HapiSofi said:
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.
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Susan G.