Sex in Urban Fantasy

 This blog post is a continuation of a poll I did on my mailing list. Originally, it was all about my Blood Trails series, and me trying to gat a handle on what reader expectations were for whether the coming sex is "on page" or "off page/fade to black."

Sex scenes are a common discussion topic in the urban fantasy genre. There are some authors who will say if you include sex, then it's paranormal romance, not urban fantasy. Which is problematic for me, because if I tried to call Blood Trails paranormal romance, when the romantic interest is only in half the books, and they don't even kiss until after the first half of the series... Well, romance readers wouldn't be happy.

Right now, the way I look at it, if an author writes strong sexual tension, and I'm really feeling the pressure, then I want that sex scene on page (Downside Ghosts by Stacia Kane is a good example). If the sexual tension is more muted, and based more on a "boy, she's attractive" sort of thing (a la Dresden Files), then I'm fine with no on page sex.

However, I do want to educate myself about reader expectations. When it comes right down to it, an author can write sex scenes (or not) however they want, the important thing is making sure the reader knows what they are (or aren't) getting into.

So how do we do that?

I can't put a sexy guy on the cover, or make the heroine sexy on the cover, because that's definitely misleading. My attempt to be forthcoming was to have a super-sexual character in the first books, a gentle warning that if you don't like heavy sexual tension/sex then this might not be the series for you. Was that enough?

Anyway, that was my survey. Blood Trails specific.

But what I'd like to know now is, what signals to you, the reader, that an urban fantasy will have explicit sex? What reassures you it won't? 

How much do you care? Do you shrug and say "whatever, I'll skip the sex if I don't want it, as long as there isn't so much that it slows the plot, who cares?" or do you sigh and delete books that have sex in them as "selling out to the sex gods?"

If an author includes well-written sexual tension and then fades to black, do you quit the series because you feel a promise was made and broken? Or do you sigh and move on, determined to enjoy the sexual tension even if you don't get to read the culmination of said tension?

Comment and let's talk...

IF YOU'VE READ THE BLOOD TRAILS SERIES: Please try to avoid spoilers in any comments. If you mention something spoilery, remember to say "spoiler" first, and if possible, mention what book someone has to have read to in order to read your comment spoiler-free.

Villains We Love...Even Though We Shouldn't

Spike (Buffy). Rowena (Supernatural). Loki (Marvel).

Villains. They've done bad things, killed people, made a play for world domination. But we love them anyway. Why?

What makes these villains different from the ones we hate? Dolores Umbridge (Harry Potter). President Snow (Hunger Games). Marauders (X-Men).

There are some villains that you spend the whole story waiting for them to die a horrible, violent death in a way only a revenge-porn society can crave a terrible end. Villains that make us grind our teeth, just trying to get through their scene so we don't have to look at their stupid, smug face anymore. But there are also villains that we look forward to, maybe even secretly cheer for. The ones we don't want to see fail.

So where's the line? What are the criteria for putting a villain in a "you're bad, but you can still sit by me" as opposed to the "you can die now, thanks," group?

Here are my thoughts:

Villains We Love

1.) Everyone loves a laugh. 

Give me a villain that makes me laugh, and I'm more likely to put him on my side of the cafeteria table. This humor can come from a variety of sources:

a.) Wit. Some villains just have great lines. Loki: "You'll kill me? Evidently there will be a line."
b.) Annoyance. This is one of my favorites. I love it when villains are annoyed. Think Scar (Lion King). "I'm surrounded by idiots."
c.) Delivery. Sometimes the villain just says the something in exactly the right way that it just feels funny and satisfying. King Humperdink (Princess Bride): "I think you're bluffing."

2.) They have a line they won't cross.

A great villain isn't two dimensional, they are the hero of their own story, and they have a valid (if only in their own mind) argument for why they do what they do. If that's the case, then there is usually something they value, some line they won't cross. This keeps them from sliding into pure evil, nothing redeemable to like here.

This line could be certain people they won't hurt (no women and children) or it could be as simple as keeping their word when it's given.

3.) You can see where they're coming from.

Magneto (X-Men) is my favorite for this one. Also Killmonger (Black Panther). These are villains that have done bad things, but you can understand what drove them to it. This is usually a case of do you agree that the ends justify the means.

4.) They're not as bad as...

If you put a villain next to an even worse villain, that that villain becomes less...villainous, by comparison. This is usually about the time the original villain switches sides and fights with the heroes against the bigger bad.

Villains We Hate

1.) Rapists.

Spike was so loved by the fandom that the writers needed to do something to cut through all that adoration and make him a villain again. Hence the sexual assault scene. It was the only think Spike could do that could put a dent in his fan club. I remember reading that James Marsters was really upset about it. He's turned down roles that required scenes like that, and he didn't see that one coming.

2.) Too much smug taunting.

This could be me, but I really hate the evil genius trope. Now, this can be mitigated with one of the above techniques for making a villain likable, but without one of those tropes, I despise series/books/movies where I'm forced to watch the evil genius thwart the hero and wallow in "I'm better than you" mockery. It makes me want to punch them in the face, and fast forward/skip those scenes. (I'm looking at you, Pilant (Bones)).

This can be done well if you combine it with humor. Also, as long as there's some back and forth with success, hero scores one, villain scores one, it can be less irritating.

3.) No personality.

A two-dimensional villain can be satisfying when they're defeated, but they're also just boring. I felt this way about Voldemort (Harry Potter). He didn't make a lot of sense to me, so he just became super-evil guy who tried to kill a baby. And failed.

Your Thoughts?

What villains do you love? What villains do you hate? Why?

Gift ideas: Cooperative board games

If you're looking for last minute gift ideas for the holidays, might I suggest a cooperative board game? Cooperative games are a great way to play a game that encourages conversation, lets everyone work together, and helps avoid some of the conflict that comes with the holiday season (some, not all, sorry).

Thanos Rising

Theme: Thanos is trying to collect the infinity stones he'll use to complete his gauntlet. He and his minions try to destroy heroes and collect stones. Players start with a team captain and try to recruit heroes and defeat villains all while trying to keep Thanos from getting the stones.

Difficulty: Low. This is a great game for beginners, and younger players. That said, my experienced adult gaming group loves this one too.

Mechanics: Dice rolling

My thoughts: This is the game that finally convinced my ten year old to play board games with me. It's very easy to learn, quick to set up, and basically involves rolling a bunch of dice. If you are new to coop games, if you have younger players you want to get involved, or if you want a game that can generally be enjoyed in 45 minutes, this is the one for you. The images on the cards are taken from the Marvel movies, so that adds a fun familiarity that appeals to everyone who plays this game.

Psst... There's also a Harry Potter version called "Death Eaters Rising."

Here's a five minute how to play video to get you started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4cGib2lG9A

Horrified

Theme: Hollywood movie monsters are terrorizing a village and you are monster hunters trying to subdue them and save the town.

Difficulty: Low, but adjustable. You can fight one monster or up to four, depending on how confident you are.

Mechanics: RPG-ish. You each choose a character with a different ability and use that ability and your moves to chase down the monsters or save villagers.

My thoughts: This was an impulse buy from Target, and it's now one of the group favorites. Again, this is a simple game to learn, and it doesn't take long to set up. The monsters have different requirement to defeat, so the different combinations make this game a lot of fun. And the colors are beautiful.

Here's a short seven minute how to play video to get you started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhP2n9QQ8Hg

Sentinels of the Multiverse

Here's one for the pros.

Theme: Superheros fighting super villains. It's a lot of fun to guess what superhero each character is based off of... (i.e. Guise is definitely not Deadpool, cough, cough)

Difficulty: High-ish. It's not so much that it's difficult, so much as there is a LOT to keep track of. Seriously, between keeping track of damage bumps and reductions, start and end of turn effects, and interruption mechanics, this one is rough. Not hard to understand, just a challenge to track. BUT you can get it on Steam, and the computer will track it for you! Yea!

Mechanics: RPG-ish. Each character has its own deck, and you can play equipments and ongoings in addition to the one-shots you can play. You'll notice a difference someone who favors healing vs someone who concentrates on damage and looks at health as just another resource to be spent.

My thoughts: This is my sister's FAVORITE game. If you see me at a con near Ohio, my sister is with me, and you are welcome to join us in a game. Replayability is super high because of the thousands of combinations between heroes and villains. It's somewhat of an investment because of all the expansions, but it's worth it. Especially if you get it on Steam (although if you do get the electronic version, you can't get the fan-made expansion The Cauldron).

Here's a five minute how to play video to get you started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA2kZVzUpGE


There you have it. Now grab yourself a game and go have some fun!

JB

Magic, Mayhem, and Murder

Bear with me, friends, it's been a long time since this witch has made a blog post, and the gremlin king of technology and I have a long and bloody history...

Greetings! I'm Jennifer Blackstream, USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy and paranormal romance. You can find me at http://www.jenniferblackstream.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JenniferBlackstream8675309/

For now, here's what you need to know:

I'm an avid coop board gamer. My group meets once a week (more in the summer when kids are out of school) and we play games like Mice and Mystics, Eldritch Horror, Thanos Rising, and Sentinels of the Multiverse. Some of my blog posts will be about the games I love, and I ALWAYS want recommendations of new coop board games. Note: Coop means cooperative, where you win or lose as a team. Not competitive.

I love conventions. Right now, I attend ConFusion (Novi, Michigan), ConCoction (Cleveland, Ohio), MarCon (Columbus, Ohio), and DragonCon (Atlanta, Georgia). I look for cons with a good writing/genre fiction track, so if you have any within four hours of Ohio that you'd recommend, please leave a comment!

I read for enjoyment, and that's how I write. If you read one of my books, I will try to run you through the gamut of emotions. Ideally, you'll gasp, you'll laugh, and you'll miss your bedtime, and maybe once in a while you'll tear up, but you should never be depressed or down by the time you finish the last page. For me, murder mysteries are delicious homicidal stress relief, and that's what I want to offer you. My favorite authors include Laurell K. Hamilton, Terry Pratchett, SM Reine, Jim Butcher, Kim Harrison, and Patricia Briggs. These authors have largely influence my own work, so that gives you some idea what to expect.

Which brings me to said work:

THE BLOOD TRAILS SERIES is a fusion of fantasy and mystery that combines a classic private investigator/whodunit with the sarcasm and magic that's made the Urban Fantasy genre so famous.

* * *

THE BLOOD PRINCE SERIES is a sensual paranormal romance series that twists beloved fairy tales into original tales of love, adventure, and...well, blood. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and ultimately you'll need to sink your teeth into the next book as you follow a desperate desire to find out just what the werewolf, the vampire, the demon, the angel, and the god are really up to...

* * *

THE BLOOD REALM SERIES is a spin-off/continuation of the Blood Prince series.

* * *

All of my books are written in the same universe (yes, even the urban fantasy, which is contemporary, not historical like the Blood Prince/Blood Realm series--and you'll have to read Deadline to find out how I managed that...). Be ready for crossovers and cameos!

And that's all for now!

I think...

JB