How to do it wrong

Something I love to read is a good, solid urban fantasy. I just love it. I kind of dabble with urban fantasy with my writing, but most of what could be called urban fantasy with my stuff would be a blend of urban, mixed with paranormal romance. I need my romance in there when I write-it just comes out now matter what.

When it comes to reading though, urban fantasy is one of my favorite genres, especially right now. There’s something about that mix of action, fantasy, intrigue, mystery…and often, the romance. *G* I don’t know if I could really tell anybody how to do an urban fantasy right, but I think I can tell you some ways to do it wrong.

Here are some tips, if you’re trying do it wrong.

Don’t make any sense
Even in a fictional world, some laws of logic should apply. Magic, to me, sounds like a form of energy. I go over to my light switch and flip it on and even though I don’t understand all the logistics, I know that energy is coming from somewhere. Magic should do the same. If you want to write urban fantasy wrong, make the hero or heroine’s magic come from absolutely nowhere, have no source.

Make it too easy
Two of the urban fantasy series I’m really in love with right now are the Kate Daniels books by Ilona Andrews and the Corine Solomon books by Ann Aguirre-although I’ve only read one of the Corine. Both of the heroines have a ‘magic’ of sorts, but they aren’t easy. They come with heavy costs to the users and they should. Magic, to me, doesn’t seem to work if it’s all nice and easy and everything gets tied up with a pretty little bow. So if you want to do it wrong, make the magic in your urban fantasy nice and easy, with no expense to user and no consequences, no costs, etc, etc etc.

Make something from nothing
Okay… I love the tv show CHARMED. I love it. I adore it. But if it had been an urban fantasy series I’d been reading? I probably would have dropped it after two chapters–right about when Prue put her hand on the bar in the very episode and said, “Now where’s the cream?” (or whatever the line was… Remember what I said about things making sense? Logic applying? You can’t create something from nothing and if your hero or heroine are going to suddenly have these massive, unique powers they never had before, the reasonings as to why need to make sense. Saying a little chant may not be enough. Picking up a charm in a little out of the shop may not be enough. So if you want to do it wrong, have your hero or heroine wake up one day, out of the blue and they now have the ability move things with their minds, jump tall buildings, create fire, etc, etc, etc.

Hitting the heat level ‘wrong’
Now while I do love a good, solid romance mixed with my urban fantasy… Kate and Curran by Ilona Andrews…(happy sigh), Cat and Bones by Jeaniene Frost…(happy sigh), and then Mercy and Adam and Anna and Charles by Patricia Briggs (happy, happy sigh), one thing that will knock me, a veteran romance and urban fantasy reader out of a book is a heavy-handed attempt at bringing some heat into a book. If it reads clumsy, chances are it felt clumsy to the writer…I would think. So here’s a tip…if romance just isn’t your thing, even though you hear it’s popular, one way to do it wrong is to try and force some heat into your story.

Using somebody else’s voice
At this point in time, almost every story has been told in some way, shape or form. The thing, though, the story hasn’t been told by you. Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series have some basic things in common with quite a few stories–older man, younger woman, dangerous boy, innocent girl, vampire, innocent lamb. The stories have been told. They’ll be told again, and again.

The stories have been told, but they haven’t been told by you and that’s what can make your story unique. Each writer brings a different voice to the table and that’s what can make your story stand out. But if you want to do it wrong, try to copy somebody else’s voice, mimic their storyline, try to evoke the same response.

Make it too neat
One of the best things about urban fantasy is the potential for more books. Don’t tie up all the strings so tightly there is little or no room for more books in the future. So, as crazy as this sounds, if you really want to do it wrong, don’t leave readers begging for the next installment. Satisfy them in one quick gulp.

Nope, I can’t really tell anybody how to write an urban fantasy the right way, because the right way is going to be different for everybody. In the end, all writers have to find their own right way.

Shiloh Walker
http://shilohwalker.com

Rating: 4 stars

Kamillia, the heroine of Kiki Howell’s A Modern Day Witch Hunt (eXcessica Publishing, 2009), is like a female version of Harry Potter, mixed with Sookie Stackhouse and Sarah Connor. (more…)

Joss Whedon‘s Buffy The Vampire Slayer TV show has a great deal to answer for. That sentence could be taken either way, really, but I’m getting at the rise in Urban Fantasy in literature that has become apparent since the show ended. Granted there are plenty of other Urban Fantasy shows that have had an effect on the general populace as well as genre fans (Charmed, Heroes, et al), but the tales of stake-toting cheerleader really grabbed people’s attention, and created the hunger for more of the same. Of course, there’s the ‘Season Eight’ Buffy comics and the ‘Season Six’ Angel comics, but many fans have been looking elsewhere for their fix, and have found it in the realms of the Fantasy section in bookstores the world over. Judging by the demand for merchandise and spinoff books from favourite TV shows, the audience is still out there in force.

The main example of how this genre has picked up legions of adoring fans is with the series of Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novels by the prolific Laurel K. Hamilton. These action-packed novels began with the entertaining Guilty Pleasures (which, incidentally is now a wildly popular comic book series from Marvel). The series originally began in 1993 with the initial publication of Guilty Pleasures, but after the demise of the Buffy TV show, the Anita Blake novels found a whole new audience, who lapped up every sex-and-supernatural-violence-drenched page of the series. Further volumes of the series grew in thickness much like the Harry Potter books did, and with each successive title came another wave of fans.

In the years since this happened, the market has seen something of an influx of new material along similar lines become available, with many variations on the central theme of a feisty female lead character doing battle (and falling in love with) supernatural creatures and demonic forces. Another big name in the genre is Kelley Armstrong, whose Urban Fantasy star began to shine with the novel Dime Store Magic, released to much acclaim in 2004. Armstrong’s books deal with Witches, Vampires and other such staples of fiction, transported to a contemporary setting and involving very contemporary situations and characterization. Her books have since come to be the more fantastical benchmark that current Urban Fantasy authors seem to follow. While Hamilton has the action and Buffy area covered, Armstrong covers the part of the genre that fans of the also-now-defunct TV Show Charmed want more of.

Other authors of note include Jeaniene Frost and Rachel Vincent, who are continuing to feed the hunger of the masses with tales of magic and mayhem mixed with contemporary culture. The mixture o the supernatural and the everyday has proven to be a wildly popular mix that readers and viewers have been lapping up in recent years, and the genre continues to build and grow from its beginnings as essentially a spin-off. The genre as a whole can be traced back as far as the 1920s, and has long since been a staple of children’s fiction. It is only in recent years that it has made the leap into the realms of adult books, but it shows little sign of slowing down, with more offshoots (such as the Paranormal Romance genre) bursting out of Urban Fantasy every couple of years. The genre has been around for a very long time, but it is really only now that it is making its presence felt as a (supernatural) force to be reckoned with.

Review:
Sin eater: One gifted with magic, able to absorb the sins of a dying person so that person’s soul is free to go unencumbered to heaven. In Keta Diablo’s paranormal erotic romance The Sin Eater’s Prince, the sin eater is Owen Rhys, a pariah in his small village in Wales. Since his father died, Owen’s only friend is Carys, the physician’s assistant. Owen harbors a secret longing for Carys’s employer, the unbelievable beautiful healer Andras Maddock. Andras has his own magical secret: he’s a long tooth, a vampire. Their undeniable attraction puts Owen in grave danger.

There is much to love in this lush novel from Ravenous Romance; here are my five favorites.

1. The hypnotic cover. From under a gray hood, the vampire stares at us. His eyes are icy blue, his hair and long eyelashes black, his gaze both beautiful and terrifying. This is Dagan, a nast–but gorgeous–vamp who threatens to put a serious damper on Owen and Andras’s relationship. The cover perfectly captures what Owen feels: attraction and revulsion at once toward this terrible being.

2. The Welsh language and lore. The native, Celtic language of Wales is notoriously difficult (and un-phonetic) for English speakers. They spell Wales “Cymru,” for crying out loud! Keta Diablo’s story is laced with strange Welsh folklore, history, and myth, as well as those lovely Celtic words. Lest the reader be unable to keep up, though, there is a glossary of Welsh terms, from Annwyn to Uffern.

3. The vampire’s prayer. Dagan offers an eerily beautiful but chilling prayer to his Dark Lord, the devil. For readers who like their vamps scary and dangerous, the vampire’s prayer delivers just the right touch of evil. An excerpt:

“Whatever flows through your body, flows through mine. I am in your likeness, he who feeds on the warm, red elixir of life. I am the dreaded vampire, a blessed composition of your energy, lust and desire. My day is the mortal’s night, my sustenance their blood. When earth has witnessed its last day, I shall rise again and serve you for all eternity. “

4. The kisses. In this very sensual novel, Owen and Andras crave one another’s touch. No parts of their heavenly bodies go unexplored as they make love desperately, ecstatically. Each encounter begins when Andras looks into Owen’s beautiful green eyes…and then they kiss. Keta Diablo is skilled in the art of taut sexual tension, turning up the heat until it boils over with every steamy kiss in passages like this:

“Owen’s touch on his arm, the taste of his lips melding with his, sent a jolt of unbearable pleasure rushing through him. The sin eater’s fingers wound their way into the hair at the back of his neck and Owen drew him deeper into the kiss. Andras parted his lips with his tongue, evoking a breathless moan and a defenseless surrender of his body against Owen’s. “

5. Carys. Even a boy-meets-boy romance can use a female character to root for; in The Sin Eater’s Prince, that woman is Carys. Loyal, determined, and clear-headed (despite her tendency to believe in Welsh superstitions), she is a true friend to both Owen and Andras. Carys is less damsel in distress and more Celtic warrior woman.

Lovers of paranormal erotic fiction will find The Sin Eater’s Prince irresistible for these, and many other, reasons. It contains a well-crafted world of British Isles magic, wonder, and romance.

Whether you’re an artist, a writer, an online business owner or somewhere in between your efforts likely require a healthy mix of creative thinking. In fact creativity and innovation are crucial for business success or to excel in most any other type vocation.

Realizing the important role creativity plays in your professional efforts it is vital to maintain a continual flow of fresh new creative ideas. Unfortunately we all experience times when this flow slows to a trickle and sometimes even stops. Coming up with even a single creative idea seems to be an insurmountable challenge. What do you do when this happens?

In order to ‘recharge’ your mind and get those innovative thoughts flowing again a change of venue is usually a good first step.

Let’s have a look at 7 different ways to stimulate your thinking thus allowing your mind to develop more cutting edge ideas for use in business or everyday problem solving.

Reach out to Family and Friends

If you’ve got an online business discuss with family or friends what it is you do and how they think you can improve upon it. Perhaps they feel you’re products are too expensive or maybe just don’t solve the problems they want solved. Listen to their feedback and take notes.

What’s in the News

Check out what’s going on in the world. Generally the bad part about any news broadcast is that they’re so negative. Well negativity implies there are problems so identify them and consider any solutions that may address these problems.

Review Your Past Mistakes

Review your own past and examine mistakes you’ve made. Were the mistakes you made common or could they have been avoided and if so, how? You’re looking for ideas here so don’t let this turn into a ‘self flogging’ session.

Brainstorm with Friends

This need not be a formal gathering nor does it need to be like work. Chill out, kick back and be casual. Have fun in this relaxed environment and treat this like a game such as word association or scrabble. Discussing something like ‘what ticks you off most about…..’ and then let the sparks fly. No doubt a creative idea or two will result from these exchanges.

Introduce New Solutions

Ignoring any current solutions and focus more on the problem these solutions were made for. Consider a different approach to solving the problem. Your solution may be more convenient, economical or possibly environmentally friendlier.

Peruse Forums

Online forums are a great source of information but they are also a great place to find out what is on the minds of others. What bothers them or what pressing and consistent need is out there that has gone unanswered?

Finding a Niche in the Existing Solution

Look at current or popular products that offer solutions to pre-existing problems. Have they fully addressed the problem or is something left unsolved?

Approach this ‘sliver of opportunity’ by considering a solution for just this one area. Focus on the smaller problem areas the existing solutions didn’t solve and consider a solution for just it.

Creative thinking is a resource upon which many rely in order to achieve any type of success. The ability to introduce creativity and innovation into your efforts is what keeps you on the cutting edge and a step ahead of the competition. Whether it’s for business success, personal achievement or simply problem solving there’ll always be the need for fresh new creative ideas. Losing, even temporarily, the ability to think creatively can severely hinder your efforts or business growth. The 7 techniques we discussed above are great ways to stimulate creative thoughts that will keep you or your business continually moving forward.

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The Silver Skull is book one in a new series – Swords of Albion. Author Mark Chadbourn gets things off to a smashing start with a swashbuckling hero who battles the Faerie Realm in an alternate Elizabethan England. Chadbourn, has won the British Fantasy Award twice. A former journalist, he’s written eleven novels as well as non-fiction. This is the first book of his that I’ve read. It won’t be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining historical fantasy adventure.

Will Swyfte is the greatest of Lord Francis Walsingham’s spies and there are those who wonder why a spy would want to be so well known. But it’s only a facade so the people will have a hero to look up to and Will can cover up his real duty and the true purpose of the spy network. But now England is threatened by a supernatural force that intends to eradicate the human race. Beneath the Thames a procession of lights moves toward the impregnable Tower of London where a special prisoner and a powerful artifact have been kept for twenty years. The building is breached, the guards killed and the prisoner, a powerful doomsday weapon, is released. Now England’s greatest spy must fight the darkness before the nation is destroyed. He’s vowed to protect his Queen and country from a secret enemy, the Fae, who are consorting with Spain. He has another reason for hating the forces of Faerie. When he was younger they stole his one true love and he can’t forget her. If Will can’t stop the enemy from acquiring three magical artifacts, the Skull, the Key and the Shield then England will fall.

The historical detail in this book sets a believable backdrop for a spy who could pass for a fantastical James Bond. Will Swifte, adventurer, swordsman, rake and the greatest spy is a larger than life character. James Bond has his Q and Will has Dr. John Dee, a member of the secret service. He provides the incredible gadgets for Will and the other spies. I thought all the characters were well developed and sympathetic. Tension abounds and the scare factor is high as they are pitted against supernatural threats and a bit of horror in a late sixteenth century paranormal England. Chadbourn sets a fast pace with plenty of twists and turns. Nothing is as it seems. It’s an excellent read. I’m looking forward to the next in the series.

Publisher: Pyr (November 24, 2009)

ISBN: 978-1-59102-783-6

Paperback: 425 Pages

Price: $16.00
Gail Pruszkowski reviews for “Romantic Times BOOKreviews” magazine and her work has been published in the “Cup of Comfort” Anthologies.