Why can I never find the fantasy romances I want to read?

sunandshadow · Dec 29, 2009

It seems like every time I am in the romance novel isle at the book store I find myself searching fruitlessly for the kind of book I imagine it would be the most fun to read. Specifically I want a romance novel with a non-earth vaguely medieval fantasy setting with mages (NOT witches), castles or estates, and probably some anthros or at least dragons which can take human form. NOT a land torn by a bloody civil war where everything is mud and blood, NOT a corrupt city where there is neither justice nor bathing, and absolutely NOT with an evil overlord who needs to be overthrown by a prophesied hero. No damn urban fantasy, and no damn faeries, ugh, they're as bad as vampires.

Mr Flibble · Dec 29, 2009

*cough*

That's exactly what I like and couldn't find. So I done wroted it. Okay there is a nasty guy, but no chosen ones, only a bit of blood ( first one) Deffo no evil overlord in number two. Evil guy is not overlord see

I even have bathing, and justice is kind of a recurring theme....

PS I hate pimping, but, well, ....

Stlight · Dec 29, 2009

Wow, just went to Amazon and read the blur on your books - like the op said, been looking, looking and looking.

And what a smart move to write it. I've done that with what I wanted to read, then couldn't figure out what genre to call it. Still can't. But you done good there, yes, you did.

scarletpeaches · Dec 29, 2009

If you can't find the book you want to read - write it.

mscelina · Dec 29, 2009

Jumping on IRU's pimping bus. Just sayin'...you might want to click some links in my siggy...

shameless · Dec 29, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
If you can't find the book you want to read - write it.

Amen, sistah!!

job · Dec 29, 2009

Maybe -- expand your search into e-books?

shameless · Dec 30, 2009

job said:
Maybe -- expand your search into e-books?

You'll definitely find more variety in ebooks!!

Gillhoughly · Dec 30, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
If you can't find the book you want to read - write it.

Quoted for truth.

That's how I got MY start!

shameless · Dec 30, 2009

Gillhoughly said:
Quoted for truth.

That's how I got MY start!

I did as well. Read a romance about a married couple that I hated and decided to write a better one. Amazing what motivates writers...

sunandshadow · Dec 30, 2009

Thanks IdiotsRUs and mscelina for the heads-up to check out your stuff, I'll take a look at the excerpts this evening.

I do read a lot of ebooks - I think I need to switch to a new ebook store which has a different selection, I pretty much exhausted the one I've been using.

I used to strongly believe in the idea of writing what I wanted to read but couldn't find, but I don't anymore. I don't find writing entertaining in the same way as reading, so writing a story really doesn't fulfill the desire to read the story. Writing is an artistic endeavor which is long hard work and reading is a leisure activity which doesn't require much thought or commitment. Writing is not surprising and suspenseful in the same way reading is. So overall, I think it does writing a disservice to compare it to reading. Someone who really wants to be reading isn't going to be happy writing because it's just a totally different activity with different rewards and different necessary motivations.

Unimportant · Jan 5, 2010

Luna and Juno have both published a lot of fantasy-romance.

One author whose works sound a lot like what you're looking for is Mary Brown.

Deb Kinnard · Jan 5, 2010

Check out Judith Tarr. She writes fantasy romance IIRC.

sohalt · Jan 5, 2010

What's the deal with witches?

OctoberLee · Jan 5, 2010

BECAUSE MINE HASN'T BEEN PICKED UP BY A PUBLISHER YET!! ahaha... okay couldn't help myself... shameless..

Edit: Okay, n/m, not what you're looking for. I hear you about fantasy though... I too have trouble finding fantasy lands that suck me in... I concur with the above... WRITE IT!

!

sunandshadow · Jan 6, 2010

sohalt said:
What's the deal with witches?

You mean why I put them on my don't want list and why I consider them to be different from mages? I'm not interested in magic that makes no damn sense. I want to see a coherent, logical, and non-gender biased magic system. Magic can be treated as either a biological property of some characters, or as a technology of a world or culture, but I don't want to see it treated as supernatural forces. Gods, ghosts, and demons also go on my general DO NOT WANT list.

Adam · Jan 6, 2010

IdiotsRUs said:
*cough*

That's exactly what I like and couldn't find. So I done wroted it. Okay there is a nasty guy, but no chosen ones, only a bit of blood ( first one) Deffo no evil overlord in number two. Evil guy is not overlord see I even have bathing, and justice is kind of a recurring theme....

PS I hate pimping, but, well, ....

What she said.

YOU BUY NOW!

(Seriously, I loved it.)

Why can I never find the fantasy romances I want to read?

sunandshadow

Impractical Fantasy Animal

Mr Flibble

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

Stlight

ideas are floating where they will

scarletpeaches

mscelina

Teh doommobile, drivin' rite by you

shameless

Superlative Type A

job

In the end, it's just you and the manuscript

shameless

Superlative Type A

Gillhoughly

Grumpy writer and editor

shameless

Superlative Type A

sunandshadow

Impractical Fantasy Animal

Unimportant

doggone

Deb Kinnard

sohalt

OctoberLee

Destroying something beautiful

sunandshadow

Impractical Fantasy Animal

Adam

Not dead.