Author Topic: The start of paranormal romance  (Read 5718 times)

Offline Starbeam

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Re: The start of paranormal romance
« Reply #15 on: October 20, 2012, 10:57:46 PM »
It is not always easy for me to differentiate between urban fantasy and paranormal romance.
The way I've come to differentiate between the two is that urban fantasy usually has romance-the Kate Daniels series, the Hallows series-but it's not the main focus of the story.  Paranormal romance usually has urban fantasy elements-werewolves, vampires, demons, whathaveyou-but it's not the main focus of the story.  The Anita Blake series is a good example of both--the first several books focus on the mystery type storyline, with the romance elements as a subplot, and the rest of the series is focused more on the romance, with the mystery plotline being secondary. Though I dunno if the last 2 or 3 books fit that--I stopped reading.

Also, a real big difference in urban fantasy and paranormal romance--UF is usually, but not always, first person POV, and PNR, or at least the ones I've read, usually have at least two third person POVs--the two main love interest characters.  Shannon Butcher starts with two main POV characters, and as her Sentinel Wars series goes on, she adds other characters.

Other biggest difference in what's considered urban fantasy and what's paranormal romance--where the books are shelved in the bookstores.
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Offline the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh

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Re: The start of paranormal romance
« Reply #16 on: October 21, 2012, 03:36:18 AM »
Other biggest difference in what's considered urban fantasy and what's paranormal romance--where the books are shelved in the bookstores.

I don't always find that the most reliable guide in re genre; Charlie Stross' Merchant Princes books, frex, seem to come down about fifty-fifty as to whether any given bookstore thinks they're SF or fantasy, and I've seen more than one bookshop that makes that separation put different volumes of that series in different categories, which kind of makes my blood boil a little.
« Last Edit: October 21, 2012, 04:17:30 PM by the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh »
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Offline OZ

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Re: The start of paranormal romance
« Reply #17 on: October 21, 2012, 03:28:41 PM »
I always love when I find a new series that I like and half the books are shelved in one place and half in another. I also find this sometimes with mysteries and general fiction or fantasy and horror. One book in one catagory and the next in another. It is a bit infuriating.
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Offline The Corvidian

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Re: The start of paranormal romance
« Reply #18 on: October 23, 2012, 03:15:17 AM »
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro was probably one of the first, back in the 1980's.
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Offline THE_ANGRY_GAMER

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Re: The start of paranormal romance
« Reply #19 on: November 05, 2012, 09:00:12 PM »
I think I want the Aziraphale and Crowley reading Twilight one:

"But vampires don't sparkle !"
"You're not using enough gunpowder."

LINK PLEASE. Seriously. I WANT.
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