Showing posts with label urban fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label urban fantasy. Show all posts

Sunday, August 02, 2009

Your Vintage Rose fortune cookie -


8/3 - 8/9 LOTS OF GLAD-HANDING AND GOOD LUCK THIS WEEK, BUT NOT TOO MANY FIRM DECISIONS. WHAT GETS SETTLED ON MONDAY GETS RE-THOUGHT ON TUESDAY. AFTER WEDNESDAY STICK WITH WHAT YOU STARTED. THE WEEKEND? EMOTIONAL.

Visit http://phoebematthews.com for video, free chapter, more fun stuff!

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Your astrology fortune cookie -

7/27 - 8/2 MONDAY IS A BALANCING ACT AND TUESDAY IS BACK TO FIREWORKS. FRIENDS HELP THURSDAY. SATURDAY LUCK TURNS POSITIVE FOR FOLKS WHO KEEP A CLEAR HEAD AND PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT’S GOING ON.

Phoebe Matthews, urban fantasy
Deja Vu Lover, Vintage Rose

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

What is Urban Fantasy

I’ve seen this question asked a lot lately. Everyone from agents to editors to authors are coming out with their own versions. And I’ve been asked this a lot by students and others. So this is my version:

When I first started writing vampires, the tag urban fantasy didn’t exist, so I used “paranormal.” But paranormal to me, is really ghosts, psychics, that kind of otherworldly phenomenon. And it can be in present day, or the past, as long as it’s not fantasy. Fantasy, anything goes, because it’s fantasy and exists in a world that is not our own.



So what is urban fantasy? To me, it is mythical, fantastical creatures living in our contemporary times. Have a demon romance? It’s urban fantasy. It can be urban fantasy horror, or urban fantasy romance. But it’s urban fantasy. The fantastical element in modern times.

Think of the hero, werewolf extraordinaire, working on his computer. It’s urban fantasy. He can be sitting in the country estate, or living in the city. But it’s still urban fantasy.
Think of the gargoyle that protects your apartment complex at night, and talks to the heroine during the day. Urban Fantasy.
Now, what is being said–urban fantasy is first person. Why? I’ve read tons of third person POV urban fantasy werewolf stories, for one. And they were urban fantasies by virtue of the fact werewolves live among us. Whether they’re in the closet or have come out, it doesn’t matter. It’s a fantasy world within the normal structure of our world.
Some say that urban fantasies are not romances. Why? Are paranormals not romances? Some are, some aren’t. Some historical fictions have romances and some don’t. I know, because I review them and ask for only the ones that have romances. So sometimes we try to limit ourselves into some narrow defined category because some write like this and all of a sudden we’re all supposed to write that to fit the category, and again I ask why?

My werewolves, as well as many others, are sexy. They are romances. They are third person, and they are urban fantasy. They’re not fantasy, which would be set in a different world. They are not paranormal, dealing with psychic or ghostly entities. They are urban fantasies.

Why get hung up on a tag? Because people who are writing them want to define this for query letters to agents and editors. And also because readers and devout fans of urban fantasies need to see the tags. Some readers might not like hot, sexy urban fantasies. That’s okay. They can read the reviews and see if it’s something they want to read. Some want hot, sexy reads. The same thing.
So what is urban fantasy? Mythical creatures living in present day society, whether they’re vampires, werewolves, mermaids, gargoyles, other shapeshifters, fairies, pixies, ghouls, or other kinds of creatures that we normally don’t see joining the exercise clubs or dancing in our dance clubs–that’s urban fantasy, 3rd person point of view, 1st person point of view, romance, no romance, light, dark, doesn’t matter.
So what is your take on urban fantasy?
Terry Spear/Terry Lee Wilde
Deidre's Secret (paranormal, psychic YA)
Heart of the Wolf, Don’t Cry Wolf
The Vampire…In My Dreams
, coming Aug 26 to bookstores!
Deadly Liaisons, coming November! (vampire adult romantic suspense–urban fantasy )
http://www.terryspear.com/

Saturday, July 19, 2008

What is Urban Fantasy?

Urban Fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that takes place in contemporary times. Which means, gargoyles, and demons, and yes, werewolves, oh my, live in our times. Just think, you could be conversing with a werewolf or a vampire even on the Internet and never realize it. You thought some of the people out there were scary? Well, in an urban fantasies, you don't know the half of it.

How can us poor humans face a world like that? In the past, these fantastical creatures were often evil. Now? Lovers. Werewolf lovers. Vampire lovers. Gargoyle lovers? Even half human/half demon lovers. Yep, it takes all kinds to make the world go around.

And that's what's fun with having an imagination and sharing it with the world. No longer are the princes just plain cursed...the prince who is a bear by day, the prince who is a frog...nope...now the princes are vampires, and princely ghosts, stone princes, and well, yes, even frog princes of a much sexier nature.

What are your favorite kinds of urban fantasies and why?


Terry Spear

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Finding Time to Tell a Story!!

I'm in the middle of house repairs, trying to get my place ready to sell, trying to find a job, teaching online classes, trying to promote, write a new book, and do edits for publishers on three others.

So when is there time to write??? :)

No matter how much is going on in my life, I try to write. I had to take my mother to the emergency room a little while ago and we were there for 5 hours. I couldn't concentrate to write, but I read a book I had to review, and that night, finished it and wrote the review. It was one of the "have to do" priorities that keep stacking up, but it's also a promotional effort. The workmen are here today again, and they've asked me questions innumerable times, but I snatched a couple of hours of writing time before they arrived. Once I'm done with some blog posts, I'm writing. If my mother doesn't show up to talk again. LOL

At night, I write in bed for a while. Oftentimes making up for all the distractions that are taking me away from my writing during the day. If I don't have workmen here, sometimes I'll go to my bedroom and write by long hand there. I can often get a lot more written that way if I don't look at the Internet all day long. Granted, I use it for research. I just used it for looking up pictures for the Fourth of July blog I did for Wickedly Romantic tomorrow. And I was researching more about Arctic tents and Arctic clothing for Allure of the Wolf. But what about all the emails??? Yep, they're a distraction.

I remember reading how one writer said she used to watch just her favorite show, then she got hooked on another and another, until she was watching tv all day long and not getting anywhere.

Sometimes just seeing how much time we're wasting on unproductive stuff can help us to overcome our lack of time to write. One writer said she gave up her full time job for a part time job so she could write more, and ended up filling the time with more stuff. When she quit the part time job, she found she still didn't have enough time to write. :)

It's all in time management. Forcing oneself to accomplish so much in a day. I have a sheet that shows how many words I've done today--and what I do is just calculate it in 1000's, so I wrote 1100 yesterday, I mark it as 1000. Today, I wrote a 1000, but plan to do another. In reality, I wrote 750, because yesterday I was at 54250. I can go over, but not under. :) So I have to make the 1000 mark before I go to bed at night, and often write more to make another 500 or more. :) And before I know it, the book is done. Now, I couldn't write for 4 days because of all this stuff with the house, realtors, etc, but the last two days I'm back at it. And I post it on Facebook and Bebo, which makes me feel good. I've told the world! I'm now at 56K, and I want to keep going.

So cut out the time wasters and you can find time to write too. :)

Terry Spear
Relative Danger
Terry Lee Wilde
Deidre's Secret