Can anyone tell me whether there is a genre which encompasses Romance and Fantasy? One reviewer of my 3 chapters of 'The Witches' Tree' posted on YWO website says " I see it as fantasy or romance....it can't be both." My question is why not?
My heroine embarks on a love affair but at the same time has to solve a mystery involving ghostly encounters, a figure from Scottish folklore and a woman buried in the local churchyard 150 years ago. This leads her to re-examine her life and attitude to love so that there can be a 'happy ever after' kind of ending. In effect the two themes (do I mean themes?) are interdependent.
Has anyone any thoughts about this minefield of attributing a novel - or a short story - to a specific genre?
Jaccamelli

'Life must be lived forwards, but it can only be understood backwards.' Soren Kierkegaard

It is a nightmare pigeon-holing books into 'genres', but it is very helpful for agents and publishers, and indeed the general public (who, after all, are the people who buy books). The YWO categories have been made up with the real world of publishing in mind. Just imagine selling your book to a stranger... Where in the bookshop do you want that stranger to be? You won't be there to sell it to him.

'Don't pay any attention to critics - don't even ignore them.' - Sam Goldwyn

I'm about to embark on a novel about a highly erotic pixie who kills trolls while travelling through time and solving small murders in tiny villages. He finally ends up getting wounded in a second world war battle and while recovering falls in love with the nurse, who turns out to be cousin of the sister of the first troll the pixie killed and knowing they can never be together they both end up taking their own lives in a tragic Shakespearian twist. Of course it'll be written cleverly and pretentiously to include the literary fiction catagory.

So it'll be a fantasy, science fiction, historic, mystery, crime, adventure, romance, literary novel.

A classic in the making.

Sounds a sure fire winner to me...where abouts in the bookstore will it be?? I'll buy a copy...or eight (to be sure I read it under each genre!!)
Thanks for the insight everyone, I guess my novel is a paranormal romance or maybe it's a romantic paranormal 'thingy'?
My head hurts...

'It's ok to be a little foolish. It makes you feel at home on earth.' - Sam Levenson

LOL - that's very true Eilidh, there wasna - especially with the accents
JR


Stop the sketch - it's too silly

Thanks for the input everyone. Sounds a useful website for me to look at....any idea of the web address or will Romance Writer of America find it?