Juno Books

On this day in 1907 Daphne, Lady Browning DBE, better known as Dame Daphne du Maurier, was born. (She died April 19, 1989)

To quote an obituary by Richard Kelly:

If Daphne du Maurier had written only Rebecca, she would still be one of the great shapers of popular culture and the modern imagination. Few writers have created more magical and mysterious places than Jamaica Inn and Manderley, buildings invested with a rich character that gives them a memorable life of their own.

In many ways the life of Daphne du Maurier resembles that of a fairy tale. Born into a family with a rich artistic and historical background, the daughter of a famous actor-manager, she was indulged as a child and grew up enjoying enormous freedom from financial and parental restraint. She spent her youth sailing boats, travelling on the Continent with friends, and writing stories. A prestigious publishing house accepted her first novel when she was in her early twenties, and its publication brought her not only fame but the attentions of a handsome soldier, Major (later Lieutenant-General Sir) Frederick Browning, who married her.

Her subsequent novels became bestsellers, earning her enormous wealth and fame. While Alfred Hitchcock’s film based upon her novel proceeded to make her one of the best-known authors in the world, she enjoyed the life of a fairy princess in a mansion in Cornwall called Menabilly, which served as the model for Manderley in Rebecca….

While contemporary writers were dealing critically with such subjects as the war, alienation, religion, poverty, Marxism, psychology and art, and experimenting with new techniques such as the stream of consciousness, du Maurier produced ‘old-fashioned’ novels with straightforward narratives that appealed to a popular audience’s love or fantasy, adventure, sexuality and mystery. At an early age, she recognised that her readership was comprised principally of women, and she cultivated their loyal following through several decades by embodying their desires and dreams in her novels and short stories.

In some of her novels, however, she went beyond the technique of the formulaic romance to achieve a powerful psychological realism…In Rebecca, on the other hand, du Maurier fuses psychological realism with a sophisticated version of the Cinderella story. The nameless heroine has been saved from a life of drudgery by marrying a handsome, wealthy aristocrat, but unlike the Prince in Cinderella, Maxim de Winter is old enough to be the narrator’s father. The narrator thus must do battle with The Other Woman - the dead Rebecca and her witch-like surrogate, Mrs Danvers - to win the love of her husband and father-figure. The fantasy of this novel is fulfilled when Maxim confesses to the narrator that he never loved Rebecca; indeed, he hated her, a confession that allows the narrator to emerge triumphantly from the Oedipal triangle.

The Freudian subtext of Rebecca is embodied in a form that represents the first major Gothic romance of the twentieth century and perhaps the finest written to this day. It contains most of the trappings of the typical Gothic romance: a mysterious, haunted mansion, violence, murder, a sinister villain, sexual passion, a spectacular fire, a brooding landscape and a version of the mad woman in the attic. Du Maurier’s work, however, is much more than a simple thriller or mystery. It is a profound and fascinating study of an obsessive personality, of sexual dominance, of human identity and of the liberation of the hidden self.

Rebecca and the two short stories, ‘The Birds’ and ‘Don’t Look Now’, stand out among du Maurier’s work as landmarks in the development of the modern Gothic tale. She breathes new life into the old form of the Gothic novel to come up with a classic tale of The Other Woman. Millions have identified with the plain, nameless narrator of Rebecca, a woman who defines her personality by overcoming the mother-figure of Rebecca to win the lasting love of her father-lover. ‘The Birds’ and ‘Don’t Look Now’ established the twentieth-century sense of dislocation. The accepted order of things suddenly, and for no apparent reason, is upset. The great chain of being breaks and people find themselves battling for their lives against creatures they always assumed inferior to themselves: birds and children. The continuity of time itself is in question in ‘Don’t Look Now’ as the future bleeds into the present….

Now available (and discounted 15% for a week) on Fictionwise:

Or there is also a page for all the Juno Books titles available!

Personal Demons and Blackness Tower were supposed to go up this week, too, but there were technical glitches, but they should be available next week.

California Lutheran University multimedia students created three book promos for
Clockwork Heart. (Author Dru Pagliassotti is a professor there.) There is a direct link to all three here
And, as they are uploaded to YouTube, I’ve embedded two below, but my favorite one of the three doesn’t yet have any sound on YouTube, so view it on Dru’s site.

Okay, just to be fair—

(Again, all images from iStockphoto.com.)

House of Whispers: Mystery, romance and ghosts come together in this first-class tale. The mystery will keep you guessing until the end while the romance ties the story together nicely. But the paranormal elements set this novel apart and will keep readers engrossed. (4.5 stars)

Clockwork Heart: Escape to the fantastic and captivating three-tiered city Pagliassotti has created. The plot is intricate and has multilayered chracters who perplex, entertain, and gratify. This is a wonderfully written book — one for the keeper shelf. (4.5 stars)

Personal Demons: Kane’s clever story is packed with supernatural action and unique characters….the love interest…zings with sexual tension. Surprises throughout keep tension high and pages turning…. (4 stars)

There was also a less than enthusiastic two-star review of Blackness Tower I will not quote. One doesn’t reply to reviews, but I will say as someone who has written a lot of reviews: This was obviously a mismatch of reviewer to book. That happens sometimes. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. I’m entitled not to blog it

Mark Henry and the “Book Club” at League of Reluctant Adultsis discussing PERSONAL DEMONS this week. Drop by and make a comment! Today’s topic: “Stacia served [demons] up three different ways. You got your scary, sexy and comic all in one. Who was (were) your favorite(s)? Why?”

Rambles.net:

Dancing with Werewolves had everything going for it that makes a book good. Delilah Street is a likable and interesting character. Her nightmares and spotty memories indicate some past issues and her behavior is consistent as well. She’s the kind of girl who will adopt a big dog even when her own future is in doubt….Author Carole Nelson Douglas has an amazing ability to bring readers to a place.

The plot keeps you reading as well. There are quite a few satisfying and macabre twists.

While Dancing definitely falls in the fantasy classification, paranormal romance readers should find enough action to keep them interested. Anyone who enjoys Simon R. Green’s Nightside series may very well like this book as well.

Bookshelves of Doom:

…the world building…was, hands down, my favorite aspect of the book. Dru Pagliassotti dropped me right into (well, technically above — Taya is flying when the book begins) Ondinium and let me get acquainted with the world as I read. As the book progressed, the world got bigger and bigger, the technology became more and more interesting, the politics got increasingly more complex, and my perspective was constantly affected by snippets about the history of the world and by the different opinions of the characters. The interactions between different castes had me fascinated and I’m very curious about the world outside Ondinium.

I really hope there will be more books set in this world, whether they are a continuation of Taya’s story or about completely different characters.

Okay, except for occasionally bragging about my outstanding children and the like, I rarely mention anything too personal here. I don’t know why, but I feel like I should make some sort of public announcement — and the Net is as public as it gets (although I sometimes think people forget that). Today marks a major event in my life. I think. I am, as of about three hours ago, no longer married. I’ve been married longer than I was single, so that must be a milestone of some sort. Despite my little graphic here, I’m not actually divorced — I am “dissolved”. I can’t say this is something to celebrate, but I am, for the most part, glad the day has come.

And no, I’m not returning to my maiden name. Never liked it much anyway and, after all, I like have the same last name as my four kids and (so far) one daughter-in-law. Besides, I’m probably the most famous “Guran” in the world (so far)

(Now I bet you want to know what my maiden name was, huh?)

Yes, we all make fun of “man titties” and the like. But have you ever thought about what books would look like with, uh, regular guys on the cover? Maybe we don’t want to go there…(All images from iStockPhoto)

FantasyLiterarture.net (four stars):

Though it doesn’t exactly have the most original and distinctive plot ever, Personal Demons holds its own. I could have wished to see a little more of Megan actually performing her job of radio talk show host. On the other hand, I like the interesting line that Personal Demons walks between paranormal romance and urban fantasy. I’d definitely say it leans more to the latter, while adopting a few more paranormal romance-like traits in a way that I could really appreciate. I mean, hello, it’s not told from first person POV. I honestly developed a little bit of a girl crush on Ms. Kane for that, because I was beginning to think it was illegal or something to write an urban fantasy in anything but first person.

I waffled a bit with the score for Personal Demons. I wasn’t quite sure I’d call it a four star book, but it wasn’t really a three star book, and even three and a half didn’t quite cover it. In spite of its flaws, Stacia Kane has really created something quite delightful here. So in the end I decided to just round up.

Fallen Angels:

House of Whispers by Margaret Lucke is Book One of the Supernatural Properties and an excellent start for her new series. The book contains all my favorite elements: strong, independent characters, intense sexual attraction between the main characters that might lead to a lasting relationship, spooky paranormal occurrences and the underlying thread of danger that builds the suspense up to a climatic ending! And best of all, Ms. Lucke plans to do it again as this is just the first book of the series. I really like the character of Claire and it sounds like she will continue to find additional “problem” houses in the future for the other stories in the series. I can’t wait. I was drawn into Claire’s story from the first page and could hardly put the book down for wanting to know what could possibly happen next. Well done, Ms. Lucke! (Five Angels)

Huntress Reviews:

Like Barbara Michaels, Phyllis Whitney, and Victoria Holt, Ms. Lucke weaves a spell around her readers. Unlike modern urban fantasies, the pacing is very deliberate, taking time to build, rather than running at a perpetual motion machine, with constant action that never lets you take a breath. House of Whispers blends the old and new effectively, efficiently, and no pun intended, hauntingly.

Agony Column

Sure, it’s a simple setup, but handled with enough class and cleverness to keep you reading and just as importantly, prevent you from thinking. You’ll live in this tightly plotted supernatural mystery right up till the last page; not surprisingly, Margaret Lucke was nominated for a Best First Mystery Anthony for ‘Relative Stranger.’ I don’t know that I could bring this to our beach as yet, but if you and your beach are ready, here’s a fine book to fill your life with other lives, to whisper in your ears like the ghosts of the dead – and it won’t command you to solve any murders.

I Read Whatt??:

This was a very quick read for me, overall an enjoyable read. It is a blend of romance, mystery, and paranormal. While reading “House of Whispers” I was wishing that it would get spookier, but I was happy with the romantic mystery. I will probably pick up the next in the series for a quick read.

And, although there’s no review, Fresh Fiction made it a “Fresh Pick of the Week”.

As far as I can tell, all submission received before April 10 have, one way or another, been responded to. There are a few I responded to with “this is still under consideration.” I have received a number of new subs just in the last couple of weeks. (They seem to come in bunches for some reason…)

As usual, people are still ignoring the guidelines and sending all sorts of unsuitable material: male protagonists, techno-thrillers, bad erotica, collections, young adult material…if it is obviously way, way offbase, I’ve taken to hitting “reply” and typing: Please read our guidelines (and supplying the URL). I’m sure some folks think this is rude, but, really, isn’t it a little rude to submit without reading the guidelines?

However, for those who think I am being an Evil Editrix: Note the Evil Queen’s throne in the image below…aha! Yes, a PEACOCK throne…mwahahahahaaa!

Although you can’t really make much out, you can see that this article with my smiling face and some recognizable Juno covers is in Swedish! Here’s the whole page in PDF from Dagens Nyheter, the largest Swedish morning newspaper. (”Dagens nyheter” means “news of the day” in Swedish.) http://www.dn.se/No, I didn’t get to go to Sweden. A very nice reporter, Johanna Paulsson, phoned me and did the interview. I can guess at what some of it says because I vaguely remember what I answered. “Ja och nej,” for instance is “Yes and no.” The part about Sherlock Holmes and urban fantasy is some quotation of me talking about one of my theories about why UF is popular these days. (The world is so full of problems we have trouble believing they are solvable through rational thinking and human action, so we enjoy reading about people with supernatural connections or magical powers solving problems rather than rational detectives like Sherlock Holmes.)

I’d never heard about Cover Cafe until someone mentioned they have their < a href="http://www.covercafe.com/contest/2007/coverintro.shtml">2007 Cover Contest nominees posted and thought that maybe a Juno cover or two should have been mentioned. Not, I hope in the “worst cover” category. I think all we would ever qualify for is “alternative reality” or “romantic suspense”. These are supposed to be “romantic”, so that would have left Mortal Glamour out as a historical, although Euryale would be okay. (Not that I think these folks would care for either cover.)

If you are interested, you can nominate 2008 covers here.

Publishers Weekly reports publishers, booksellers, and others are fighting yet ANOTHER new censorship law, this one in Oregon. The new Oregon law criminalizes the dissemination of sexually explicit material to anyone under age 13, or the dissemination to anyone under age 18 of any material with the intent to sexually arouse the recipient or the provider. The new statute, which makes no provision for judging the material as a whole, nor for considering its serious literary, artistic or scientific value, went into effect January 1.
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Harlequin’s parent company, Torstar, has reported book sales down 12 percent to $CN110 million, and
operating profit down 15 percent to $CN16 million for the first quarter. The drops were smaller “excluding the impact of foreign exchange,” with North American retail sales flat, but the main reason cited is “the strong publishing schedule a year ago.”

The release also says: “We continue to expect modest growth from Harlequin for the year unless there is a major economic slowdown in the US retail environment. The uncertainty in the US economy does not appear to have affected Harlequin’s US sales in the first quarter. However, if the US economy softens further it could have a negative impact on the remainder of the year. Harlequin will begin to realize revenue and operating profit in the second quarter of 2008 related to the agreement with SoftBank to provide digital manga content.”
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Little, Brown has announced Stephanie Meyer’s first adult novel, The Host, will have a first printing of 750,000 copies of teen-reader sensation Meyer’s first book for adults, THE HOST. “This is probably the biggest printing we’ve had for a first adult novel.” Considering she has more than 7.5. million books in print worldwide of her vampiric “Twilight Saga” for teen readers, they arn’t taking much of a risk
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And, while I was having the flu and missing the Romantic Times Con, Steve Segal (Weird Tales editorial & creative director and Juno’s cover designer) was frolicking about at NYComicCon talking up the 85th Anniversary makeover and getting his picture made with Neil Gaiman

Another great one from Paranormalromance.org:

Lillian Stewart Carl’s writing is at once intelligent, captivating, and romantic, caressed by light fingers of poetic description. In no way am I going to give anything away about the mystery itself except to say that I pride myself on usually being able to figure them out. This one kept me intrigued and guessing until the end. In fact, she had so many clues and details involving the present and not one, but two time lines from the past, I was a little worried that Carl wouldn’t be able to pull off a satisfying ending. But I worried for nothing, because the ending blew me away.

Blackness Tower is definitely a keeper, a book meaty enough to inspire hours and hours of discussion for the most tenacious book club.

Paranormalromance.org:

This was new, fresh and fun! Sexy, devilish and quirky! With so many books on the market based on so many different paranormal creatures ‘Personal Demons’ really stands out of the crowd and waves its arms around for everyone to see. The author has come up with something new and out of the ordinary. With characters that are entertaining and welcoming.

This was so good I want the next part ‘Demon Inside’ now! Stop reading this review and go get a copy because this is worth trying.

Good advice!

“He changed hands, and whisked and rioted like a dance of Walpurgis in his lonely brain.”—J. S. Le Fanu: “The House in the Churchyard”
According to Wikipedia:

The festival is named after Saint Walpurga, born in Wessex in 710. She was a niece of Saint Boniface and, according to legend, a daughter of the Saxon prince St. Richard. Together with her brothers she travelled to Franconia, Germany, where she became a nun and lived in the convent of Heidenheim, which was founded by her brother Willibald. Walpurga died on 25 February 779. She is therefore listed in the Roman Martyrology under 25 February. Her relics were transferred on 1 May, and that day carries her name in, for example, the Finnish and Swedish calendar.

Historically the Walpurgisnacht is derived from Pagan spring customs. In the Norse tradition, Walpurgisnacht is considered the “Enclosure of the Fallen”. It commemorates the time when Odin died to retrieve the knowledge of the runes, and the night is said to be a time of weakness in the boundary between the living and the dead. Bonfires were built to keep away the dead and chaotic spirits that were said to walk among the living then.This is followed by the return of light and the sun as celebrated during May Day. Due to Walpurga’s holy day falling on the same day, her name became associated with the celebrations. Early Christianity had a policy of ‘Christianising’ pagan festivals so it is no accident that St. Walpurga’s day was set to May 1st. Walpurga was honored in the same way that Vikings had celebrated spring and as they spread throughout Europe, the two dates became mixed together and created the Walpurgis Night celebration.

In Germany, Walpurgisnacht (or Hexennacht, meaning Witches’ Night), the night from April 30 to May 1, is the night when allegedly the witches hold a large celebration on the Blocksberg and await the arrival of Spring….

Walpurgis (sw: Valborgsmässoafton or Valborg) is one of the main holidays during the year in Sweden, alongside Christmas and Midsummer holiday. The forms of celebration in Sweden vary in different parts of the country and between different cities. One of the main traditions in Sweden is to light large bonfires….An older tradition from Southern Sweden was for the younger people to collect greenery and branches from the woods at twilight, which were used to adorn the houses of the village. The expected reward for this task is to be paid in eggs.

The tradition which is most widespread throughout the country is probably singing songs of spring. Most of the songs are from the 19th century and were spread by students’ spring festivities. The strongest and most traditional spring festivities are also found in the old university cities, like Uppsala and Lund where both current and graduated students gather at events that take up most of the day from early morning to late night on April 30…There are also newer student traditions like the carnival parade, The Cortège, which has been held since 1909 by the students at Chalmers in Gothenburg.

Today in Finland, Walpurgis Night (Vapunaatto, Valborgsmässoafton) is, along with New Year’s Eve and Juhannus, the biggest carnival-style festivity that takes place in the streets of Finland’s towns and cities. The celebration is typically centered on plentiful use of sparkling wine and other alcoholic beverages….

Sending evil spirits and demons back to where they came from is all in a day’s work for Samantha Yardell. As one of the seven chosen Guardians, she uses her immense powers to keep portals in our world closed tight against the Dark World beyond. But when an evil wizard sets out to rule both the living and the dead, she must trust Damion Montez, a lethally charming shape-shifter who is heir to the Black Tiger throne. Damion’s revelations lead Samantha into a web of passion and intrigue and down a path that will lead either to the world’s salvation or its doom. Lisa has eight books in print right now (for Silhouette Nocturne, Harlequin Blaze, Kensington Aphrodisi, Berkeley Heat, Ellora’s Cave and others) with another due out later in May, several e-books, AND (in addition to BLACK TIGER RISING) another nine under contract. Lisa’s Web site is (what else?) www.lisareneejones.com.

This is is excerpted from a much longer review that does a nice job summing up the book. You should read the whole review at Teen Book Review:

Clockwork Heart is one of the most enjoyable fantasies I have read in a long time; I didn’t want the book to end. Clockwork Heart has everything you might want in a book–a strong girl hero, romance, intrigue, mystery, suspense, great humor, believable characters, strong writing, all in a fantasy setting….Clockwork Heart has just the right mix of fantasy and romance, with sprinkles of mystery and intrigue. There is so much to enjoy, here.

For an entertaining, absorbing read, one you won’t want to end, pick this book up. Clockwork Heart is the best YA fantasy–the best book–I have read in a long time. Pagliassotti is now one of my new favorite authors, and I’ll look for any other book she comes out with. Highly recommended, and available now in stores!

I totally forgot to mention that Chris Howard did select a winner for his “name the sequel” contest. Except we weren’t 100% thrilled with any of the titles. With the help of Kevin Haberl, who does marketing and sales for our distributor, Diamond Book Distribution (he was sales rep with Random House Publishers before Diamond), we decided on SEA THRONE — which we like better than the working title of THE NEW SIRENS–but Chris need not stick with it. The winner, Judith, got to name a character in SEABORN (and it is a good name!) and won some art, too.

Chris is both a geek and an artist and always coming up with cool (if geeky) things on his blog. The latest includes a Timeline of Publication, a Seaborn font complete with bats, and a T-shirt design. Check it all out!

in the Ventura County Star: CLU bookworm writes a novel

If you are interested in either of these books, you probably need to order them directly from the publisher or from Amazon.

Rambles:

Twelve Steps from Darkness isn’t what I thought it was going to be. Based on the back-cover blurb and a quote on the cover mentioning demons, I expected a scarier tale. While there is a frightening presence in the home that gave me a few shivers and a solid mystery behind it, the spooks take a back seat to Laura’s everyday struggles with alcohol and substance abuse and trying to start over.

That being said, I wasn’t disappointed in this story one bit. While I was looking forward to a good scare, one that kept me up tonight, I was pleasantly surprised to be treated to a solid, well-rounded story, with a little spook and a lot of hope.

Romance Junkies:

Dark Maiden:The author has crafted characters who are authentic with all the quirks and issues we are all prone to on our daily journeys. The paranormal twists of the plot add emotional depth and extra entertainment. Romance plays a smaller, but pivotal element, in the storyline. The author explores love and passion on several levels. Maternal love is a universal theme that has the biggest impact on this terrific tale. The short chapters give an extra suspenseful feel to the fast paced action.

The setting of the novel in the Sierra foothills of California is important to the historic background of the book. The author has taken the area where she lives and brought it to life for the reader….I am a hug fan of paranormal stories and I hope Ms. Lehr will write more novels in this popular genre soon.

Okay, so. . . now I AM going.

at the Romantic Times Booklovers Con (even if I wasn’t).
Lovely Juno authors Lillian Stewart Carl, Carole Nelson Douglas, Linda Robertson & Janet Lorimer–looking good at Romantic Time Con

Lillian’s fabulous [Juno] peacock jacket

Giveaways (photo thanks to Chris Howard and Mark Henry)

Huntress Reviews:

I found this story to have a unique twist on the overdone subjects of demons and psychics. If there are other stories out there like this one, I’ve never read it. A fanciful walk on the creepy and dark side that will keep you up reading long into the night. A great beginning to a new series. (Five Stars)

Mist and Stars:

Ms. Kane has managed to blend eerie edginess with laugh out loud humor and just enough romance to make this a truly winning recipe for a good read. She even includes a recipe that looks interesting enough to almost tempt a vegetarian! I simply adored this story, especially the three brothers who I cannot decide if I’d enjoy having around or if they’d drive me mad trying to “take care of me” where I their charge. Treat yourself to this when you want to smile.

Breenibooks:

Sylvia Kelso’s Amberlight features one of the most detailed fantasy worlds of the genre….

The setting, plot, and characters of Amberlight are entrancing, but the dialogue becomes a bit confusing at times, lacking reference to which person is speaking. Much of the narrative is written in sentence fragments, which works for some novels, but in this story, it manages to convolute an already intricate story design. At times it becomes difficult to correlate all of the details together to form a complete picture. Maps of the territory featured at the beginning of the book will aid the reader in understanding locale and placement. It is not a light read and will require some effort, but it is well-worth the exertion.

Structure aside, Amberlight is imaginative and original. It embodies many genuine societal ills within a fictional capacity one can observe from a safe distance. It offers both romantic escape and intellectual stimulation. With time to concentrate on the details, it makes an enjoyable read. The sequel to Amberlight, which is titled Riversend, will be released in 2008.

[I was supposed to be on an Urban Fantasy panel at RTCon. I even prepared! This
was the hand-out I was going to have available. Sigh.]

Depending on the context or the person using the term, there are various
definitions. What all of these have in common: An intersection/transgression of
the numinous (that which is “wholly other”) with/upon the mundane. These worlds
can be open (”magic”, the “supernatural” is known to exist) or closed (where
“otherness” is concealed from common knowledge).

In other words:
“In urban fantasy you don’t leave the chip shop and go to another world to find
the unicorn. Rather, the unicorn shows up at the chip shop and orders the
cod.”–Elizabeth Bear

Examples of urban fantasy go back (especially in children’s fiction) to the
1920s but, generally, the term (and the fiction) gained popularity starting in
the 1980s. It was/is used in fantasy genre more or less in this manner:
Urban fantasy…A city may be seen from afar, and is generally seen clear; the
UF is told from within and from the perspective of characters acting out their
roles, it may be difficult to determine the extent and nature of the surrounding
reality. UFs are normally texts where fantasy and the mundane world interact
intersect and interweave throughout a tale which is significantly about a real
city.–J. Clute, “Urban Fantasy” in Encyclopedia of Fantasy, ed. by J. Clute &
J. Grant (1997)

These authors (and works) are most commonly cited as early examples of urban
fantasy:

• Jonathan Caroll (Land of Laughs, 1980)
• John Crowley (Little, Big, 1981)
• Charles de Lint (Moonheart, 1984)*
• Emma Bull (War for the Oaks, 1987)

When discussing urban fantasy in this larger context, authors like Neil Gaiman
(Neverwhere). China Mieville (King Rat), and Caitlin R. Kiernan (Threshold) are
often cited.

Within the last few years, the term has been applied to novels with a narrower
definition.

1) The term “paranormal romance” was being used to describe books like those of
Laurell K. Hamilton (Guilty Pleasures, 1993), Charlaine Harris (Dead Until Dark,
2001), and Kelley Armstrong (Bitten, 2001)–fantasy/mystery blends with strong
romantic element–as well as Christine Feehan (Dark Prince, 1999) who was
published as romance. Ann Rice’s novels were also termed paranormal romance. [No
offense to romance readers/writers/mavens, but the rest of the world didn’t see
the term as exclusive to romance. And, for better or worse, the sf/fantasy field
and others are still using the term “paranormal romance” to describe it all.]

2) Around 2005, the term “urban fantasy” started to be used to differentiate
novels that were not “romance-according-to-romance-genre” (plot about a love
relationship with a positive, satisfying–usually “happily ever after”–ending.)

3) Now, in this context: Contemporary, urban setting with female or male
protagonist with “kickassitude” and supernatural powers or connection. Primarily
an detective plot with sexy romance subplot. Action-oriented with strong
horrific elements balanced with humor. (Some add “first-person narrative”, but I
feel that restricts the definition too far.)

ROOTS of KICKASSITUDE

By the definition above, “urban fantasy” owes more to the American hard-boiled
detective genre than most may understand.

Note: The literal meaning of the word hero/heroine is “protector”, “defender”,
“guardian” and is connected etymologically with the name of the goddess Hera.

George Grella, “The Hard-Boiled Detective Novel” (Winks, Robin W., ed. Detective
Fiction: A Collection of Critical Essays. Foul Play Press, 1988):

• heterogeneous nature of American society vs. the more formalized British
• society of the traditional formal detective novel
• first hard-boiled stories were seen as realistic portrayal of American
• society, a society populated by real criminals and real policemen
• private eye and the American detective hero:
  -deals out and receives a lot of physical punishment
  -isolates himself from normal human relationships
  -has own moral code which is usually stricter than the rest of society
  -often has inner voice that is listened to, even when it goes against
  traditional societal rules
  -quests for truth and expulsion of the undesirable is the guiding principle; the
  moral man who works in the city, the center of wickedness and perversion
• “the urban jungle” replaces the wilderness; Leslie Fiedler (Love and
  Death in the American Novel (Criterion Books, 1960): the detective is a “cowboy
  adapted to life on the city streets, the embodiment of innocence moving
  untouched through universal guilt.”
• hero fights against the evils of society, and is left cynical and
  disillusioned in the end, his strength remaining because of his own moral code,
  his own sense of truth and right and wrong
• The hard-boiled detective can never hope for full resolution of the
  crime and restoration of society because evil is too pervasive. He defeats only
  a small portion of evil while the rest of the evil continues–to be fought again

The other important prototypical-hero element is derived from “Sword and
Sorcery”. These are action-packed, fast-paced stories set in a quasi-mythical or
fantastic world. Unlike epic fantasy–in which the fate of the world hangs in
the balance–the prize and the danger are usually more personal and less than
world-threatening. This lends itself to series of adventures. Female heroes were
not unknown (example: C.L. Moore’s Jirel of Joiry first appeared in story “Black
God’s Kiss”, Weird Tales, October 1934), but S&S had a strongly masculine bias.
Anthologies featuring skillful swordswomen and powerful sorceresses–Amazons!
Jessica Amanda Salmonson, ed. (1979), Amazons II, Jessica Amanda Salmonson, ed.
(1982), and Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword and Sorceress anthology series (began:
1984)–as well as novels like Salmonson’s Tomoe Gozen trilogy (1981-1984) and
The Swordswoman (1982), popularized S&S heroines.

Female hard-boiled detectives:

• Gale Gallagher in I Found Him Dead (1947) and Chord in Crimson (1949) by
• “Gale Gallagher” (Will Oursler and Margaret Scott)
• Honey West in (first) This Girl for Hire (1957) by Forrest and Gloria
• Fickling
• V.I. Warshawski in (first) Indemnity Only (1982)by Sarah Paretsky
• Kinsey Milhorne in (first) A Is for Alibi (1982) by Sue Grafton

Non-literary UF Influences That Don’t Fit Elsewhere:

* Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series: March 10, 1997 - May 20, 2003) Darker
than the action-comedy/horror parody film (1992) the series also better embodied
Joss Wheldon’s concept of an empowered woman fighting monsters (metaphors for
problems that teenagers, especially, face).

* The Crow [comic book series (1989) created by James O’Barr] filmed 1992/1993,
released 1994. At its core, a love story.

NOTES ON LKH:

Laurell K. Hamilton came along with Guilty Pleasures in 1993. The novel was a
mix of horror, fantasy, mystery, action-adventure, romance in which Anita Blake
is a female hardboiled detective-type (contrary, sarcastic, and has a protective
streak). Since it was vampires, it was “horror” or, at best, “dark fantasy” and
likened to Elrod and Huff. (”A common (and wildly inaccurate) [and since
revised] way that we explain our sections at Borderlands [bookstore] is thus “If
the story takes place on a space ship, it’s SF. If it’s about a vampire, it’s
horror. And if there’s a vampire on a space ship, it’s still horror.”–Alan
Beatts) The US cover had a male vampire (and an “Anita” in slacks outside a
nightclub) and a blurb from PN Elrod; the “Anita Blake Vampire Hunter” logo was
a yellow full moon with a bat. UK cover showed a sexy female vampire with the
line “Now it’s the vampires that need protection…”

NOTES ON VAMPIRE DETECTIVES:

There are numerous examples of vampire detectives previous to (and after) these,
but note:

* Nick Knight: TV movie released in 1989 about Nick Knight (played by Rick
Springfield), a vampire working as a police detective in modern day Los Angeles.
In 1992, CBS picked up the series and produced as Forever Knight with Geraint
Wyn Davies as the vampire detective. It ran three seasons, ending in 1996.

* Bloodlist (1990) by PN Elrod: Jack Fleming is good-guy vampire PI in 1930s
Chicago; supposedly hard-boiled but really a bit too nice to be really boiled.
Eleven books, most recent was 2005.

* Blood Price (1991) by Tanya Huff: Vicki Nelson, an ex-cop going blind who
turns private detective and teams up with a vampire; set in modern-day Chicago.
Five novels and a story collection with follow-up series of (so far) three
books. Adapted for television as Blood Ties (Lifetime, 2007).

NOTES ON OCCULT DETECTIVES:

Wikipedia: “Occult detective stories combine the genres of the detective story
with supernatural horror fiction. Unlike the traditional detective the occult
detective is employed in cases involving ghosts, curses, and other supernatural
elements. He or she is often a doctor inclined to metaphysical speculation.”

There are many, many examples of occult detectives, but note:

* Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s character Dr. Martin Hesselius (first appearance:
1872)
* Dr Abram van Helsing (Dracula, Bram Stoker, 1897)
* Algernon Blackwood’s John Silence (1908)
* William Hope Hodgson’s Thomas Carnacki (1913)
* Seabury Quinn’s Jules de Grandin and Dr. Trowbridge (1925)
* Mercedes Lackey’s Diana Tregarde:
1. Burning Water (1989)
2. Children of the Night (1990)
3. Jinx High (1991)
Wikipedia: [Set in] a real world with…elves who drive racing cars…The main
character, Diana Tregarde, is an American witch, practicing a fantasy version of
Wicca; by virtue of her position as a “Guardian” Diana has access to more
magical power than many, but she is required to give her help when someone asks
it of her. Her magical abilities do not pay the bills, however, and Diana is a
romance (genre) novelist in her day job. In the stories, she must protect others
from angry deities (Burning Water), vampires (Children of the Night), and a
sorceress who intends to remain eternally young (Jinx High). The books were
published under Tor’s horror imprint rather than as fantasy. At the time of
publication, positive depictions of what Wiccans and, more generally, neopagans
believed and did were rare. In the mid-nineties, Lackey’s books generally and
these three particularly were regularly cited as examples of pagan-friendly
fiction….The character Diana Tregarde first appeared in two short stories,
“Satanic, Versus…” and “Nightside”…

___________
*Charles de Lint on what to call his fiction:
“We liked the term ‘mythic fiction,’ which fits perfectly. ‘Urban fantasy’
doesn’t work because a lot of what I do isn’t set in an urban setting…’Mythic
fiction’ works because it has broader resonances and alludes to the heart of
this fiction, which is, of course, myth. It has the right tonality because these
are stories that have modern sensibilities, dealing with contemporary people and
issues, but they utilize the material of folklore, fairy tale, and myth to help
illuminate that. It also omits the word ‘fantasy’–a term for which people have
too many preconceptions….[because] I’m trying to engage an even broader
audience — people who normally don’t read fantasy, who get scared by the word
fantasy or by those types of covers. I think a lot of people who don’t like
fantasy just haven’t had the chance to have the right book put in front of
them.”–Charles de Lint (Locus, June 2003)

The worst has happened. I’ve been diagnosed with Type B influenza. No way I can go to Pittsburgh. Am trying to make arrangements so Linda Robertson (who lives nearby and was going with me) can take what needs to be taken.

I have NEVER missed a con I had planned on attending. I’ve gone and gotten sick. I’ve gone and had to use a cane. But — in 13 years — I’ve never gotten sick and had to cancel.

At first I tried to figure on going but I realize there’s not even an assurance yet that the Tamiflu I am on will work. We hope I started taking it early enough, but can’t be sure. I can barely function as it is. Plus, I am contagious. I don’t want anyone else getting this…

This is really not to be believed.