OF BLOOD AND HONEY by Stina LeichtAs much as I adore Fantasy, being a female and writing Fantasy has it’s drawbacks — particularly when you write Urban Fantasy. Conversations tend to go like this:

Party guest: “Oh? You’re a writer? What do you write?”

Me: “I write fiction. SciFi and Fantasy. Fantasy mainly.”

Party guest: “For kids?”

Me: “I write Fantasy for adults.”

Party guest: “Oh, you write erotica about tramp-stamped detective chicks and vampires.”

Me: “Um. No. I’m writing about Irish myth and the Troubles.”

Party guest: “Oh, you write erotica about tramp-stamped Irish chicks and fairies with butterfly wings.”

Me: [sigh]

I’ve never witnessed a conversation like the one above when the author in question is male. Writing for children is never brought up, let alone erotica. During my last signing at Barnes and Noble, I spent more than half my time explaining to customers that no, there aren’t any vampires in the book, the main character is male, and the only tattoos present on any character are prison tattoos. As much progress as has been made in SciFi and Fantasy circles* and in American society in general, we’ve still got a long way to go. So, let me get something off my chest here and now. As much as I’m okay with Romance’s interest in all things Fantasy, it can be, let’s just say, extremely frustrating for someone like me.

Because I don’t like Romance as a literary genre, and I never have.

Let me be clear. There’s nothing wrong with Romance. It’s a perfectly legitimate and highly lucrative genre — more lucrative than SciFi/Fantasy ever has been and probably more so than it ever will be. Admittedly, I do have a seriously gooey center. One of my favorite things is cuddling up on the sofa with my husband and watching romantic comedies.** Plus, I cut my teeth on swashbuckling pirate films with Errol Flynn giving it his all for the beautiful and haughty Maureen O’Hara. But Romance (the literary genre) just isn’t my thing. No big deal. I’m repeating myself here, I know. Because for some reason, a female stating that she doesn’t like Romance as a genre is often treated as gender betrayal. Hell, I’ve seen men take abuse in public for not wanting Romance in their SciFi/Fantasy. When did not liking a genre become so… politically charged?

When I was a girl I was encouraged to like gender appropriate things, but like any geeky kid, I naturally gravitated toward SciFi/Fantasy and Horror. My sister was different. She liked Romance. Interestingly enough, she never got the chat with my mother about her reading material. I did.*** Repeatedly. In fact, at one point my parents consulted the family priest, Father Mulvihill, about their weirdo daughter. Bless him, he laughed. Then he informed them that J.R.R. Tolkien was a nice Catholic and asked if I’d read any C.S. Lewis? (Thus, Father Murray was destined to become a Jesuit.)

I’m a feminist. When I say that, I mean I believe that women are people. Just like men are people. Human beings are terribly beautiful and flawed creatures — all at the same time. That means I’m flawed too. It also means I’ve a right to my own likes and dislikes. However, just about everything about being female these days is sexualised. So, it’s really hard to remember that — even for me. It’s really complicated too.

Like most writers, I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was small. I’ve also a lot of literary heroes — Shirley Jackson, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Charles de Lint, Holly Black, Madeleine L’Engle, Charlotte Brontë, and J.R.R. Tolkien to name a few — but I’ve always found it difficult to find an equal number of universally respected female writers. It’s still that way, unfortunately. I grew up in an era when the feminist war-cry was “In order to get half the respect for doing a good job a man does, a woman has to be twice as good.” Instead of being depressed by that statement, I took that as a challenge. So, when I decided I wanted to be a writer I set my goal as high as possible. I decided to be the best writer I could be. I wanted to be like Ray Bradbury when I grew up. So, I set to work to learn how.**** When I first started writing Of Blood and Honey the main character was an American female. The character that eventually evolved into Liam was her love interest. I had it in my head that I’d write something in the tradition of Emma Bull and Charles de Lint with some Fahrenheit 451 thrown in for good measure — only it wouldn’t be about censorship. It’d be about terrorism, revenge, and war. And then Romance entered the Urban Fantasy scene. It seemed like everyone forgot what Urban Fantasy was. Definitions got changed. The rules were altered. And I knew right then and there that I couldn’t write a female main character — with or without a tramp stamp — and get any degree of respect. It’s sad, isn’t it? But that’s the truth. Besides, the more I wrote about Liam and his back story, the more interesting he became. Whereas Tess (formerly the main character) became less so. By the time my then soon-to-be agent (Joe Monti) asked me if I’d rewrite Of Blood and Honey so that Liam’s back story was the main story I already knew in my heart that I’d have to ditch 66,000 words of my 112,000 word novel. So, I agreed without hesitation — which frightened the socks off of Joe, I have to say. But it was the right thing to do.

Was it ever.

To be honest, I don’t like being afraid to write about sex or romance or violence or anything I set my mind to write because I’m female. These things are all very real aspects of human life. But I am, and that’s the truth. One day I hope to write a female main character who kicks ass. I want her to be older and powerful and wonderful and fully-formed like Helen Mirren’s character in Red. But that time isn’t now. I want to be a good SciFi/Fantasy writer. I don’t want to be a Romance writer. So, I can’t. Not yet. Right now, I’m too busy swimming against the Romance tide. Oh, sure. The tide is shifting. However, my worry is how it’s shifting. I see an undertow forming. Resentment. I understand why, believe me, but I don’t see that as a good thing because that could ever so easily become a witch hunt, and there are so many really good female writers out there who could get yanked under and drowned.

So, what’s the answer? Hell if I know. As Indiana Jones says, I’m making this up as I go along.

———————————

* Five of the six novels nominated for the Nebulas this year are written by women.
** Of course, one of my favorite things about my husband is that this is one of his favorite things too.
*** My first official literary offence was The Stand by Stephen King.
**** For the record, I’m perfectly aware I’ll never be *that* good, but a girl can dream, you know?

Written by Stina Leicht

Stina Leicht

Stina Leicht’s debut novel Of Blood and Honey, a historical Fantasy with an Irish Crime edge set in 1970s Northern Ireland, was released by Night Shade books in February 2011. The sequel, And Blue Skies from Pain hits bookstores on March 6th, 2012. She also has a flash fiction piece in Ann and Jeff VanderMeer’s surreal anthology Last Drink Bird Head.

http://csleicht.com/

Discussion
  • SQT May 25, 2011 at 6:07 am

    Your book just moved to the top of my TBR list. When I try to explain that I don’t read paranormal YA fiction as a rule, can’t stand “Twilight” and don’t do romance, I get the same looks. What I can’t understand is why women are expected to read or write in any particular way. There are a lot of assumptions about what our taste is supposed to be. Why can’t I just like what I like without being looked at as a weirdo?

  • Mihir May 25, 2011 at 6:10 am

    Hi Stina

    Thanks for this lovely post, I’m going to get myself a copy soon and looking forward to see your interpretation of the “Troubles”.

  • Margaret McGriff May 25, 2011 at 6:40 am

    You don’t even know how refreshing it was to read this!! I’m a fantasy writer and I don’t do Romance either. I find it hard to find a serious female writer who writes the Epic fantasy that authors like Tolkien and GRR Martin do. I think women are just as capable of writing that type of story as anyone else? Yeah, we all have our gooey, cuddly centers but that doesn’t mean we only write abou that!

    And oh, I stear clear of vampires also! Twilight really isn’t my thing! :)

  • redhead May 25, 2011 at 8:33 am

    where is the “omfg I LOVE this post” button on this blog platform? Maybe my adulthood wouldn’t be as confusing if my Mom had had *that* conversation with me as a child, you know, the “Dune is not appropriate for 15 year old girls to read!” conversation. Nothing was “gendered” for me, as a child, so it’s been a confusing adulthood, where only now am I being told certain things are for girls and certain things are for boys. Didn’t help matters that I was the only girl in most of my college courses.

    I’m not a fan of romancy-type novels. “urban fantasy” has always meant Charles deLint to me. and i simply don’t understand the “gendering” of books.

  • Christie Yant May 25, 2011 at 8:42 am

    You are my hero.

    I’m so out of touch with what’s considered urban fantasy these days–to me it’s Neverwhere, The City & the City, and Of Blood and Honey. (And, I hope, two of my own works in progress.) I’m totally unfamiliar with the tattooed* romantic urban fantasy. It doesn’t sound like something I would like. I went through a Romance novel phase when I was about 12 (at the same time I went through everything Agatha Christie ever wrote–really I was just reading anything I could get my hands on, and at 12 Harlequin Romances seemed kind of sexy) but today I can’t see that doing much for me. I do know a couple of romance writers and want to give their specific work a shot, because who knows? Maybe I’ll like it after all. But I remain skeptical.

    Keep doing what you do, both in your fiction and in your blog. You’re an amazing woman, a brilliant writer, and an excellent example to the rest of us.

    *”Tramp stamp” has always struck me as a demeaning term. It’s a lovely location for a tattoo and I know many respectable women with ink on their lower backs, and classifying anyone who has a tattoo there as a “tramp” or accusing them of cookie-cutter conformity (“stamp”) seems uncool. (Sorry if this is off topic. Seemed like a sentiment you might identify with, and sort of fits with the feminism theme.)

  • Christie Yant May 25, 2011 at 8:44 am

    (Addendum: I know the “tramp stamp” thing was being attributed to anonymous conversationalist, not to you, Stina. Wasn’t shaking my finger at you.)

  • Stina May 25, 2011 at 9:12 am

    Christie, I know you weren’t. (You know I’ve got a Tolkien tattoo on my lower back. Right?) I was just using the most common expression for it. Frankly, it bugs the hell out of me too.

  • […] Leicht, a writing colleague and friend, writes about what she thinks has happened to urban fantasy on its way to being subsumed by paranormal romance. During my last […]

  • Auden Johnson May 25, 2011 at 10:11 am

    Thank you!

    I started writing horror stories then drifted more towards fantasy but, every time I told someone, proudly, that I write horror they always gave me this look like they didn’t believe it. I’d be tempted to ask “What books do I look like I write?!” Great post.

  • Elspeth Cooper May 25, 2011 at 11:19 am

    Stina, I think I love you.

    When I tell people I write fantasy, the automatic assumption is either that it’s YA or has a sexy vampire/were/whatever in it and I’m convinced it’s because I’m female, and there’s some unspoken nice-girls-don’t-write-about-swords-and-spilled-intestines thing going on. Drives me nuts.

    Excellent post.

  • HP May 25, 2011 at 2:25 pm

    Great post!
    When this latest twist on the genre arrived I, as a long-time fan of Urban Fantasy, tried. I have really tried, because I believed this new trend might have some promise. I reckon I have read at least the first book or more from about eight different series of kick-ass vamp/shapshifter/supernatural detectives/spies/undercover super-attractive women (why are they always “petite”?) and I have been greatly disappointed every time. Sometimes the writing has been rather good, sometimes the story has shown some promise, but still the end result has been boring. The poor steampunk genre is affected too.
    I seem to like the same authors as both the original poster and the commenters. Looking forward to reading your book, Stina.

  • Lisa Paitz Spindler May 26, 2011 at 5:57 am

    To be honest, I don’t like being afraid to write about sex or romance or violence or anything I set my mind to write because I’m female. These things are all very real aspects of human life. But I am, and that’s the truth. One day I hope to write a female main character who kicks ass. I want her to be older and powerful and wonderful and fully-formed like Helen Mirren’s character in Red. But that time isn’t now. I want to be a good SciFi/Fantasy writer. I don’t want to be a Romance writer.

    What are you waiting for? I agree with about 99% of what you said, but my point of divergence is that I don’t think SF/F and Romance are mutually exclusive. One of the most subversive things you can do is make a woman the hero of her own story. Romance does this in every book, every day. Just like any genre, some are quality and some are not.

  • Joseph Devon May 26, 2011 at 6:18 am

    Oh yeah. Excellent post. I do have to add, though, that I’m male and whenever I tell someone “I write Urban Fantasy” I can see in their eyes that this gets instantly translated into “Porn.” I very quickly follow up with, “It’s sort of like Stephen King. It contains fantastical elements but it takes place in present day New York.” That seems to set them at ease…a bit. :)

  • Stina May 26, 2011 at 8:35 am

    SQT
    Your book just moved to the top of my TBR list. When I try to explain that I don’t read paranormal YA fiction as a rule, can’t stand “Twilight” and don’t do romance, I get the same looks. What I can’t understand is why women are expected to read or write in any particular way. There are a lot of assumptions about what our taste is supposed to be. Why can’t I just like what I like without being looked at as a weirdo?

    Thanks for giving OB&H a chance. I hope you like it. And I’m with you. I don’t understand why women are pigeon -holed. The pressure to conform is huge — from other women too. All I can say is, try not to resent those who *are* into the things you aren’t — that only sucks up energy you don’t need to spend and really doesn’t do anyone any good — but do continue to be yourself regardless of what others say.

  • Stina May 26, 2011 at 8:39 am

    Mihir
    Hi Stina
    Thanks for this lovely post, I’m going to get myself a copy soon and looking forward to see your interpretation of the “Troubles”.

    Thanks, Mihir. I did the best I could with my research out of respect for the Irish people, but do understand that I’m not Irish. I’m American. I haven’t lived what they’ve lived. So, I’m not an expert. Read about what’s happened and what continues to happen. Form your own opinions. History belongs to humanity. We can all can learn from it.

  • Stina May 26, 2011 at 8:43 am

    Margaret McGriff
    You don’t even know how refreshing it was to read this!! I’m a fantasy writer and I don’t do Romance either. I find it hard to find a serious female writer who writes the Epic fantasy that authors like Tolkien and GRR Martin do. I think women are just as capable of writing that type of story as anyone else? Yeah, we all have our gooey, cuddly centers but that doesn’t mean we only write abou that!
    And oh, I stear clear of vampires also! Twilight really isn’t my thing!

    It’s tough, but keep trying. There are some great female authors out there — scary great. (Definitely check out this year’s Nebula nomination list.) But if you’re specifically looking for Epic Fantasy… yeah… that’s a tough one. Maybe you should go forth and write what you want to read? :-)

  • Stina May 26, 2011 at 8:56 am

    redhead
    where is the “omfg I LOVE this post” button on this blog platform? Maybe my adulthood wouldn’t be as confusing if my Mom had had *that* conversation with me as a child, you know, the “Dune is not appropriate for 15 year old girls to read!” conversation. Nothing was “gendered” for me, as a child, so it’s been a confusing adulthood, where only now am I being told certain things are for girls and certain things are for boys. Didn’t help matters that I was the only girl in most of my college courses.
    I’m not a fan of romancy-type novels. “urban fantasy” has always meant Charles deLint to me. and i simply don’t understand the “gendering” of books.

    Ah, Redhead, I’m so sorry you went through that. (I’d already read “Dune” before my parents had decided to worry. They thought it was a phase I’d grow out of.) For the record, my parents are extremely supportive now and have been for years. So, my story has a happy ending as it were. It’s funny. I get the feeling that in some ways women are under more pressure now to conform to gender norms than they were back in the 80s. I certainly feel that women in the media are more sexualized these days than they have been in a while. Did you see the film “The Runaways”? I did. They started out claiming their sexual power and using it like men only to find their sexuality being turned against them. Happens quite a lot. It’s a big part of the confusion, I think. At least, it is in my case. Anyway, I wish you the best. And keep on geeking.

  • Stina May 26, 2011 at 8:56 am

    Auden Johnson
    Thank you!
    I started writing horror stories then drifted more towards fantasy but, every time I told someone, proudly, that I write horror they always gave me this look like they didn’t believe it. I’d be tempted to ask “What books do I look like I write?!” Great post.

    Thanks! And Don’t Give Up. Never Surrender.

  • Stina May 26, 2011 at 9:12 am

    Elspeth Cooper
    Stina, I think I love you.
    When I tell people I write fantasy, the automatic assumption is either that it’s YA or has a sexy vampire/were/whatever in it and I’m convinced it’s because I’m female, and there’s some unspoken nice-girls-don’t-write-about-swords-and-spilled-intestines thing going on. Drives me nuts.
    Excellent post.

    Go, Elspeth. Mrs. Cleaver says, “When writing SciFi and/or Fantasy always remember, nice girls *do* gib bad guys in prose. They just make sure to clean off the keyboard afterward. You know, because that shit *stains.*”

    Or something. (Um. Sorry for the gamer-speak. I think. Oh, not really.)

  • Stina May 26, 2011 at 9:20 am

    HP
    Great post!
    When this latest twist on the genre arrived I, as a long-time fan of Urban Fantasy, tried. I have really tried, because I believed this new trend might have some promise. I reckon I have read at least the first book or more from about eight different series of kick-ass vamp/shapshifter/supernatural detectives/spies/undercover super-attractive women (why are they always “petite”?) and I have been greatly disappointed every time. Sometimes the writing has been rather good, sometimes the story has shown some promise, but still the end result has been boring. The poor steampunk genre is affected too.
    I seem to like the same authors as both the original poster and the commenters. Looking forward to reading your book, Stina.

    I gave the new stuff a whirl and found it wasn’t to my taste too. (Obviously.) Strangely, my husband was the one who brought it to my attention. (He reads extremely fast. Me? Not so much.) It’s okay to like that type of UF just as much as it is okay to not like it. [shrug] To each their own. I’m in favor of *variety* for everyone. Hope you like OB&H.

  • Stina May 26, 2011 at 9:37 am

    Lisa Paitz Spindler

    To be honest, I don’t like being afraid to write about sex or romance or violence or anything I set my mind to write because I’m female. These things are all very real aspects of human life. But I am, and that’s the truth. One day I hope to write a female main character who kicks ass. I want her to be older and powerful and wonderful and fully-formed like Helen Mirren’s character in Red. But that time isn’t now. I want to be a good SciFi/Fantasy writer. I don’t want to be a Romance writer.

    What are you waiting for? I agree with about 99% of what you said, but my point of divergence is that I don’t think SF/F and Romance are mutually exclusive. One of the most subversive things you can do is make a woman the hero of her own story. Romance does this in every book, every day. Just like any genre, some are quality and some are not.

    True. As for exclusivity… well. We do have genres for a reason. Certain things appeal to certain people. There’s a vast horde of reading material out there. Readers need easy ways of finding what they like. Labels, while they can be limiting, are useful for that purpose. Thus, every genre has its “rules” as it were. How well would it go over if someone wrote a love story with an unhappy ending and called it Romance? (Not well. I’ve seen it.) We can’t lump everything together like that. In an ideal world? Maybe. In reality? It simply doesn’t work. That has nothing to do with quality of writing. (I hope you understand I’m not saying that Romance is bad. There’s a big distinction between the statement “Romance is bad” and “I don’t like Romance.” Huge.) Borrowing from other genres is a long standing tradition in SFF. It’s a tradition in Romance too. Go all of us. That’s how creativity works.

    As for my own qualms about writing a female hero… I hope it’s clear I’ve mixed feelings on the subject. I won’t let it limit myself. There are enough external forces for that when you’re a writer. I was merely attempting to state that I didn’t like the fact that I had reservations about writing a female point of view character. I find the whole issue complicated, confusing, and frustrating. I suspect I’m not the only one. But confusion is a good place to be in — at least I think so. You don’t think about things you’ve already made your mind up about. You know?

  • Stina May 26, 2011 at 11:09 am

    Joseph Devon
    Oh yeah. Excellent post. I do have to add, though, that I’m male and whenever I tell someone “I write Urban Fantasy” I can see in their eyes that this gets instantly translated into “Porn.” I very quickly follow up with, “It’s sort of like Stephen King. It contains fantastical elements but it takes place in present day New York.” That seems to set them at ease…a bit.

    LOL! Really? Honestly, I’ve never even heard of a male having that issue before. I’m sorry. It sucks, doesn’t it? However, I’m oddly relieved to hear this. Out of curiosity, how often do you have to repeat that statement to the same person? Because I find I do. A lot. And more often than not we never get past it. Luckily, my fabulous, fabulous publisher (Night Shade Books) and my amazing editor (Jeremy Lassen) hired the very talented Mr. Min Yum to do my cover. (See his other work at: http://minart.net/illustrations/illustrations/403/) So, no close-up shots of Liam’s cut abs (ROFL, really? He’s 6’5 1/2″ tall and weighs 135 soaking wet.), and thus, fewer upset, disappointed Romance readers. I still get them due to the confusion regarding the Urban Fantasy label, but somethings can’t be avoided, I’m afraid.

  • Kerry Schafer May 26, 2011 at 1:41 pm

    Excellent post and I applaud your courage. Looking up your novel the instant I stop typing this comment. : )

  • Marshall Ryan Maresca May 26, 2011 at 4:07 pm

    Stina So, no close-up shots of Liam’s cut abs (ROFL, really? He’s 6’5 1/2″ tall and weighs 135 soaking wet.), and thus, fewer upset, disappointed Romance readers.

    I was very glad for that. I really can’t read a book when the cover is just a headless, shirtless torso.

  • Stina May 26, 2011 at 5:27 pm

    Kerry Schafer
    Excellent post and I applaud your courage. Looking up your novel the instant I stop typing this comment. : )

    Thanks, Kerry!

  • […] but the most recent volley comes from a woman. Stina Leicht guestblogs at Aidan Moher’s site that she writes urban fantasy without sexy vampire detective and tattooed women, but about fey and t… Which sounds pretty fabulous in […]

  • Juliet E McKenna May 27, 2011 at 12:33 am

    Excellent post, on so many levels. Count me in as another fantasy writer who just doesn’t like Romance novels. No disrespect, they’re just not my thing.

    And I have had almost exactly that same conversation depressingly often – and I write epic fantasy dealing with violence, heroism, treachery, friendship, the uses and abuses of power, magical and political… which takes some explaining to someone assuming I’m just trawling for fans of Harry Potter or Twilight…

    Sigh, indeed.

  • Linda May 27, 2011 at 2:56 am

    I still remember when I told someone I was a writer. He sneeered at me and said, “Oh, you write romance.” Not because I’d told him I wrote romance, but because I was female. I don’t care for romance as a reader — I prefer action. When I started writing my urban fantasy, the first thing I feared was that I was going to be asked to add a romance to it. If I don’t like romances, I’m not going to do a credible job in my story. So I’ve ended up writing the storyline in a way that makes romance not really possible. Hopefully that’ll be enough.

  • green_knight May 27, 2011 at 4:32 am

    Margaret McGriff
    I find it hard to find a serious female writer who writes the Epic fantasy that authors like Tolkien and GRR Martin do.

    Have you read any Kate Elliott? Juliet E. McKenna?

    I, too, would like to keep Romance out of my SF/F reading – not because I’m averse to romantic relationships, but because the genre conventions do nothing for me and take up far too much space – I want to see the action/mystery/intrigue developing, not how two people negotiate their relationship.

  • Sandra Fairbrother May 27, 2011 at 11:04 am

    This post struck such a chord! I love urban fantasy but paranormal romances have swamped it. If you like them, great. If you don’t like them, it’s very frustrating.
    I’m working on my first novel and was very hesitant about having a female central character because of the pigeon-holing of female writers and characters.
    In the end, I decided to write the book I want to read with the characters I want.
    I’m definitely going to go look up your book now!

  • Stina May 27, 2011 at 12:14 pm

    Linda
    I still remember when I told someone I was a writer. He sneeered at me and said, “Oh, you write romance.” Not because I’d told him I wrote romance, but because I was female. I don’t care for romance as a reader — I prefer action. When I started writing my urban fantasy, the first thing I feared was that I was going to be asked to add a romance to it. If I don’t like romances, I’m not going to do a credible job in my story. So I’ve ended up writing the storyline in a way that makes romance not really possible. Hopefully that’ll be enough.

    Don’t bother arguing with people who sneer. It never goes well. Their faces get stuck, and it’s just not a good look. :-) Seriously, sometimes it’s just best to shrug and go on about your business. No one wins in those sorts of arguments. You know? Also, think about it this way… sort of like Terry Pratchett says, stories pick people. Your story that you’re writing selected you as its steward. You are the only one who knows what’s right for it. Listen. Listening is important. Listen to your heart. Listen to the advice and criticism you receive — no matter where it comes from. But always understand that you are responsible for the story’s well-being and no one else. So, it’s up to you to figure out what’s best. It doesn’t matter how influential someone else is. The story still picked you. You have to grow enough as a writer to be able to make those decisions. You have to know when it’s time to walk away. Hopefully, that makes sense.

  • Stina May 27, 2011 at 12:15 pm

    green_knight

    Margaret McGriff
    I find it hard to find a serious female writer who writes the Epic fantasy that authors like Tolkien and GRR Martin do.

    Have you read any Kate Elliott? Juliet E. McKenna?
    I, too, would like to keep Romance out of my SF/F reading – not because I’m averse to romantic relationships, but because the genre conventions do nothing for me and take up far too much space – I want to see the action/mystery/intrigue developing, not how two people negotiate their relationship.

    Yep. Well said.

  • Stina May 27, 2011 at 3:15 pm

    Sandra Fairbrother
    This post struck such a chord! I love urban fantasy but paranormal romances have swamped it. If you like them, great. If you don’t like them, it’s very frustrating.
    I’m working on my first novel and was very hesitant about having a female central character because of the pigeon-holing of female writers and characters.
    In the end, I decided to write the book I want to read with the characters I want.
    I’m definitely going to go look up your book now!

    It would be nice to have a distinct label separate from paranormal with unhappy endings (which is my theory as to why the UF label got co-opted — Romance has a rule that it isn’t Romance unless there’s a happily-ever-after) that readers could use to find what they like. Ultimately, that’s the only thing that people are complaining about. It wouldn’t resolve the issues female writers have with being mistaken for Romance writers, but really, that’s going to be a problem regardless. [shrug]

  • […] A Dribble of Ink (Stina Leicht) on ‘Writing Urban Fantasy without Vampires, detectives and tramp-stamped chicks’. […]

  • […] Writing Urban Fantasy without Vampires, detectives and tramp-stamped chicks […]

  • Gabriele May 28, 2011 at 6:52 am

    I’m working on two NiPs right now. One is an epic Fantasy, Since I count Tolkien, David Gemmell, GRR Martin and Steven Erikson among my main influences, you can bet there will be more swords and guts than love. :) The other is a military historical fiction in the style of Bernard Cornwell. And I’m going to get me a male or gender neutral pen name should I ever get published. In fact, I think I’ll submit to agents under that name already in order to make it clear what I write and where it should be shelved in order to sell best. Yeah, I’m scarily pragmatic about such things. ;)

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  • Maureen Crisp June 1, 2011 at 8:32 pm

    Great Post Stina!

    It bugs a few of us female children’s writers that we always get the ‘can you put some emotion into your action story..’.when we know the male writers for children never get asked that…
    What happened to just writing an all out mid grade action story…It is a load of fun and you can get away with so much…but a woman’s name on it as author…and it may be the kiss of death…That is why you see so many initials being used on the covers in mid grade and up…

  • Rosie Lane June 2, 2011 at 12:11 am

    I am definitely going to have to check out your book. I like urban fantasy and I’m not averse to romantic elements in it, but I have reached the point where I have had my fill of the lavishly described sexy paranormal love interest and am keen to find something different in the genre to read.

    I worry about the whole urban fantasy/paranormal romance thing a lot at the moment. I have written an urban fantasy that has a love affair in it, but one that goes horribly wrong for the characters. I do worry about how that will be received, and whether I will get stuffed in the paranormal romance box. That whole attitude you describe makes me feel a little bit furtive. I write in a pen name to keep it separate from my day job and I don’t talk about it much, even at my writing group. It feels much safer to read little lightweight flash pieces on manuscript night.

  • Lisa Paitz Spindler June 3, 2011 at 10:46 am

    True. As for exclusivity… well. We do have genres for a reason. Certain things appeal to certain people. There’s a vast horde of reading material out there. Readers need easy ways of finding what they like.
    I agree that we need genres, absolutely. However, needing/wanting to be loved is part of the universal human condition and not something we should shy away from as writers. Also, no one is going to give you permission to write stories that include it or stories that are about strong heroines. It’s a “just do it” situation.

    (I hope you understand I’m not saying that Romance is bad. There’s a big distinction between the statement “Romance is bad” and “I don’t like Romance.” Huge.)

    Thanks for clarifying that. To be honest, I wasn’t sure. There are all sorts of ways to use love relationships in genre fiction other than Romance, but many steer totally clear of it anyway.

    As for my own qualms about writing a female hero… I hope it’s clear I’ve mixed feelings on the subject. I won’t let it limit myself.

    Good! Like I said, though, no one is going to give you permission. Chances are if you’re afraid to write it, then you probably will have a lot of power behind your words if you do write it. Don’t wait.

  • Darkeva June 5, 2011 at 10:26 am

    Stina, I know I’m coming into this a bit late, but superlike!!! ;-)
    You don’t know how relieved I am to find other women who have said they don’t necessarily want romance in their UF! I long for a day when you @Joseph (btw, “Probability Angels” rocked!!) and other female fantasy writers don’t have to explain that you don’t write what the dominant perception of UF is. @Redhead I totally had the same experience except it was “Why are you reading Edgar Allan Poe??” lol And like @Sandra, who put it so eloquently, i decided to write the book I want to read with the character I want, which is why I have an ass-kicking female MC and stand by her :-)

  • Raphael June 6, 2011 at 11:51 am

    I feel with you, Stina. One of my worst experiences was Haydon’s “Rhapsody” and subsequent volumes; what could have been a decent story in a nice setting was all about one Mary Sue and her love(r). Yuck! I have yet to read such sappy stuff written by a man.

    On the other hand, some of my favorite authors are female. I love Robin Hobb and are a big fan of Anne Bishop. Also, I can heartily recommend J.V. Jones’ “Sword of Shadows” series for you who want to read fantasy sans romance written by a woman. I greatly enjoy the series (despite the waiting times—Julie!). Funnily enough, in Jones’ discussion board, lots of people assume and await a great romantic climax. This is so sad and (imho) does not fit the story’s tone at all.

    I actually just got up and walked to my shelves. I do not classify authors by their gender, but by “Can they write endings?”, “Do they build interesting worlds?” and similar questions.