One of the tricky issues in writing urban fantasy is finding the appropriate balance between fantasy and reality. Urban fantasy, by definition, includes fantastical elements (including paranormal ideas or magic) in a mundane setting. Fantastic elements make a story interesting, and realistic elements make a story believable. Too much fantasy makes the magic less special, drowns it in a sea of fantastic characters and places. Too much realism makes the world too gritty or dull. But how much of each is too much?

Often, this takes a good deal of trial and error, depending upon the rules of the world. There are two types of general settings in urban fantasy: an open world in which the fantastic elements are known to all its inhabitants, and a hidden world in which the fantastic elements are unknown except to a select few.

Open worlds include worlds in which fantastic creatures roam the streets, have the right to vote, and are well-integrated into the fabric of society. An open world would be the kind of world in which my brother would bring a vampire home for dinner that he met on a paranormal dating site. I’d be glowering at his hickeys while I was spooning out the mashed potatoes. Open worlds allow for more elements of the fantastic, because they have become ordinary in that setting. People are accustomed to hair removal products for Weres being marketed on daytime television. The world is flexible and resilient, operating under a different set of rules than our own. The reader’s beliefs are effectively suspended at the outset, and the reader knows that anything is possible in this world – it’s wide open.

Hidden worlds require a lighter touch with the fantastic. Hidden worlds operate almost exactly the same as our own on the surface. It’s what’s beneath that’s cause for alarm. Too much magic roiling underneath the surface can make the fantastic elements seem less special and dull their impact. Too much magic can also strains the credibility of a secret world needs to remain secret. Ordinary humans may miss a few supernatural creatures or organizations operating in their midst, but ordinary people less likely to be able to ignore a zoo of things that go bump in the night living across the street.

The urban fantasy I write is primarily of the hidden world variety. In EMBERS, Anna Kalinczyk is an arson investigator by day. By night, she pursues malicious spirits with an eccentric team of ghost hunters and her fire salamander familiar. Anya must stop an attractive arsonist intent on summoning an ancient entity that will leave Detroit in cinders. She exists in a very real world, with a real day job, and most of her conflict and magical activities are hidden from her boss and the rest of the city, where it’s business as usual.

In DARK ORACLE, which I wrote as Alayna Williams, Tara Sheridan swore off criminal profiling after narrowly escaping a serial killer. By combining Tarot card divination with her own intuition, she must help an intense federal agent find a missing scientist who has unlocked the destructive secrets of dark energy. In Tara’s world, her power as an oracle using Tarot cards is concealed from her partner. To keep Tara’s powers in the spotlight, I limited the amount of additional magic in the book to the magic used by the other women in her sisterhood of oracles.

Each story is different, with a different focus on magic and the mundane. But the writer should keep in mind where the emphasis lies and keep experimenting with the ratios to craft a believable story that is also interesting and compelling.

-Laura Bickle

Laura Bickle has worked in the unholy trinity of politics, criminology, and technology for several years. She and her chief muse live in the Midwest, owned by four mostly-reformed feral cats. Her short fiction has appeared here and there. Embers, her debut novel, is first in an exciting new urban fantasy series that continues with her forthcoming second novel, Sparks. More information is at www.salamanderstales.com

Laura also writes as Alayna Williams. Alayna’s “debut” is Dark Oracle, Pocket Juno’s June 2010 release. More info on her work can be found at www.alaynawilliams.com

Update:  The winner of a copy of MASKED BY MOONLIGHT is…Ali!! Congrats, Ali!

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When I was little, my mom used to sit in the back seat with me during those long car trips to our cabin so we could color together. She was quite the artist and would work very carefully on her own page, shading and blending the colors, while I, with the exuberance and inexperience of youth, scribbled madly all over the place on mine. When we compared pictures, hers so perfect and realistic, mine bold strokes of color without boundaries, never once did she criticize my technique or suggest I copy hers. She simply said we saw through different eyes and that’s what being creative was all about. Different eyes? That sounded silly. I figured it was because she wore glasses.

I never forgot the pleasure I got from making leaves blue and putting polka dots on clouds, but I soon realized I was never going to be an artist. Words were my passion, putting them together to paint pictures, layering them to shade and blend characters. When I got better at it, I learned something else about the writing process. Once you learn your craft, it’s fun to explore outside the boundaries. This is particularly true with my new dark paranormal MOONLIGHT series.

“MASKED BY MOONLIGHT is more than a scary werewolf tale. It is a steamy romance; a whodunit; a story of intrigue and power. Gideon definitely cloaks this tale in darkness and shadows.” Romance Reader at Heart, top pick

I started with a simple project, a paranormal shape-shifter story. But when I began toning those grim shades of gray in MASKED BY MOONLIGHT with the hopeful pastels of romance, a whole new palette appeared. A shape-shifter indebted to the mob. A New Orleans cop trying to solve a gruesome murder that points in his direction. Suspense and action/adventure soon blended together with the bright glare of thriller red. Add in a hero and heroine whose developing world, troubled secrets, torn loyalties and unlikely passion continue in a four book story arc, you have shades of Urban Fantasy added to the mix. When I looked at where I started and where I ended up with a six book series for Pocket with its many layers and unique elements, I wasn’t sure how to describe it.

Then I finally saw my series clearly through different eyes.

Look Mom! I’m writing outside the lines!

WELCOME TO ROMANCE BY MOONLIGHT…

Homicide detective Charlotte Caissie is dedicated to bringing down the crime boss responsible for her father’s murder. Using Jimmy Legere’s right hand man is a dangerous gamble, not just because of his ruthless reputation as more monster than man, but because her feelings for her mysterious and irresistible enemy are … complicated. There’s just something about Max.

Rescued from the swamps as a child, Max Savoie owes Jimmy Legere his life. Existing silently in his rescuer’s shadow, he heeds only one voice. Until Charlotte Caissie awakens his emotions and tests his loyalties. Forced to step outside his cautious rules to save her, he risks more than his heart . . . he risks exposing his dark secret.

Working together means facing the truth about who and what they are, and what they need from one another. If Max is the murderer she seeks, Cee Cee might be his next victim. She can’t afford to trust any man. Good thing Max isn’t one.

Learn more about MASKED BY MOONLIGHT (June), CHASED BY MOONLIGHT (July), CAPTURED BY MOONLIGHT (August) and the rest of the series by visiting me at http://nancygideon.com/.

Want to win a copy of MASKED BY MOONLIGHT? Then tell me…What’s your favorite “outside the line” you’ve found in a romance book? I’ll pick one commenter to win.

Thanks!

Nancy Gideon

Today, I’m helping JoJo celebrate her birthday bash–and I’m talking vamps. Or, rather, things I know about vamps. If you get a chance, come join the bash & you could win a copy of I’LL BE SLAYING YOU.

And speaking of I’LL BE SLAYING YOU…I want to thank everyone who entered my newsletter contest. (What? You didn’t know I had a newsletter? Sign up!) The five winners from the contest are:
Gabrielle, Marci C., Sandra S., Patricia M., and Sheila T.  Congratulations!  I have already sent emails to these winners with prize details.

Thanks!! I hope you are enjoying my Deadly Days of Summer.

Breaking the “romance rules”

I recently read a survey done by fellow author Cara McKenna at Naughty Author Chicks which identified several topics that are seen to be “forbidden” in erotic romance. Well, three of those topics — birth control, sex for conception and infertility — are in my book Lost and Found, out tomorrow with Samhain Publishing.

I broke a lot of other “romance rules” in this book, including the big, supposedly sacred romance “rule”: the heroine is married. And there is marital infidelity – although not the way you might think. There are also moral issues in this story that aren’t black and white, but rather shades of gray.

Since I broke so many rules, does this story even meet the definition of romance?

The Romance Writers of America defines romance as:

A Central Love Story: The main plot centers around two individuals falling in love and struggling to make the relationship work. A writer can include as many subplots as he/she wants as long as the love story is the main focus of the novel.

An Emotionally-Satisfying and Optimistic Ending: In a romance, the lovers who risk and struggle for each other and their relationship are rewarded with emotional justice and unconditional love.

It’s the “struggle” that make each romance unique. According to the “romance rules” we know there is going to be a happy ending, but it’s the obstacles the characters face and how they overcome them to get to their happy ending that makes each romance unique. The obstacles that can stand in the way of a couple falling in love and being together are endless. In this case, I chose to write about a very difficult one:  one of the characters is already married.

Few people would ever agree that infidelity is okay. It’s a pretty black and white issue, right? Infidelity is wrong. But are there shades of gray? Are there powerful desires and emotions that compel people to make the choices they do? Can good people make bad decisions? Do they still deserve to find happiness?

Although I broke the “romance rules”, there is a romance in this story. Is there a “happy ever after” ending? Well, I don’t think I could write a story without that. But you’ll have to read the story to find out how it ends, and to see if I broke too many romance rules!

Kelly Jamieson

www.kellyjamieson.com

Update: Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes!  And thank you for sharing your birthday memories with me. I had such a wonderful time reading through all the comments. You’ve sure had some fabulous birthday celebrations!
The winner of the $15 Amazon.com gift certificate (by random drawing) is…Jeanette Juan! Congrats, Jeanette!

Hi, everyone!  Hope you are enjoying my Deadly Days of Summer.

Today is my birthday (Yay! Happy birthday to me!) so I thought I’d share the birthday cheer and give one commenter a present. Want to win a $15 Amazon.com gift certificate? Then just tell me about your favorite birthday memory.  Share! I’ll pick one random commenter to win.

And have a great day.  🙂