Learn me something, internets

[megwrites]

Okay, if you had to define the difference between urban fantasy and paranormal romance, how would you go about doing that?

I'm actually more stumped by this question that I expected to be.

Comments

[dsgood.livejournal.com]

What's central to the story? If it's the romance -- then you can throw in fantasy elements, mystery elements, spy-story elements, a dollop of political preaching, and a few kitchen sinks, but it will be a romance.

Another way of deciding -- if romance readers buy it because they think it's a romance, and they don't feel they've been cheated, then it's a romance. If fantasy readers buy it, and don't feel that romance stuff takes up enough of the story that they've been cheated, then it's a fantasy.

Of course, it might happen that the writer thinks it's fantasy; it gets published as romance; and then it's reprinted as YA.