We've Moved!

The authors of FaE have relocated to the Beyond the Veil castle keep. BtV is now your one-stop blog for Samhain Publishing's paranormal and fantasy romance authors!

Come on over! Just be careful when you cross the moat. The mermaids are still getting settled in with the Cracken. The drawbridge might be a little slippery.

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Hello Friends!

If I've got my dates right, I'm supposed to be posting for the very first time on this new blog today. Since the subject is fantasy, I'm tempted to ask what you all define as fantasy? The definitions of sub-genres like paranormal, fantasy and sci fi tend to be a little elastic to many people, but I find most fans of the genres have definite ideas about what falls into which category.

For myself, I tend to think of anything with a vampire or werewolf as paranormal. Also, the "darker" urban fantasies that have demons a la Buffy tend to strike me as paranormal too. Anything set in outer space seems to me to be a sci fi story first and foremost, though things set on a future Earth can be either sci fi or sometimes fall into the realm of fantasy or paranormal, depending on the focus of the story. (Am I confusing you as much as I'm confusing myself?) LOL

When it comes to fantasy though, I start with the ingredients of epic fantasies like Tolkein's Lord of the Rings - elves, wizards, warriors, trolls, goblins, orcs, dwarves, etc. - and fairy tales of the Sidhe (elves), Bainsidhe (banshee), fae, leprechauns, mermaids, selkies and the like. Both seem to me to be pure fantasy. But then you have dragons. Mmm. My favorite! ;-) Dragons fall into that fairy tale realm, but some of my dragons are also shapeshifters. I leave it up to the reader to decide what sub-genre that puts them in. ;-)

For those of you who don't know me, I've written a series called Dragon Knights and yes, it contains dragons, knights and maidens fair. My dragons communicate with their knights. They're definitely the good guys. They partner with their chosen knight for life and when the knight finds his mate, so too can the dragon finally claim his own dragoness. Together the knights and dragons form a large, extended family, and the children - whether human or dragon - are raised by them all together. What a cool way to grow up, huh?

Thanks for joining us on our brand new blog. In the weeks to come we'll have lots of fun activities - maybe a giveaway or two, interesting questions to answer, and lots of discussion of our favorite genre: fantasy!

Until next time,
Bianca D'Arc
www.biancadarc.com

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, B :)
Great post today... makes me think... which may not be so good this early in the morning, lol
I do feel the same as you do in the fact that vampire or werewolf stories are paranormal.

Unknown said...

Hey Bianca, I caught your post on Myspace and thought I'd hop over.

You and I pretty much think alike when it comes to the definition of fantasy. Paranormal for me involves werewolves, vampires, ghosts and witches. Fantasy also involves witches, but with softer elements included with faeries, dragons and anything else I would define in a "fairy tale".

Much Love Always,
Rose Marie Wolf
www.rosemariewolf.com

Dayna_Hart said...

*grin* I agree with you, Bianca...and like to shake the definitions up in my own writing. :) I have blood-sucking creatures that should be called Vampires, only they're fairies. ;) My current WIP involves a dark elf and his human (witch) girlfriend who travel to the fourth dimension (which ordinarily belongs in sci-fi)

However, it's always fantasy to me. It's always magic, rather than scientific or environmental forces that make things happen.

Diana Castilleja said...

I love the idea of your Dragon world Bianca. Yes, I think definitions can be stretched quite a bit actually, which is one of the things I like about reading AND writing. Diversity.

It'd be pretty boring if we all wrote the same LOTR idea. :)

Suzette said...

Yeah, your Dragon Knights are Fantasy. My opinion. Although, it does not matter because if you write it, I read it.

Gia Dawn said...

Great post, Bianca. I like Rose marie's idea about fantasy and fairy tales. I also think of fantasy as pertaining to the myth and legend of a culture. Gia

Marie-Nicole Ryan said...

Great new blogsite. Congratulations!