Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy discussion
Paranormal Romance
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What Was Your First PNR?
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Dianne
(new)
Apr 10, 2012 07:30PM
Ann aka Iftcan wrote: "Ok, clearly I'm in a group of babies. :oP The first book I read with any paranormal (i.e. magic, psychic, ghosts, goblins etc.) elements in it AND a romance angle was Witch World by..."
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I'm seasoned as well the dragon riders of pern trilogy is one of my favorite fantasy books lucky you to have a signed copy of the magazine
My first in along time is more dark fantasy Anne Bishop's black jewels but have been on a junket of PNR for the last couple of years
My first PNR book was The Accidental Vampire by Lynsay Sands. After that I started at the beginning of the Argenau series and read what had been released up to that point. In the 14 years before that (which was my senior yr of high school) I'd only read JFK, a book on Wayne Gretzky, and a book about the Last Czar of Russia. Now I don't go anywhere without a book.
Missyb wrote: "My first PNR book was The Accidental Vampire by Lynsay Sands. After that I started at the beginning of the Argenau series and read what had been released up to that point. In the 14 years before..."That's great. I'm the same way now. I always have a book to go and usually a different one loaded up on my computer. Could have worse habits though.
:)
Well The Twilight Series is what got me back into reading actually....since I hadnt read since high school, I dont really count that though, so after that my first Pnr was
...then I fell in love with the series!
It all started with watching Twilight on TV. Then it was reading the series. Shortly after that it was True Blood and reading Charlaine Harris and the Southern Vampire Mysteries. After that it was the Black Dagger Brotherhood and Jeaniene Frost. It was hard to find great stuff for a while after that when you compare everything to BDB and Cat and Bones. ;)
Mine was
my junior year of high school, which seems like forever ago.
Emmy wrote: "It all started with watching Twilight on TV. Then it was reading the series. Shortly after that it was True Blood and reading Charlaine Harris and the Southern Vampire Mysteries. After that it was..."Funny how Twilight seems to be the common conduit...lol!
Tiffany wrote: "Christine wrote: "I remember exactly: I started with 
after a coworker lent the series to me. That was the gateway book to and [bookcov..."Tiffany, I LOVE Patricia Briggs and Ilona Andrews!! Mercy and Kate are awesome.
Christine wrote: "Tiffany, I LOVE Patricia Briggs and Ilona Andrews!! Mercy and Kate are awesome. ."I love Both of those series....
Twilight is the common conduit for the current generation but what was it 10, 20 years ago?
Let's all agree, shall we, that the following are awesome series and are loved by all (in no particular order):1. Mercy Thompson
2. Kate Daniels
3. Sookie Stackhouse
4. Cat and Bones
5. The Edge
6. Cassandra Palmer
I just wish there are more that I could add to the list of series that I HAVE to read immediately upon release. Maybe there are, but I don't know about them yet?
7. Black Dagger Brotherhood
LisaT is in Qhuay Nirvana wrote: "7. Black Dagger Brotherhood"I only read the first one of that. Do they get better? I didn't hate it, but I haven't been dying to read more either.
Tiffany wrote: "LisaT is in Qhuay Nirvana wrote: "7. Black Dagger Brotherhood"I only read the first one of that. Do they get better? I didn't hate it, but I haven't been dying to read more either."
OH MY, do they. The BDB has a huge community of worshipers because of the growth of the story. I don't know what you like Tiffany but another look at BDB might be worth it. Sorry, I'm a fangirl and just love the idea of spreading the word.
I am a BDB fan but they are not my favorite... The Mercy Thompson and the Alpha and Omega Series by Patricia Briggs is my Fave... I am all for Girl Power so those books speak to me. No only that my Teen daughters can read them...
Hmmmm I'll have to guess this one from 1989
Or maybe
LisaT is in Qhuay Nirvana wrote: OH MY, do they. The BDB has a huge community of worshipers because of the growth of the story. I don't know what you like Tiffany but another look at BDB might be worth it. Sorry, I'm a fangirl and just love the idea of spreading the word..."
Alright LisaT, you have convinced me to put them on my TBR shelf again...
My first PNR was
back in high school. Wow I can't believe that it was over 10 years ago now! :)
Mine was "Dark Prince" by Christine Feehan.
Got me hooked to paranormal romance!
Tiffany wrote: "LisaT is in Qhuay Nirvana wrote: OH MY, do they. The BDB has a huge community of worshipers because of the growth of the story. I don't know what you like Tiffany but another look at BDB might be..."
;) Alas, my mission is complete, LOL! As you read, let me know what you think. If you're a groupie join us over at:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...
There's a great group of people there.
Tiffany wrote: "LisaT is in Qhuay Nirvana wrote: "7. Black Dagger Brotherhood"I only read the first one of that. Do they get better? I didn't hate it, but I haven't been dying to read more either."
I have a very intense love-hate relationship with JR Ward and the BDB. I get sucked into each and every book despite all the numerous things about the series and her writing that drives me crazy. I can't quite put my finger on what it is she does to suck me in despite all the ranting and raving I do to my friends every time I read one of the books.
Tiffany wrote: "Let's all agree, shall we, that the following are awesome series and are loved by all (in no particular order):1. Mercy Thompson
2. Kate Daniels
3. Sookie Stackhouse
4. Cat and Bones
5. The..."
I'd add World of the Lupi by Eileen Wilks,
Kara Gillian by Diana Rowland, Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, Cal Leandors by Rob Thurman, anything by Nalini Singh. To name just a few....
LisaT is in Qhuay Nirvana wrote: "Twilight is the common conduit for the current generation but what was it 10, 20 years ago?"When I was in high school (OMG it has been 20 years!) I remember reading, and loving, Raymond Feist's Riftwar Saga and some David Eddings and Terry Brooks. But those were all straight fantasy with little or no romance.
Christine wrote: "LisaT is in Qhuay Nirvana wrote: "Twilight is the common conduit for the current generation but what was it 10, 20 years ago?"When I was in high school (OMG it has been 20 years!) I remember rea..."
I think for a lot of us we started with Fantasy or even Sci-Fi and then we found the combination of those with Romance an undeniably fulfilling genre.
As far as Ward's BDB, I don't think you'd find many readers who would argue that she hasn't make continuity errors but what keeps you going and sucks you right back in every time is the characters. Those boys are just damn hot and sexy and emotionally challenged and need fixing. The two books prior to her latest were tough goes for many but MOST would agree book 10, Lover Reborn has redeemed her and sent BDB back into the stratosphere.
I'm just going to start Spade's book (trying to read in order) and I have to say what I love about this series is that it's not one long teaser. I've found with the Fever series, it's just been a tease. Enough already I want Barron's to get on with it. But with Cat & Bones they may be on again off again but that's cool 'cus I get my satisfaction in too.
LisaT is in Qhuay Nirvana wrote: "I'm just going to start Spade's book (trying to read in order) and I have to say what I love about this series is that it's not one long teaser. I've found with the Fever series, it's just been a ..."I agree with you on the Fever series, its good but it is a tease. I started Shadowfever yesterday. hopefully i'll know what happens between them now!
I read Laurell K Hamilton's Guilty Pleasures just before Buffy aired for the first time in the UK, and was immediately hooked to both. But the romance in Laurell K's Anita Blake series didn't really kick in until the fifth book. So the first real PR I read has to be Sherrilyn Kenyon's Night Pleasures. I LOVE that book. I love Kyrian - what a brilliant hero he is. The book has everything - humour, romance, a gorgeous hero, and plenty of vampire/daemon action - plus we meet the scrumptious Acheron . . . Night PleasuresThe last PR I 'read' was Fledgling but that's because I was working on the edits :) !!
Sorry that was an unashamed plug . . . I'll go away now!
Berni wrote: "I read Laurell K Hamilton's Guilty Pleasures just before Buffy aired for the first time in the UK, and was immediately hooked to both. But the romance in Laurell K's Anita Blake series didn't reall..."*LisaT is clicking on Fledglinglink* Yeah, you got me, LOL!
And, I just have to say Achereron, YUM!
Hey Lisa :) Thank you!I know - who isn't in love with Ash? I designed the UK cover for Acheron a few years ago (it's since been re-packaged) and had real trouble finding a picture. I didn't want to put a man on the cover, but the client insisted - big mistake I think. The photographer asked me how old the character was and I said . . . 'ermm . . . about eleven thousand.' It went downhill from there :)
Berni wrote: "Hey Lisa :) Thank you!I know - who isn't in love with Ash? I designed the UK cover for Acheron a few years ago (it's since been re-packaged) and had real trouble finding a picture. I didn't want ..."
That's a great story Berni. Of ALL the PNR characters I think trying to give an image to Ash would be the most wrong. He is just pure fantasy. I loved that Kenyon went with symbolism for him (on the cover I read) and have been happy to see symbols used more, to date. I'm an artist and I don't care for people telling me what they think my art is about as much as I don't want to be fed someone else's vision of a fictional entity.
Plus I hate carrying around a trashy paperback with a sexy dude on the cover. It can be embarrassing. I love looking at 'em but don't have a need to advertise my reading preferences that way. LOL.
I agree Lisa, it's much better to allow the readers to have their own mental picture of the main character. Especially one as unusual as Ash! The symbol used on the US cover of Acheron was lovely too.I wasn't allowed to design my own cover for Fledgling (imagine how difficult it was for me to 'let go.') I said, 'please, please don't put a man on the cover.' They did. He looks nothing at all like my character. But at least he's not a bare-chested chippendale type, so I suppose it could have been worse! To be fair to the art department, there can't be anything more awful than designing a cover for a book cover designer :) :)
I mostly agree...don't show me what the characters look like. Tell me. However, I did like Bones on the Cat and Bones covers. I admit to staring at those for more than a few seconds...My mother-in-law got me this hideous book cover thing from Vera Bradley, however, I would rather have people see the hideous book cover than some of the covers that are out there.
Eek Tiffany - don't look at mine then, I really hope they don't fall into the hideous category! I must have a look at the Cat and Bones man, he sounds very interesting *grins*
Berni wrote: "Eek Tiffany - don't look at mine then, I really hope they don't fall into the hideous category! I must have a look at the Cat and Bones man, he sounds very interesting *grins*"SO Berni, (I think I've been wanting to ask someone like you forever) WHY do they put men on the covers that are NOTHING like the character they're depicting?
@Tiffany - Yeah, I stared at Bones for longer than was absolutely necessary, LOL. LOVE the covers where there's an inner picture too, such a bonus. Well when the image is a good one that is. :)
Well I'm not sure how it works in the US (I'm in the UK), but there is always a cover briefing meeting, and usually it's the editor/marketing/sales people who say what is selling in the marketplace and how the designer should design the cover. The designs have to go through a gazillion meetings (trying to please everyone) before they finally get approved.Often cover designs have to follow 'trends', which is disheartening for designers. In a 'The Horse Whisperer sold well, so let's have an atmospheric landscape and a horse on the cover!'
A little extreme, but you get the gist.
With Acheron, the editors had an 'idea' of what their own perfect man would look like, and nothing I said about his actual appearance cut any ice - which is why it would have been better to follow the US idea of a graphic instead of a person.
Actually, I think these days, everyone is going for the 'safe option' when it comes to the covers, and just emulating anything which has sold well in whatever genre. (Hence all the headless people.)
Sorry - got on a soap box a bit here :)
Berni wrote: "Well I'm not sure how it works in the US (I'm in the UK), but there is always a cover briefing meeting, and usually it's the editor/marketing/sales people who say what is selling in the marketplace...""Their idea of the perfect man" paraphrase. Ugh!
Is there any wonder why the cover art hasn't really changed much then? I mean if they stick to what has sold but don't offer something new....well, hm.
All that being said, I'm very envious of your career. It sounds fascinating. Many here would love to be involved in the book production game. Good luck with your books and with your cover art. I'd love to see more. :)
Exactly :) Huge UGH!I think the recession has made everything worse to be honest. Everyone is scared of doing anything 'ground-breaking.' Hopefully it will change again at some point!
You can see some stuff here:
http://bernistevensdesign.com/
Do you have your work on a website?
Tiffany wrote: "LisaT is in Qhuay Nirvana wrote: "7. Black Dagger Brotherhood"I only read the first one of that. Do they get better? I didn't hate it, but I haven't been dying to read more either."
I liked the early BDB books better. I feel like the series got a little bogged down in the middle.
Berni wrote: "Exactly :) Huge UGH!I think the recession has made everything worse to be honest. Everyone is scared of doing anything 'ground-breaking.' Hopefully it will change again at some point!
You can se..."
Here's just a couple things Berni...LOL, shameless self-promotion much? Nah, I really am not making much these days. As you said the economy has killed everything.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?se...
Bernie,VERY IMPRESSIVE. Do you often get to meet the authors? I couldn't begin to name a favorite cover but Undead and Uneasy, Raintree and Mertale are fantastic. Very diverse. Thank you so much for sharing.
Missyb wrote: "Tiffany wrote: "LisaT is in Qhuay Nirvana wrote: "7. Black Dagger Brotherhood"I only read the first one of that. Do they get better? I didn't hate it, but I haven't been dying to read more eithe..."
I loved the first 6 books but then in Lover Avenged I found that she focused more on the other characters of the book rather then the couple the book is supposed to be about. It was like JM and Xhex had their own little mini book in Lover Avenged. It took me almost 4 days to get through Lover Avenged and my average is usually a book a day... I'm at the point where I'm doubtful that I'll read the rest...
My first PNR was
Had seen all the movies except breaking dawn and decided i would read the book first before the movie,i would always like to read a book first before a movie now..but im reading
it was recommended to me from a friend and i just love it, ive nearly finished the book and its so good to know there are 9 more books in the series..
LisaT - We Are Qhuay! wrote: "Tiffany wrote: "LisaT is in Qhuay Nirvana wrote: OH MY, do they. The BDB has a huge community of worshipers because of the growth of the story. I don't know what you like Tiffany but another look ..."
i totally agree....it's an amazing group......LOVE THE BDB GROUP....join....you will be so glad you did
Lisa, I absolutely LOVE your sculptures, they're amazing. Particularly the first one (from the left), so beautiful :)Thank you for checking out my website too. Yes, I used to occasionally meet the authors, particularly if it was a celeb photo shoot (usually very difficult.) But I'm freelance now, so those 'prestige' jobs go to people in-house. I design a lot of covers for American authors for the UK market, so I never meet them. Shame 'cos I would love to meet Sherrilyn Kenyon :)
But I do design covers for a small independent publisher here and I will be meeting their authors at the summer party - and I'm a bit scared! Supposing they hate what I did? Perhaps I won't say my name!
Berni wrote: "Lisa, I absolutely LOVE your sculptures, they're amazing. Particularly the first one (from the left), so beautiful :)Thank you for checking out my website too. Yes, I used to occasionally meet th..."
I'll bet Kenyon would be a hoot!
They couldn't possibly hate what you do, your work is great and duh, 'saying' your name is what the party is all about, yes?
;)
*grins* Yeah I guess it is :)I'm so bad at that!
I think Kenyon would be a LOT of fun, the humour in her books is great.
Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy
Books mentioned in this topic
The Accidental Vampire (other topics)Kept (other topics)
Pleasure of a Dark Prince (other topics)
Twilight (other topics)
Dracula (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Zoe Winters (other topics)Kresley Cole (other topics)
Andre Norton (other topics)
