This is how a typical romance works: Boy meets girl, boy and girl are kept apart for 90% of the book by circumstance, and the story is concluded when boy and girl get together. There are certain expectations about romances which the author must keep in mind while navigating these swoony waters.
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| The very first romance I ever read. Yes, there was sexual assault, but not from the hero. (Thank goodness.) |
Once the hero and heroine hook up, they're generally not allowed to hook up with anyone else. It's strict monogamy from there on out. And if there's a love triangle, the heroine will usually end up with the first guy she meets (who is usually The Good Guy, because there's no love for Bad Boys out there).
Loyalty is hugely important. Studies have shown that romance readers are more forgiving of a hero who rapes the heroine (because he desires her so much that he must have her, consenting or not) than a hero who cheats on the heroine with someone else. That is a whole can of worms I won't touch today. Suffice it to say, romance readers have spoken: they love One True Loves.
Despite having all these rules, it's hardly a formulaic genre. There are a lot of great ways to approach this structure. It's not easy keeping love interests apart for twenty-some chapters, and it takes a skilled writer to pull it off.
I enjoy reading paranormal romance, but anyone who's read my books can tell that I'm not interested in writing it. My stories do not have HEAs or HFNs. The plot does not resolve with the hero and heroine kissing and hugging or whatever it is you kids do nowadays. Yet I think a lot of readers go into my books expecting these things, and it's led to some disappointed reviews.
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| In short, when reading YA paranormal, people expect something like this. |
I completely understand why people might pick up my books expecting to see these things.
So let me say this now: I don't write paranormal romance novels.
At its roots, urban fantasy is a mashup of detective noir and fantasy. YA paranormal shares teen issues through the lens of speculative fiction. They can be romantic, but they don't have to be.
And my books definitely are not. In The Descent Series, I'm hoping to accomplish epic fantasy in a contemporary setting. And the Seasons of the Moon series is more of a family drama with a girl who turns hairy and eats people.
Definitely not romances.
Given that the majority of Kindle owners are adult women, and that the population of Kindle owners also skew toward the romance-lovin', my life would probably be a little easier if I did write romance novels. I know that many readers would be happier with my books.
The problem is this: I don't like One True Loves. I also don't believe in soulmates. I think there are a lot of people who can complete us in a lot of different ways, and that we can love someone intensely, passionately, and deeply, then move on to love someone else just as passionately if that first relationship ends. It's a totally normal, totally okay part of life.
Plus, I feel like romances -- particularly those with the "one true love" thing -- completely miss how tough real relationships can be, and how that's actually a really good thing. Good relationships take work. You don't just click with someone and live happily ever after. You have to communicate, respect each other, and work on meshing your lives together.
Bad things happen. Good things happen. You fight to stick together and handle it as a team. The end result is (ideally) an ever-growing, ever-changing partnership with another human being, and it's awesome. But it doesn't always end that way! Sometimes things go sour, and that's okay too. That's a normal part of life and growing up.
That's what I hope to write in my books: Flawed relationships between people who work to conquer things together, or... don't.
So please allow me to apologize to all the people who have been bummed out to pick up one of my books and find it ends with the heroine running off on all fours and leaving the hero behind (Six Moon Summer), or that the heroine is sexually compatible with her boyfriend, but not romantically compatible (The Darkest Gate), or that the heroine falls out of love with the hero because he didn't treat her well and they don't get back together (Monsters).
There might not be one true loves in my books, but there is one true butt-kicking. I hope that makes up for my transgressions a little. ;)
What say you, friends? Do you prefer your paranormal with or without a heaping serving of romance?
Just finished Gray Moon Rising - loved it! To be honest I have gotten on quite a kick in the past months reading romances mostly, although normally fantasy or sci-fi is my favorite genre. I liked the way you handled the romance in the seasons of the moon series, I definitely wasn't disappointed by it. It was a sweet, satisfying romance for me - but I did file the books in my 'paranormal' folder and not my 'romance' one :)
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of a book where people do have flawed relationships, which require work; e.g. REAL relationships. The concept of soul mates feels like a sign of immaturity; when I read it in a book it's an immediate turn-off.
Completely unrelated - I'm amazed at how quickly you write your books! I'm on my first novel and the going is slowww. Any tips you could give me?
Rylie and Seth are much sweeter than I typically write, but I had to cut the story off where I did. If I had followed Seth to college, you can bet that my cynicism about the longevity of high school romances would start showing. ;) I have always been convinced that Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta would NOT have survived long past the end of Grease, if that tells you anything.
DeleteAs for completing books quickly, you "just" have to be disciplined. Butt in chair every day, or nearly every day. Set goals and meet them. I wrote most of my books with a full time job and an infant, so it can be done--you just have to be ruthless about time management! If I'm feeling lazy, I remind myself, "Books don't get written on their own!" and I go write. :) Maybe after a few minutes of Minecraft, though. Heheh.
I'm rather grateful for the style of writing you do. I have thoroughly enjoyed your work, and the work of several other authors who all happen to be female, since I purchased my kindle last November. Why don't men read more on average? I will say that I find that since I have purchased my kindle I have read more in the last eight months than I have in my life XD. Thanks for doing what you do, and NOT writing romance novels *shiver* lol.
ReplyDeleteI like the amount of romance that many urban fantasies (including the Six Moon Summer) have. The characters grow and change in realistic ways, and getting together isn't the end of the story. The relationship is something that develops as the characters deal with other issues, not the sum of the story. I don't mind if one romance ends and another begins--Kim Harrison's The Hollows series and Yasmine Galenorn's Sisters of the Moon series come to mind--as long as the author handles it well and eases readers into the second relationship. But I am a sucker for a happily ever after in the series finale, and I'll admit that I'd be disappointed in a series that seemed to be leading toward one and then didn't follow through.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say that I love the relationships in The Descent series. I see what Anthony is for our heroine, and I also see what James is. (Although I may hold out hopes for more, but see it going no where.)
ReplyDeleteRomance novels are not realistic. They're fluff. Grit is surprisingly hard to find in the paranormal world, as far as romances are concerned.