Leave George Alone!

Here’s a belated link to a great post by Voyager author Peter V Brett in defence of fellow Voyager author George R R Martin (may he live forever). George, as many know, is not known for delivering books on time. But Peter defends his right to do so. Note humorous gif on Peat’s post re: Starks.

The topic of George RR Martin (GRRM) and his ever-behind schedule Song of Ice and Fire is one that brings surprising passion from both fan and professional alike in the SF publishing world. It’s a topic I’ve discussed with friends and coworkers, people I meet at conventions and industry gatherings, my agent and editor, and everyone in between. Like abortion or Britney Spears, it seems everyone’s got an opinion, and theirs is the only right one. Jump to why Peter says Leave George Alone! And stop emailing us about it. (No, really, you can email us, but you know what the answer will be)

And that’s all for today (but I always want to add that I love Jaime Lannister, best character ever – yes, better even than Arya).

Why Do I Write Urban Fantasy? by Devon Monk

Using magic meant it used you back ...

I didn’t know I was writing an urban fantasy when I wrote Magic to the Bone. As a matter of fact, I didn’t even know the difference between urban fantasy and paranormal romance. When I emailed the completed book to my agent, my note went something like this:

Me: “Uh, here’s the book with that kick-ass woman lead character I was talking about. There’s magic in it, but it’s not sweet and fluffy, and there’s humor, but it’s not rollicking slapstick, and it’s set in a modern city. Also, there’s a mystery. And death. It’s got a couple chase scenes too. Oh, and there’s this hot mysterious stranger who causes some trouble. Not sure if it’s urban fantasy, paranormal romance, paranormal mystery, or something else.”

Agent: “It’s urban fantasy.”

Me: “Really? Are you sure?”

Agent: “Yes. And I stayed up all night reading it because I couldn’t put it down.”

While I trusted her insight on how to classify the book (and was thrilled it kept her up late reading), I realized I had just entered a genre I knew very little–okay, nothing–about. Over the years I’ve had a lot of short stories published, but most were fantasy, not urban fantasy.

So I began reading more urban fantasies, paranormal romance and paranormal mysteries. I started noticing and appreciating the differences between the genres, and better yet, really enjoying the stories. Even though I grew up on fairy tales, epic fantasy, and science fiction, I realized I had stumbled into a genre that is just as rich in story telling, action, fun, and magic.

Writing urban fantasy lets me imagine what it would be like if the things that go bump in the night were on the bus with me, or were my neighbors, or liked to hang out and have a beer.

Writing urban fantasy has its share of challenges. You can’t just have a troll rampage through the city streets without someone noticing–unless you explain why no one notices, or better yet, let people notice and then complain about the problems troll-rampages always cause during rush hour. But even with the challenges, I love writing urban fantasy. I love pushing the paranormal and normal together and watching the sparks fly. I love asking, “what if this outrageous thing could really happen? What would we do?”

Urban fantasy is a rich and exciting genre with roots not only in fantasy, but also in mystery and noir crime novels. With a lot of hard work, and a little luck, I hope to be writing urban fantasy for a long, long time.

Magic to the Bone is now available across Australia!  Devon Monk will be blogging a bit more for us in the next week. Devon is also taking part in the Deadline Dames website, so make sure you check it out. And if you loved Magic to the Bone, or enjoy urban fantasy, let us know by leaving a comment!