Romancing the Blog | Romance Authors and Readers Who Blog

This one’s an oldie but goodie. Enjoy!

It seems like the distinction between paranormal romance and urban fantasy is blurring more and more. What’s a writer to do? Here’s a little quiz to help you determine whether the book you’re working on will be shelved in the Romance section or in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section.

1. The heroine is a virgin. In the story, she…
A. Will fall in love with the hero and will give him the greatest gift of
all: her virginity.
B. Will almost be fed to a dragon/be sacrificed in an evil ritual.
C. Will never be burdened with her period, even though she’s not pregnant.

2. The noble hero…
A. Is looking for his one try love to save/heal/complete himself.
B. Is looking for the super magic item that will save/heal his kingdom/country/king.
C. Is looking for the magic item but won’t turn down a roll in the hay.

3. When the hero and heroine meet…
A. Sparks will fly.
B. Weapons will fly.
C. Witty banter will fly.

4. The hero and heroine will sleep with each other…
A. After a long courtship/build up of sexual tension.
B. Maybe. Or not. Depends how tired they are after all the battles.
C. As often as possible.

5. After the first time they make love…
A. The countdown is on until their first major disagreement/fight.
B. They gear up and continue on their journey and don’t discuss what occurred between them until journey’s end, if they’re both still alive.
C. The heroine suddenly has a magical ability she never had before.

6. The Big Bad Evil is chasing the intrepid lovers. The lovers…
A. Stop everything and have sex.
B. Fight the Big Bad Evil, which may lead to one of them becoming gravely wounded.
C. Fight the Big Bad Evil, win, and then have sex.

7. Along the way, the hero or heroine is tempted to have sex with someone besides their intended. They…
A. Fight the temptation; after all, this vixen/gigolo isn’t their true love.
B. Will ignore the distraction and will get on with the quest.
C. First determine whether the tempter has the magic item they’ve been questing for, then may have sex, as long as it nets them the magic item.

8. In a choice between saving the lover or saving the magic item, the hero…
A. Will save the lover, of course; the magic item is inconsequential.
B. Will save the magic item, of course; sacrifice is expected in the battle between Good and Evil.
C. Will save the lover, of course; the magic item will wind up being saves as a result of this show of dedication.

9. The ending of the story…
A. Will be a happily ever after.
B. Will have the forces of Good defeat the forces of Evil.
C. Will be a setup for the next book.

If you answered mostly A, congratulations–you’ve written a paranormal romance!

If you answered mostly B, congratulations–you’ve written an urban fantasy!

If you answered mostly C, then congratulations–you’ve written a book that your editor will determine how to market!

Jackie Kessler is the author of the Hell on Earth series, which you can find in the Romance section and read even if you usually frequent the Science Fiction/Fantasy section. Jackie is also the co-author of BLACK & WHITE, a dystopian superhero novel coauthored by Caitlin Kittredge, which will be published by Bantam Spectra in summer 2009. For more about Jackie, visit her
website: www.jackiekessler.com. And remember: love your inner demon.

No related posts.