So I'm writing an Urban Fantasy, but need some help

[Griffyn612]

The Iron Druid series starts out West, and deals with NA mythology, but it'd mostly Irish and goes global.

[Zioneer]

Again, I'm really sorry for not being timely with responses; I really am interested in your advice, it's just that I've had a weird schedule lately.

Look up Fearsome Critters of the Lumberwoods, With a Few Desert and Mountain Beasts.

There is the Nagual, shapeshifters who can turn into turkeys, dogs, donkeys, pumas, of jaguars. Perhaps they could be rivals of the Skinwalkers. You could also throw in the hengeyokai, Japanese animal spirits. They could have moved there during WWII when US the government moved them to an internment camp thinking that they were normal Japanese people. There are also the Tsukumogami, animated objects. Imagine your hero being followed around by an animated umbrella, or an animated teapot.

Ooh, I'll have to check that book out!

And thanks for Japanese suggestions; I intended to feature the Japanese population in Utah anyway, and your comment gives me a bunch of ideas...

The Nagual seem a bit too similar to to the Skinwalkers, but I might be able to use them anyway.

If you are using the transcontinental railroad as part of your story then you would have both Irish and Chinese laborers and could therefore bring their mythologies into your story as well. Even if your story takes place in modern times, you could still tie their legends into the railroad they worked so hard to build.

The book Six-Gun Tarot by R. S. Belcher takes place in the Southwest although it's the Old West not modern times. It blends everything from Chinese mythology to Mormonism, Angels and demons to Lovecraftian mythos, and of course Native American folklore. It's not necessarily the best thing I've ever read but I think the author did a good job of blending the cultural ideas of many of the major peoples of the Southwest. It might be worth checking out.

Good point on the Irish and Chinese building the railroads; do you know of any interesting urban legends or tall tales that popped up around the Railroad?

And I'll have to check out Six-Gun Tarot, thanks for the suggestion. Sounds interesting, and along the lines of what I'm thinking of. Though I read the Amazon.com synopsis, and I don't think I could create a fictional city (Salt Lake City is the only city of the right size in Utah for the diversity in culture that I need, unless I switched the setting to a different state, which I might do), or rename an existing city.

If you're bringing or want to bring Jewish tales into this - there's always
the Golem - a man of clay brought to life by the sacred words.  That could take on
a whole new meaning blended with Native American beliefs and lud    - what coyote
could do with that kind of thing.

Also something to consider - like viruses gain strength when they jump species.
Combining belief systems could create some major baddies that might not respond to
dismissal rituals from either system.

Yeah, the possibilities of Jewish legend and Native American myths like Coyote are endless...

I don't think I'll go the full route of having baddies that combine belief systems, but I will have baddies that take advantage of it (like a vampire baddie unleashing an oni on someone).

The Iron Druid series starts out West, and deals with NA mythology, but it'd mostly Irish and goes global.

Yeah, that was another one of my inspirations, besides Dresden. I've only read the first book, though. I've heard the others vary a bit in quality.

[Snowleopard]

Zioneer you might want to check out - "The Case of the Toxic Spelldump" by H. Turtledove.
Interesting use of different belief systems and how they get along...or don't.

[OZ]

And I'll have to check out Six-Gun Tarot, thanks for the suggestion. Sounds interesting, and along the lines of what I'm thinking of. Though I read the Amazon.com synopsis, and I don't think I could create a fictional city (Salt Lake City is the only city of the right size in Utah for the diversity in culture that I need, unless I switched the setting to a different state, which I might do), or rename an existing city.

I wasn't talking so much about the town of Golgotha as I was how many different belief systems played important roles in the story. I don't remember any specific legends related to the railroads although I do remember reading a story somewhere that had the iron rails playing an important part in driving the Fae from our land. Since the Fae seldom played well with mortals, this was considered a good thing.

[The Corvidian]

Silver Fox is a trickster in Native American legends. Perhaps a tribe of kitsune came to America at some point, and made their way into legend. What about your legends taking over a ghost town, and hiding it from normal humas.

[Quantus]

Yeah, that was another one of my inspirations, besides Dresden. I've only read the first book, though. I've heard the others vary a bit in quality.

Ive read all thats out and did it all recently in a single push, and enjoyed I them thoroughly.  It's not so much that they vary in quality as it's that they are not all that self-contained (as compared to TDF where there is always a new casefile to be resolved even if there are overarching plot elements at work).  One book flows into the next in what to me is a much more serial way than the more episodic form of Dresden for example.  They also have the benefit of coming out almost twice a year, which makes me a lot more able to ignore the lack of a contained plot/climax/resolution form.  Give me too long to get my jones up and I start getting irate and over-critical. 

[meg_evonne]

I heard Tim Powers once at a conference. He starts his writing with research. He keeps reading and exploring stuff until he's got twenty too-cool-things not to use and then he starts to write. Not a bad process.