Paranormal Romance? Or..?

M.Charles · Jul 5, 2016

Ok. I have a WIP. Finished the rough draft, up to my eyeballs in editing and revising.

I'm having a hard time categorizing it.

There's a few things going on.

One, the good vs bad, w/the future of humanity at stake. That's the 'why' the book happens (brings the couple, and the couples in the two next books together). But, the relationship is *definitely* a focus of the novel...but not the ONLY focus, if that makes sense.

Then I've got a cpl of other things going on, suspense, a touch of mystery, a serial killer hobbyist hunting down the couple, and a touch of erotica (ha! I'm punny)...and the whole thing has a thread of humour running through it as well.

Ideas? Where would I take this, when it's time to pitch? It's running about 85k right now, probably end up 90k or so, by the time all's said and done.

Latina Bunny · Jul 5, 2016

Erotic Paranormal Romances and maybe some Urban Fantasies could have almost all of that stuff, so it really depends on how you write such parts.

There's not enough info for us to be able to help you narrow down on a specific genre.

With the erotica parts, if you have a lot of them, and they're very explicit, then there is a possibility that the story could also be in the Erotica genre.

ElaineA · Jul 5, 2016

Here is RWA's list of subgenres. I don't see the paranormal element in your description, but categorization isn't that important until you have a finished manuscript and are ready to pitch it. As for where, well, you'll have publishers and agents, although my recent experience on the agent front is they're not super interested in paranormal right now. Hopefully by the time your manuscript is ready that'll be changing again. There are romance e-pubs that still do a lot of paranormal.

Query Tracker is a good resource for finding agents and publishers.

M.Charles · Jul 5, 2016

Not a lot. Just 3.

Sorry, I'm not sure how much info to give, without boring you with details.

Two warring clans, both with supernatural powers. One seeks to aide/support humanity, the other to enslave it.

3 warriors from the good clan are sent out in search of three who are prophesied to swing the balance of power to one side or the other. The three are to join together to make that happen.

Bad guys are out to either sway the three to their side, or kill them, b/c if the power isn't in their favour, best to kill them, so they can't be used against them.

That's the running plot through all 3 books. It doesn't get fully resolved until the last book.

Each book has one of the warriors falling in love with the one they have been looking for. That's the main plotline of each individual book, and those do have their resolution at the end of the book.

Each book will have elements of suspense/mystery (they're being betrayed by someone, but who is feeding the info to the bad clan?), each has humour as an element, some erotic scenes, etc.

LJD · Jul 5, 2016

Well, if the story would fall apart if you took out the romance, then it's a romance...sounds like it is.

Other than that? Can't really say. You haven't described the paranormal elements, but I trust they're in there. Which books might you compare yours to?

M.Charles · Jul 5, 2016

LJD said:
Well, if the story would fall apart if you took out the romance, then it's a romance...sounds like it is.

Other than that? Can't really say. You haven't described the paranormal elements, but I trust they're in there. Which books might you compare yours to?

Say JR Ward's Angel series had a love child with Chrstine Feehan's any series but the Carpathians.

My 'good guys' are a hybrid of Nephilim, and the bad guys, from Lilith (Adam's wife before Eve), and they all have different abilities, and so do each of the 3 they're looking for.

StoryofWoe · Jul 5, 2016

When you say your story has a "touch of erotica" do you mean graphic sex scenes, frequent sex scenes, sex between characters other than the H and h, or...? Erotica is a genre. Romance (and its subgenres) can include any heat level ranging from a sweet kiss to a gang bang to whatever extreme shenanigans you can think of. What differentiates romance from erotica is whether there's a HEA/HFN and if the story focuses on the couple/thruple/whathaveyou, or one (or more) character's sexual journey.

It sounds like you have too much going on for it to be erotic romance, where the focus would be on the sexual connection and how it changes/defines the relationship. However, there are certain elements that can push a book into the erotic romance subgenre, such as menage groupings. Still, I hesitate to categorize based on heat level, which can vary from publisher to publisher. Bunny-gypsy mentioned urban fantasy, which is a possibility, though I'm not sure at what point urban fantasy with romance becomes a paranormal romance. You mentioned good vs. evil and the future of humanity. How fantastical is it? Are there vampires, werebeavers, prophecies, etc.? Are the main characters supernatural beings or are they humans bumping up against supernatural forces? Paranormal romance can be sexy and suspenseful and funny and still be paranormal romance.

Without knowing more about your story, it's impossible to say for certain. Can you think of published books that are similar to yours? What genre do they fall under?

M.Charles · Jul 5, 2016

StoryofWoe said:
When you say your story has a "touch of erotica" do you mean graphic sex scenes, frequent sex scenes, sex between characters other than the H and h, or...? Erotica is a genre. Romance (and its subgenres) can include any heat level ranging from a sweet kiss to a gang bang to whatever extreme shenanigans you can think of. What differentiates romance from erotica is whether there's a HEA/HFN and if the story focuses on the couple/thruple/whathaveyou, or one (or more) character's sexual journey.

It sounds like you have too much going on for it to be erotic romance, where the focus would be on the sexual connection and how it changes/defines the relationship. However, there are certain elements that can push a book into the erotic romance subgenre, such as menage groupings. Still, I hesitate to categorize based on heat level, which can vary from publisher to publisher. Bunny-gypsy mentioned urban fantasy, which is a possibility, though I'm not sure at what point urban fantasy with romance becomes a paranormal romance. You mentioned good vs. evil and the future of humanity. How fantastical is it? Are there vampires, werebeavers, prophecies, etc.? Are the main characters supernatural beings or are they humans bumping up against supernatural forces? Paranormal romance can be sexy and suspenseful and funny and still be paranormal romance.

Without knowing more about your story, it's impossible to say for certain. Can you think of published books that are similar to yours? What genre do they fall under?

Sorry, I think we cross posted! My novel is like the love child of JR Ward's Angel series, crossed with Christine Feehan (anything but Carpathian, b/c no vamps in mine)

No vampires, but I do have folks that can change their appearance at will, one that would be a 'werepanther', the prophecy is what starts the hunt for the three, which is the storyline running through the trilogy.

Erotica, I'm talking graphic sex scenes.

StoryofWoe · Jul 5, 2016

M.Charles said:
Sorry, I think we cross posted!

Yes, it appears we did. :tongue

My novel is like the love child of JR Ward's Angel series, crossed with Christine Feehan (anything but Carpathian, b/c no vamps in mine)

No vampires, but I do have folks that can change their appearance at will, one that would be a 'werepanther', the prophecy is what starts the hunt for the three, which is the storyline running through the trilogy.

Erotica, I'm talking graphic sex scenes.

Your book sounds like paranormal romance to me. As long as you have a HEA/HFN, I wouldn't categorize based on heat level unless you have menage or lots of sex between your MCs and other characters. Chances are, if the agent/publisher accepts paranormal romance, they also accept erotic paranormal romance. I'd stick to the wider umbrella category, if I were you.

Best of luck with revisions!

Latina Bunny · Jul 5, 2016

There are Romances that do have some graphic sex scenes. I think your story sounds like (erotic) Paranormal Romance, depending on how it's written. The romance storyline has to be vital to the overall story.

Erotica, like StoryofWoe has mentioned, is a genre of its own. (I'm not familiar with erotica, but I'm sure there are various subgenre of erotica, like SFF erotica stuff, etc.)

ETA: StoryofWoe and I had the same suggestion of genre! Another cross-post, lol.

M.Charles · Jul 5, 2016

StoryofWoe said:
Yes, it appears we did.

Your book sounds like paranormal romance to me. As long as you have a HEA/HFN, I wouldn't categorize based on heat level unless you have menage or lots of sex between your MCs and other characters. Chances are, if the agent/publisher accepts paranormal romance, they also accept erotic paranormal romance. I'd stick to the wider umbrella category, if I were you.

Best of luck with revisions!

Thanks. The revisions I'm finding *harder* than completing the rough draft, which surprised me. More tedious.

And no, the m/c stick to one another, although the antagonist gets some sexy time too, which I didn't anticipate, but that's w/someone else, not a MC

Evelyn_Alexie · Jul 6, 2016

M.Charles said:
Thanks. The revisions I'm finding *harder* than completing the rough draft, which surprised me. More tedious.

Yes, I usually find revisions tedious. After all, I know what happens.
Then again, some people find the making-stuff-up part hard and love revising it once it's down on the page.

M.Charles · Jul 6, 2016

EXACTLY

Evelyn_Alexie said:
Yes, I usually find revisions tedious. After all, I know what happens.
Then again, some people find the making-stuff-up part hard and love revising it once it's down on the page.

EXACTLY!

I'm with you, in the "I've done this already, NEXT!" sort of feeling to it.

tiddlywinks · Jul 6, 2016

Given your comps and what you've described plotwise, I'd agree with storyofwoe and bunny gypsy that it sounds like PNR to me. Of course, that will probably become even more clear to you as you work on the query...have fun with that.

Winks, who can commiserate on how to classify a durn project sometimes once it's done

M.Charles · Jul 7, 2016

tiddlywinks said:
Given your comps and what you've described plotwise, I'd agree with storyofwoe and bunny gypsy that it sounds like PNR to me. Of course, that will probably become even more clear to you as you work on the query...have fun with that.

Winks, who can commiserate on how to classify a durn project sometimes once it's done

Good lord, queries. And I think editing and revising is hard...*sobs hysterically*

tiddlywinks · Jul 7, 2016

There, there. Queries aren't so bad.

*pauses*
*something that sounds suspiciously like hysterical laughter escapes*

M.Charles · Jul 7, 2016

tiddlywinks said:
There, there. Queries aren't so bad.

*pauses*
*something that sounds suspiciously like hysterical laughter escapes*

*curls up in the fetal position with her blankie*

AvaBond · Oct 11, 2016

Hey fellow writers,

Would you say futuristic alien love goes under the Paranormal umbrella?

I'm not really writing a Star Wars type of romance, it's quite similar to the things we know except for a few surprise details. I love reading paranormal romance and I'm not very into slimy alien love, so I don't want people to expect green marsians or spaceships (because they'll be disappointed).

I'll be happy to share it in full or in bits for anyone who wants to read, I've heard a lot of people have a couple of Beta-readers. I only have one and she's in Australia doing her masters right now (so busy).

EMaree · Oct 17, 2016

AvaBond said:
Hey fellow writers,

Would you say futuristic alien love goes under the Paranormal umbrella?

I'm not really writing a Star Wars type of romance, it's quite similar to the things we know except for a few surprise details. I love reading paranormal romance and I'm not very into slimy alien love, so I don't want people to expect green marsians or spaceships (because they'll be disappointed).

I'll be happy to share it in full or in bits for anyone who wants to read, I've heard a lot of people have a couple of Beta-readers. I only have one and she's in Australia doing her masters right now (so busy).

I think it definitely can -- this is a YA example, but "Obsidian" (Lux series) came straight to mind, and you can see on the sidebar that a lot of readers consider it PNR above sci-fi.

frimble3 · Oct 17, 2016

If it's more-or-less here-and-now, except for the alien, I'm thinking PNR rather than sci-fi. His being an alien sounds like a variation on 'vampire' or 'fairy' or 'werewolf': someone not like us.

Paranormal Romance? Or..?

M.Charles

On Sub

Latina Bunny

Lover of Contemporary/Fantasy Romance (she/her)

ElaineA

All about that action, boss.

M.Charles

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LJD

M.Charles

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StoryofWoe

Sick and pale with grief.

M.Charles

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StoryofWoe

Sick and pale with grief.

Latina Bunny

Lover of Contemporary/Fantasy Romance (she/her)

M.Charles

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Evelyn_Alexie

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tiddlywinks

Chaser of Shineyyyy Plot Bunnies

M.Charles

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tiddlywinks

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M.Charles

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AvaBond

EMaree

a demon for tea

frimble3

Heckuva good sport