahoo search...

[Amanda Church]

Sort of like the shifter lore. They're not your Werewolves of London shifters anymore. You've got were-everythings now. The only thing that turns me off about it is how all shifter books seem to revolve around this whole male-dominated heirarchical society. I'd like to see someone depart from that stereotype.

There was a book several years ago by Robert McCammon called Wolf's Hour that for me set the bar for shifter books. I've reread that book a dozen times (I'm on my second copy).

[C. M. Clark]

oh boy, I've been fighting off a werewolf idea for months now. Don't feed it! ;)

[Amanda Church]

Go for it! Be the one who does it right!!

[C. M. Clark]

lol
hmm that'll push ideas and novels to write up to about... 10 maybe more I have counted outlines in a while.

[Zoe Winters]

I think this might be because of how wolf packs operate. With shifters you're always going to have a dominant alpha male leading, but it's important to remember the alpha female within the pack. Perhaps the alpha male and female should lead more as a team.

"Blood and Chocolate" was a young adult paranormal written before they were hot. And I thought it showed the alpha female thing very well.