Worldbuilding to Visually Reflect Story Theme and Character Values by Jamie Leigh Hansen

Worldbuilding will never have just one way to do it. There are many things to consider and master in creating a world for your novel and series. Recently, I was part of a worldbuilding workshop with 5 other published IECRWA authors. At each of 3 tables, 2 authors gave an important aspect of worldbuilding to consider. My contribution was the link between visual aspects of the world, the story’s theme and the character’s values.

Outside of a movie, or some kind of visual media, how often is that considered. Most likely each time we try to make a book trailer or envision what we’d want our book cover to look like. But those are snippets or one single visual. And a single setting is not the entire world.

"The world of the novel is composed of much more than description of landscape and rooms. It is milieu, period, fashion, ideas, human outlook, historical moment, spiritual mood and more. It is capturing not only place but people in an environment; not only history but humans changing in their era. Description is the least of it. Bringing people alive in a place and time that are alive is the essence of it. [It's] capturing a snapshot of place, moment, character or all three with clarity so vivid that it freezes indelibly in the reader's mind." — Donald Maass, Writing the Breakout Novel

Futuristisc, Fantasy and Paranormal writers have a contract with the reader to fulfill. A promise different from most other genres or subgenres because our stories vow that we will provide a fascinating glimpse of a living, breathing world and not just an intriguing or detailed setting. But how do we provide that beyond the bare bones of here’s the planet, the mountains and lakes, the clothes and the flora and fauna – boom, you’re now in Middle Earth. Love it.

"It is the combination of setting details and the emotions that are attached to them that, together, make a place a living thing." — Donald Maass, The Fire In Fiction

Examining three popular movies and how they link theme and character values with their milieu in a visually stunning way that actually made me want to pay movie ticket prices to see on a bigger screen than my 50” TV helped me see the link.

Story Theme:

The Hunger Games - What would you do to survive? The contrasts of rich/poor, abundance/starvation, volunteering/being forced, realism/fabrication fills each location with danger and challenges both natural - bugs, fire, predators - and man-made - the audiences, clothing, fences. The stage. The train. The forest. Even the mere fact that the hunger games exist shows the sacrifice and toil someone will undertake to survive and what challenges they will face in doing so. The entire movie has these tests set up visually, but they were in the novel first. Visually depicted in a way to grab the reader’s imagination. The story showed a map of society divided by fences, classes and levels of both compassion and desperation.

Lord of the Rings – There are many themes to choose from in this novel and the truth of weakness, strength and power is one. From the tiny, peaceful Shire full of lush greenery, growth and smiles to the large world of man to the ethereal, separate world of elves, we see that the strength of a sword (or axe) arm, the sharpness of a man's wit, the age-old wisdom of a long lived people are no more important than the child-like innocence, heart and spirit of a joy-filled Hobbit. Each land in Middle Earth represents its people in a stunningly visual way. The hope and greed of humans is portrayed with tall, molding statues and ambitious buildings that are crumbling. The intelligence and knowledge revered by magi in their packed libraries filled with scrolls and artifacts. The aloof beauty of Rivendale nestled within nature, fitting as if created to be there. The dark, evil land of Mordor with volcanoes, lava and the abominations - orcs.

Harry Potter - Good vs. evil, magic vs. conformity. The muggle world is shown in shades of gray, the colors bland and unnoticeable. It’s the same, house to house, car to car. Voldemort exits in darkness, wearing black and rarely seen in the light. Hogwarts, the Weasley house, Sirius Black's - the magical world is full of vivacious, vibrant colors, normal things with extraordinary twists. Cars that fly, Willows trees that whomp you, staircases that change direction. The nature is lush and overblown, to strangled into neat little boxes. It is good to be different in Harry Potter's world.

You may have noticed that in examining theme, you actually see much of the second component: Character’s values. Who they are as a society and as a race is also described. In a well-built world, this isn’t done by accident.

"The world of the story: a complex and detailed web in which each element has story meaning and is in some way a physical expression of the character web and especially of the hero." — John Truby, The Anatomy of Story

"Creating a unique world for the story - and organically connecting it to the characters-is as essential to great storytelling as character, plot, theme, and dialogue." — John Truby, The Anatomy of Story

Character Values:

The Hunger Games - Kindness, compassion, honesty vs. superficiality, greed and entitlement - Katniss is continually placed in situations where her values must be tested. The world isn't just locations, but situations. People are starving. Kids risk their lives for "entertainment". People are restricted from providing for themselves - hunting - and told to be grateful for what is given to them at the whim of others – but Katniss hunts to feed others. Katniss volunteers to be a tribute to save her sister. Katniss has to learn to play the game just to get a healing cream for Peeta by kissing him and promoting their "romance". Even the food exemplifies the differences in values between sickeningly sweet confections versus the necessary nutrients in bread and meat, the wholesome versus the superficial. A tribute saves Katniss from danger and she remains loyal to that tribute, even to the point of providing the tribute a "burial", a common courtesy that is against the rules.

Lord of the Rings - Humility, kindness, joy, peace, loyalty and perseverance, forgiveness, friendship. All these qualities a hobbit possesses, and they are tested in every situation, even as those around the hobbits fail. They cannot overcome their human greed and weaknesses, their Dwarven anger and belligerance, their unbending Elven judgment, in order to destroy the ring on their own. It is a few of each who fight, but it is the hobbits who shake up the entire adventure, creating a joyful chaos that strangely keeps everyone focused on what is truly important.

Harry Potter - Courage, loyalty, faith, overcoming impossible odds. All the traits Harry possesses are attributed to the house of Gryffindor. Their "team" is rooted for in Quidditch. Their house wins the house cup. The battle of good vs. evil is a competition and good always wins by being, well, good. Honorable. By doing the right thing and overcoming temptations, fears and anything evil or wrong.

Apply these ideas to your own story and see how you can broaden and enrich your world.

Your story:

   1.  What are your story's themes?

 

   2.  Who is your character as a person? What are their values?

 

   3.  What are the locations in your novel?

 

   4.  How can the locations in your novel best to visually, actively test your character's strengths, weaknesses and values? Is there a challenge to overcome, a mountain to climb a fear to defeat?

 

   5.  What part of your world visibly reflects your story's theme? Lord of the Rings has a map and the story is a journey across and through every part of it. Hunger Games has a symbol: a bow and arrow – old breathtaking, strange and beautiful.

 

   6. How do your characters feel in their setting: stifled, cloistered, abandoned, wild, free? How are their values visually reflected in that setting?

 

   7. What changes: time, people, perspective? Is there an item in the world that is tangible and shows growth, death or a different change as the story progresses?

 

   8.  What does your character think about the world they are in: the era, the perspectives, the technology, the ideology, the religions?

 

   9. When choosing details of your world, choose the ones that give your character's unique perspective or details that are surprising. Even in an everyday, normal city, what stands out? My two series are set in and around Spokane, Washington. What stand out? A gorgeous cathedral you can see from miles in any direction. An architecturally brilliant high school that is a hundred years old and celebrates the fact. Bring even an everyday setting to life.

 

    10. Link a value and a theme, then compare and contrast their opposites. Like Lord of the Rings, the hobbits' value of friendship. Compare and contrast friendship at the pub in the Shire and friendship standing over the fires of Mt. Doom.

Resources:

·         The Fire In Fiction  by Donald Maass

·         Writing The Breakout Novel by Donald Maass

·         The Anatomy of Story by John Truby

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Jamie Leigh Hansen is a multi-published, paranormal romance author best known for dramatic, heartfelt stories with intense emotion and engaging, unforgettable characters.

Her newest work, Murder Tales, is a series of urban fantasy short stories set in Metalline Falls, WA that features Mary, the only human ever saved and raised by the Murder, vampires and werewolves who work together to police the rogues of their world. Currently available are The Murder King's Woman and The Murder King's Summons, with more planned.

Jamie is also currently involved with BabelFAmily, co-writing The Legacy of Marie Schlau with other writers around the world. They hope the International Literary Project to Fight Friedreich's Ataxia will raise funds for FA research.

She loves to hear from friends and fans at JLH@JamieLeighHansen.com. Updates on her projects and links to social media can be found on her website at www.JamieLeighHansen.com.

 

COOKING AT THE NTH DEGREE

 

with author Beth Daniels, aka Beth Henderson, J.B. Dane

 

There is a land – or if there isn’t, there should be one – where everything is arranged the way we want it. Oh, that doesn’t mean that it’s a place without danger, pain, death, despair, and all those other things that make up REAL life, but it has things in it that fascinate, intrigue, lure us.

Fortunately, we’re beings of extreme imagination – we write worlds into being that exist nowhere but in the pages of a book, ones that owe their existence to our own creation theories. Or fascination with guys wielding magic swords.

Some writers borrow from the legends of the past – particularly the tales of a myriad of pantheons of gods, goddesses and their offspring, some who are monstrous and some who are just as selfish and self-centered as their parents. And like the civilizations that believed these stories, all of these beings were usually vicious enough to get a kick out of torturing mankind.

Well, like those gods of old, we now do these things to our characters. We plunk them down in worlds of our own creation – whether they borrow directly from the old tales (as Tolkien did quite a bit of) or spin them with modern twists.

I’ll admit that I came to fantasy late. Someone handed me THE HOBBIT when I was in my early twenties because, they said, “you like reading so you’ll love this!” Didn’t. Was incredibly bored with the Hobbits and their lifestyle. Never made it past the middle of the first chapter, I’ll bet. Yes, I know this is considered sacrilege to many but it just wasn’t my kind of book. Still isn’t…those Hobbits, you see. I’m prejudiced against people with extra-large hairy feet, I suppose.

And so I went back to reading medieval historicals, then American west historicals. I continued on with my love of mysteries (I had a reputation for daring in high school as within whatever text book was supposed to be opened, there was a spy novel tucked within it). I went on to write historicals, romantic-suspense, romantic-comedy, even YA romantic-comedy…and then I got bored reading the sort of books I was writing.

Not with writing them, just with reading other writers’ similar work. And that’s when I discovered fantasy on my own.

First it was urban fantasy, my favorites being series with smart mouthed main characters. Guys like Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden; gals like Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan. I had different reasons for picking up those first books – with Butcher’s it was the lure of mystery and magic tied together with Dresden being a wizard who was also a PI in Chicago. With Harrison’s stories, it was the early titles that twisted the titles of spaghetti westerns – the same sort of things mystery novels did, and that the stories played out in Cincinnati, which is an hour south of me down I-75. Plus both of these series had humor running through the storylines, and if you can’t get me grinning, I probably won’t pick up the next book in the series. From there I moved on, falling back on my love of a man with a sword in his hand. Current favorites are Brent Weeks (Lightbringer series) and Kevin Hearne (Iron Druid series). I discovered Kate Griffin’s Matthew Swift series with its modern reworking of urban magic. I even waved the LOL quotient for Marie Brennan’s fantastic Onyx Court (faery world meets human world) books and Naomi Novik’s Tremereire (yes, dragons are people, too) books.

While I read these authors and these sorts of tales, the fantasy realm that really intrigues me is Steampunk, and that has a lot to do with the historical take and all the genre mixes that create the various niches. As a historian at heart with a focus on the 19^th century (see my diploma from college? It says “History” on it!), how could I help but not like Steampunk?

It gives me everything I’ve worked with in the past and opens the door to delightful new avenues to pursue in the future. The mix can be as I wish it, something that hasn’t been an element in my writing past.

In fact, though I despise cooking anything, let’s look at this as though it were a recipe:

·                     Take 4 to 5 parts historical fact and place in blender, set to slice and dice and run for 10 seconds. Skim off top half and set aside. Discard the rest

·                     Add one part magic or magician illusion to the saved historical bits

·                     Mix with one created being or more than one

·                     Stir in intrepid main characters

·                     Fold in one or nefarious circumstances

·                     Season with mystery, humor, romance to taste

·                     Pour into mold, size depending on word count required by publishing house

·                     Heat with sweat of brow to the Nth degree

·                     Serve to (hopefully) delighted audience of readers

And, please, please, do take seconds!

 

BIO

Beth Daniels, aka Beth Henderson, J.B. Dane, and a few other pseudonyms, saw her first novel released in 1990 – the day after she was awarded a BA – and continued to live her dream of being a published writer (all except for the getting rich part that she was sure would follow when at 12 she decided on this course). Since 1990, twenty-eight of her novels have been released by various publishing houses, as have a couple of short stories. She is also the author of two non-fiction books about writing, a number of articles, and frequently stands at the front of a virtual classroom presenting online fiction workshops. Currently she is attempting to finally finish the first of a Steampunk series, move ahead on a mystery series, and wrap up a historical romantic mystery adventure. There is never only one manuscript in progress on her desk. Visit her at www.RomanceAndMystery.com and/or www.Muse2Manuscript.com.

I hope you will join my class on

GOGGLES & CORSETS

Hosted by

Fantasy-Futuristic& Paranormal Romance Writers

This 4 Week class starts March 11, 2013

For more information click HERE 

 

What the Heck is Deep Point of View? by Carrie Lofty

So often when receiving critiques from peers, editors or agents, the subject of “deep point of view” can rear its head. What, exactly, does that entail? How can we add depth to characters--and therefore depth to our stories--by immersing readers into unique, powerful points of view?

My upcoming course for FF&P is title “Beyond Research: Stronger Point of View and the Effective Use of Detail.” I initially approached the topic from the perspective of a historical romance writer--hence the workshop title "Beyond Research." Originally, I wanted to convey to workshop attendees that research was not the be-all end-all. It's not about how many obscure details you can cram into a book, but how meaningfully those details create individual characters who resonate with the reader.

I accidentally stumbled on this idea for myself while teaching an introductory creative writing class for senior citizens. We were in a spare, industrial room, where florescent lights glared down on long gray desks--a wholly uninspiring space. But as I looked out across the room, I noticed that all of the chairs were brightly colored plastic. My daughters, then age three and four, would've loved that room. They would've run along the four tiered levels, probably skipping back and forward along each one, and most certainly counting the number of blue, red, yellows, and green chairs. They would've used the chalkboard to keep track of each color.

To write a description of that room from a non-parents' perspective might have been a dull affair, but to describe it from my POV would've demonstrated a mother's affection for her blossoming children. To write it from a child's POV would've been to create a place nearly as much fun as a playground. Perspectives make the scenes, the characters, and the story as a whole.

Grounding any information--from historical details to paranormal world-building--within POV not only provides the reader with a sense of location, but helps her connect to the characters. Details that do not contribute to this goal are expendable. 

With that in mind, consider the following passages. One is from my June 26 release from Pocket Books, STARLIGHT, and the other was taken from Wikipedia. Both describe the Northern Lights.

Being able to name each star held nothing to way he saw the aurora anew. Through her eyes. He had wanted to show her a natural marvel. Instead, she had given him a gift. He saw color like a field of flowers and movement like a dancing angel. Science fell away to reveal only beauty. Now, this moment with Polly wove into each of his veins and promised to remain just as bright.

Auroras seen near the magnetic pole may be high overhead, but from farther away, they illuminate the northern horizon as a greenish glow or sometimes a faint red, as if the Sun were rising from an unusual direction. Discrete aurorae often display magnetic field lines or curtain-like structures, and can change within seconds or glow unchanging for hours, most often in fluorescent green.

The second, factual description is pure research, but readers would be disappointed if that was the full extent of how information was relayed to them in fiction. The description as seen from Alex Christie’s point of view is more personal. He’s a scientist who’s suddenly looking at a familiar sight in very new ways.

That is deep point of view. Take research. Make it personal. Use it to enrich characters and further the plot or romance.

I hope you’ll come along with me as we further explore the concept of deep point of view, and how little tricks and details will enrich your writing. Once you start to see through the eyes of your characters, you’ll never see research or your writing the same way again.

Next up for Carrie:

STARLIGHT, the second full-length romance in the Christies series, is set in Victorian Glasgow. It just received a 4½ stars Top Pick from RT Book Reviews. Then comes Pocket Star digital original, HIS VERY OWN GIRL, an honest to goodness historical romance set in WWII! Available September 4.

Carrie on the internet

Twitter: @carrielofty

FACEBOOK  

 

I hope you will join my class

Beyond Research: Stronger POV

& Effective Use of Detail

Hosted by

Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal

Romance Writers

This 2 week class starts July 2nd

For more information click HERE.

Fantasy and Science Fiction

Today we're going to have two guest blogs since last week was RWA National Convention. Please welcome PAN author Eilis Flynn.

Is there a difference between fantasy and science fiction? Of course there is. One has a background with no logic or rationale, while the other has a background that's all logic and rationale. They still have a lot in common, though, because fantasy has a lot of science in its basis.

I'm putting together a workshop on dragons around the world with Jacquie Rogers for the Emerald City Writers' Conference in October, and the research we've been putting into it has made us think about the science in fantasy. Komodo dragons (better known as Komodo monitors or monitor lizards, I think; I'm typing this far, far away from all my notes) don't have that much in common with the dragons in fantasy, but it's clear how the dragons of fantasy came about. The Komodo lizard is big and it's deadly, and the basis of the fantasy dragon's fiery breath may have as its origin the venom that helps the lizard bring down its prey. (An off-topic useless fact: that giant lizard, according to the Wikipedia entry I just read, can also be found on the island of Flores, where the remains of the "hobbit" skeleton were found in recent years. A giant lizard. A small humanoid skeleton. Gigantism and dwarfism on the same island! Is that fascinating or what! But I digress.)

I should also point out that Yasmine Galenorn's "Smoky" the hot hot hot! dragon has nothing, but nothing in common with the Komodo dragon. Smoky is also a shape-shifter, and again that doesn't have much in common with the lizards of real life -- until you think about it; how many times have you heard about reptiles shedding their skin? In effect, they're changing their shape, aren't they?

I could go on, but I won't. I've got to do a heck of a lot more research, and dragons are a fascinating topic to do it on. The Komodo lizard is a long-lived creature due to its slow metabolism, and they live a very long time, just like the dragons of fantasy. Another fascinating fact!

Fantasy and science fiction. So different and so much in common!

Eilis Flynn's latest book is ECHOES OF PASSION, on sale now from Cerridwen Press. She may be reached via her website at www.eilisflynn.com.

Interview: Heather Osborn, TOR

Today we are welcoming Heather Osborn, editor for TOR. To submit to TOR follow their submission guidelines. Also we will be welcoming Heather to a special Q&A session with FF&P members on Tuesday, July 7, 2009. You will need to be a member of FF&P to view this session and participate. We'd like to thank Heather for taking the time to answer these questions.


1. You gathered a bunch of followers on Twitter when you announced you
were looking for a manuscript to fill a hole in your schedule. What was
your impression of the submissions you received from that call and do
you think that you would do something like that again in the future?

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of manuscripts I received. Yes, there were some clunkers, but the vast majority of them were well written – which, believe me, is not often the norm when it comes to un-agented or unsolicited submissions. I am actually still working my way through some of those submissions – all told, I ended up with around 80 manuscripts. I would have no hesitation in doing a public call for submissions again.

2. Because you've mentioned it before and it deserves being mentioned
again, TOR takes unagented submissions, but you don't want a query
letter, just the first 3 chapters and a synopsis. Why do you choose to
bypass the query letter? What do you gain by going straight to a partial?

Well, the purpose of a query letter is to inquire as to whether or not someone is interested in looking at your partial. Because Tor is always interested in looking at the partials, there is no real need for a “query letter”, per se. That being said, I do encourage a cover letter to accompany the submission. The cover letter would contain much of the same information as the query letter, but would not ask if I am interested in seeing the submission, as ideally, it would be sitting on top of the submission when I read it!

3. What type of stories are you looking for in romance right now? Is
there something in particular you'd love to see cross your desk? How
many romances is TOR releasing a month?

Hmmm, I really love all different types of paranormal romance. The main thing I am looking for (what all editors look for, actually!) is a compulsively readable, well-written story. I like all different levels of heat, from super sexy to sweet. As for what I’d love to see cross my desk…hmmm, a book from Patricia Briggs, Naomi Novik, Ilona Andrews, Nalini Singh… I could go on and on! But more seriously, I just want a great read. Right now, I would love to see a great vampire, werewolf, or futuristic story cross my desk. For some reason, I don’t have a lot of them at the moment! The Tor Romance line currently publishes one romance a month.

4. You've mentioned an interest in Urban Fantasy. What particular traits
of Urban Fantasy are you looking for in a manuscript?

I love Urban Fantasy. LOVE. I try almost every new author out there, and what seems to draw me the most are strong female protagonists behaving in intelligent, realistic ways, intricate worlds, and a sense of real danger inherent in the setting and plot. Again, see Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, etc. I want to be sucked into an alternate version of the world, with a heroine who rings true as an authentic character. Not one who everyone adores, one who struggles with life, love, happiness, and possibly demons.

5. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Let’s see. Number one piece of advice: read your work aloud. It really helps to spot errors in the text as well as awkward and stilted dialogue. Make a book as clean as possible before submitting it. And that doesn’t mean running it through spell check. Get it critiqued, proof-read, beta read, etc. First impressions count.

And this isn’t really a piece of advice so much as a comment. 90% of the submissions I get start in the wrong place. Usually several chapters before they should. An editor will usually not read past a few chapters in order to find the real start of a story, so beginning a novel in the wrong place can be the kiss of death for new authors.

The other day on Twitter someone attributed this quote to (I believe) Teresa Medeiros: “Your book should start at the point where everything changes.” That is such fabulous advice. And I am willing to bet that if you think of the openings of any book you personally love, you will find that to be true.

6. Who is your all time favorite couple in a book?

That is such a tough question! I am a voracious reader, so there are tons of fictional couples I love. I guess for me, I have to go old school and say that my favorite couple is Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth from PERSUASION by Jane Austen. I know most people go for Elizabeth and Darcy in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, but although I love P&P, Persuasion is actually my favorite Austen novel.

7. I see you are taking pitches at Nationals. Do you have any advice for
the writers who will be pitching to you?

Well, my advice would be that since you already know Tor Books accepts unagented, unsolicited manuscripts, you shouldn’t worry! Honestly, unless you are pitching something that we absolutely do not publish (children’s poetry, philosophical texts, etc), I will ask to see at least a partial. Other than that, I would ask you to relax, to understand that editors are not ogres or demons, and everything will be all right. I don’t mind if authors read off of cue cards in front of me, although I don’t think it is truly necessary. Treat me as you would anyone who asked you what your book is about. I don’t need polished cover copy, I just want to know what your book is about!

Also, it helps if you have some detailed information: Is the book complete? What genre and sub-genre is it? What is the word count? (I prefer actual word count, but estimated is fine, too.) Is it the first book in a planned series? What is the heat level? These are all things you should know about your own book.

8. Finally, twittering shows us a different side of editors and agents.
Do you like twittering and what was your favorite ride at Disney?

I love Twittering! It is actually the only social media that I find works for me. I have a sadly neglected LiveJournal that hasn’t been updated since January, and I am on Facebook but I never use it. I use Twitter almost every day. I do feel sorry for people who follow me expecting a professional editor viewpoint. I do occasionally comment on work, but never in any real detail. Instead I choose to talk about deliciously insane things like cookiecakepie and the Cupcake Truck currently parked outside the Flatiron building.

My favorite ride at Disneyworld was Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom. I have a hilarious picture of me on it – I honestly have never looked happier than when staring down the barrel of a screaming Yeti.

Thanks again, Heather. We hope our FF&P members will take advantage of the Q&A session on Tuesday.

Fantasy & Fantasy-Romance Workshop

Please join FF&P's Gail Dayton and Rita award winning Robin D. Owens at Romance Divas
THIS WEEKEND!

Friday October 10th and Saturday October 11th, they will be joined by Tor editor Heather Osborne and other authors in fantasy and fantasy-romance for a workshop on what the difference really is between the two genres.



Free Registration with Romance Divas is required.

What is FF&P?

FF&P Authors on Futuristic, Fantasy, and Paranormal Romance:

	Fantasy Romance: All the sweeping, inventive, complex world-building of genre forefathers/mothers such as Tolkein, McCaffrey and Le Guin but driven hard by complicated, delicious, dangerous and often magical love stories that compel heroes and heroines on epic journeys.
	Leanna Renee Hieber
	Futuristic Romance is Science Fiction Romance's intellectually light-weight little sister. It is STAR WARS with sex. It may be set in the future, which could be high tech, or post-apocalyptic and primitive; or on another parallel world where space travel or inter-dimensional travel is a reality. There can be space ships, hyperspace, robots... but no one wants to know about electro-magnetic propulsion systems, event horizons, and escape velocity.
	Rowena Cherry
	Paranormal romances are character driven love stories set against the backdrop of an alternate reality where magic, superhuman abilities, and nonhuman species are integral parts of the world in which the hero and heroine exist.
	Alexis Morgan
	Paranormal Romance is a work of fiction that uses the plot conventions of fantasy or horror and foregrounds a love story between the heroine and hero (or possibly some other character combination in terms of number and gender). The romance provides the structure of the story (e.g., the romantic conflict is solved last, after the external conflict). The central focus on the relationship between the principal characters distinguishes Paranormal Romance from a fantasy or horror novel with a romantic subplot.
	Margaret L. Carter
	Psychic Romance A story that explores the mysterious and dark territory of the mind, reaching beyond the physical and touching the emotions where they reside.
	Eilis Flynn
	Science Fiction Romance: Very basically, it's a novel set in a future or alternate and (often) higher-tech setting that fulfills the tenets of science fiction, and where a key conflict in the novel involves the intimate relationship of the main characters. I say basically because science fiction itself is so difficult to pin down (which is why some people use the term speculative fiction).
	Linnea Sinclair -- in an interview at Sequential Tart.
	Shapeshifter Romance—a story where at least one of the main human characters can shift into another form such as a wolf (werewolf), cat (were-cats), dragons (were-dragons), selkies (seal shifters), etc.
	Terry Spear
	Urban fantasy is set in a contemporary environment very much like the real world, except that magic and/or mythical creatures exist. It is frequently (but not always) told in the first person from a female point of view, and there is often a romantic plot or subplot. Despite the term "urban" fantasy, it is not necessarily set in a city.
	Jenna Black

For more resources, see What is FF&P?