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Blogs by Pamela C Labud
Urban Fanatasy, an ageless genre... 9/7/2008 11:57:21 AM
Hi everyone!
It's been a great week for me, both in my personal life and in my writing life. In addition to my usual full time job, kids, and house stuff, I have managed to attend a high school football game this friday and also spend 12 hours with the high school choir in an all day retreat.
That, in addition to living with two teenagers, sort of makes me an expert in the field of youth, and after finishing my first Urban Fantasy tale, I think I'm up to the job of discussing what I like to think of 'the ageless genre.'
Wikepedia says:
"Urban fantasy is a subset of contemporary fantasy, consisting of magical novels and stories set in contemporary, real-world, urban settings--as opposed to 'traditional' fantasy set in wholly imaginary landscapes, even ones containing imaginary cities, or having most of their action take place in them. Urban fantasy may also refer to more modern versions of 'traditional' fantasy worlds. The modern urban fantasy protagonist faces extraordinary circumstances as plots unfold in either open (where magic or paranormal events are commonly accepted to exist) or closed (where magical powers or creatures are concealed) worlds."
It also goes on to say that it has existed since the 1920's, often in the form of children's fiction, and then became coined as a term in the 1980s. In short, and 'ageless' genre.
While I am not an expert, I can tell you that it's a very fascinating and exciting genre. I have recently finished and I'm now doing revisions on my first urban fantasy novel. I wrote it originally for my younger teen daughter, but I'm finding that it's just as enjoyable and timely as anything I've ever written.
The story, Grave Danger, (working title) is the first of a series, The Blue Star Baby Trilogy, has not yet found a publisher, though I do have one that is very interested in seeing the finished manuscript.
I describe the story as: A post apocalyptic zombie killing love story.
Although urban fantasy, is often billed as young adult, but I think it can appeal to everyone.
After all, who doesn't enjoy a story about a young hero or heroine facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles, evil demons, a downtrodden society, and the possibility of young love?
I know I do. The thing I love best about urban fantasy, though, is it's energy. These books often take place in the future, on an alien world, or even in a vastly different contemporary setting.
Urban fantasy usually is written in a series of stories with one larger arc to tie them together. They can either be a romance, or have romantic elements, and you can be sure the action is nonstop and the story edgy.
But most of all, I like to think of them as ageless energy. IF you're young, then you can totally identify with the fast paced and exciting plotlines, and if you're 'ahem' mature, like me, then you can be sympathetic to the conflicts of the characters.
It's easy for us to identify with, after life itself is a struggle, whether you're the heroine in a futuristic zombie love story, or an overworked nurse trying to get through bad traffic to go home and sleep for five hours before your next shift.
Some really awesome urban fantasy authors? Eve Kenin, Laurell K. Hamilton, Karen Marie Moning, Jim Butcher, and Marjorie M. Liu, to name a few. Check 'em out.
I love this stuff, so if you have some suggestions on what you like, or even if you have more insight to share feel free to leave me a comment!
