Supernatural romance?

[Greenwolf103]

I was checking out some publishing companies yesterday and I noticed the genre "supernatural romance." Hm, haven't heard of this one. Though I am familiar with (and have written) supernatural horror stories. But what's this about supernatural romance? Does this means there's also a supernatural western, supernatural mystery, etc.?

Thanks for any input. :)

--Dawn

[maestrowork]

The movie "Ghost"?

[evanaharris]

gothic novels. Nathaniel Hawthorne and stuff of that ilk. Lonely heroine in a deserted manor, etc, etc.

[James D Macdonald]

Gothic isn't to be confused with supernatural romance. (In a Gothic novel, the heroine gets a house early on and has to solve some kind of mystery....)

In a supernatural romance, one of the pair of lovers is dead, often before the action starts.

The movie <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000059TEP/ref=nosim/madhousemanor" target="_new">Ghost</a> has been mentioned. Let's not forget <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0899683959/ref=nosim/madhousemanor" target="_new">The Ghost and Mrs. Muir</a> and the movie <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000IQW5/ref=nosim/madhousemanor" target="_new">Always</a>.


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See also <a href="http://pnr.thebestreviews.com/" target="_new">this review site</a> for recent paranormal romances.

[aka eraser]

There's a substratum of erotica that goes there too.

Or so someone told me.

[evanaharris]

There's a substratum of erotica that goes there too.

You mean sex with dead--

Oh. Yeah.

Thank you for clarification, Jim.

The cat is attacking me.

[Karen Ranney]

I wonder if the category also includes the ubiquitous vampire genre. Jeepers, you can't pick up a book lately without hunger, night, blood, count, or some "hint" that it's going to be an undead book.

I rate men who suck blood right up there with men who chew tobacco.

Apologies to any men here who chew tobacco. Spit over there, please.

[macalicious731]

In a supernatural romance, one of the pair of lovers is dead, often before the action starts.

Would one of them have to be dead for it to be supernatural? What about a vampire, werewolf, etc.? Or couldn't it just be a romance in a supernatural atmosphere? ie: ghost-filled mansion where two lovers take their vacation? :lol It sounds ridiculous at the thought, though, doesn't it?

[James D Macdonald]

What about a vampire, werewolf, etc.?

Those are other subgroups in paranormal romance. Supernatural romance is another one of those subgroups.

[Greenwolf103]

"I've got your supernatural romance, paranormal romance, psychological romance and your sensual romance! Want something a little more personal? There's your Scottish romance, Irish romance, British romance and Greek romance! There's your Medieval romance, multicultural romance, Regency romance and Gothic romance! I've got your Harlequin romance, historical romance, series romance, futuristic romance, fantasy romance and romantic suspense!"


http://bf.monis.ch/internet/smilies/images/mod.gif

[James D Macdonald]

Don't forget your time-travel romance.

[HapiSofi]

I've heard paranormal romance and supernatural romance get used almost interchangeably. The two big divisions I'd make are between category romances with some supernatural or paranormal element, and more robust action/adventure plots with a supernatural or paranormal basis that also have a romantic element in them. Buffy's a good example of the latter: not a category romance, but the characters interact romantically when they feel like it.

[Stuffedtoy]

So what is a romance that involves both the occult and spirtual revelations, such as Angels???

[James D. Macdonald]

Possibly a Christian romance? How orthodox is the story? Who published it?

[karenranney]

Hey, I once wrote a story for an anthology (as a favor for my then editor) about angels. Darn hard, since angels are, well, er...dead. Or non-humans. But then I wrote a story about a vampire, too, and sucking blood is right up there with chewing tobacco on the eroto-meter for me. (Not.) So, he had to do something else.

[veinglory]

I though angels were angels, their own race?


I have read a suoernatural western actually... I have it around here somewhere...

[Susan Gable]

I've heard paranormal romance and supernatural romance get used almost interchangeably. The two big divisions I'd make are between category romances with some supernatural or paranormal element, and more robust action/adventure plots with a supernatural or paranormal basis that also have a romantic element in them. Buffy's a good example of the latter: not a category romance, but the characters interact romantically when they feel like it.

Ummm...I'm not sure you're using the term category romance correctly here. Category romance is another term for Series romance, and that means romances that are published/marketed in a "line" - pretty much the only publisher doing category romances these days is Harlequin/Silhoutte.

I'm thinking perhaps you were meaning "romance" (as in "genre" romance) - a story that focuses on the developing relationship between the two characters, even though all sorts of other stuff is going on. Whereas, to use your example, Buffy is more about all the other stuff going on with the romance thrown in for very good measure. (Brilliant Joss is! Absolutely brilliant - talk about star-crossed lovers, a hero and a heroine with more conflict than they can ever overcome. Also, I might point out, that the Buffy/Angel, and even the Buffy/Spike "romances" didn't end with an "optimistic" ending, therefore that cannot be considered romance. A love story, yes, and a damn good one at that, but not a romance.)

When I read this term "supernatural romance" my thought was "Must be a new synonym for paranormal romance." I have never seen/heard the term supernatural romance used, and as you can guess, I hang around with a lot of romance writers. :) Paranormal romance does have a variety of sub-genres, including time-travel, your vamps and werewolves, could be something as "simple" as a heroine with ESP. For the longest time, publishers were saying a BIG NO to paranormal romances, and then, just as Buffy was going off the air, they suddenly woke up and said, "Hey, you know, there just might be a market for these things!" <sigh>

So right now, paranormals are very hot. These things tend to go in cycles. In another few years, there will probably be less demand for them again. (Maybe the Western romance, which has lately been in decline, will pick back up again. :Shrug: )


Susan G.

[Stuffedtoy]

Well no one has published it yet, but I am trying to get it out. Don't think Christian would be the right genre for this one. Too many "unacceptable" things for that. IE: drug usage, sexual contact, abortions, black rituals including

sacrifices...ect. Though good does win over evil in the end