Contest: What Genre Am I?
Winner: Carol in Montana! Please contact me at boulderboomer@aol.com and give me your contact info. Thanks so much to everyone for participating.Ever since I started submitting The Vampire Shrink in 2005 (started writing it in 2004), it's been hard to place in a genre slot. I've tried and tried to fit in into an existing category without luck. Why does it matter? It matters because readers who think it is THIS get upset when it is THAT. Or they expect it is THE OTHER and definitely not THAT. If they think it's genre #1 and it isn't, or they expect it to be genre #2 and it never was, they get grumpy.
I haven't been able to 
think of any creative title that really encapsulates the Kismet Knight, Vampire Psychologist series.
think of any creative title that really encapsulates the Kismet Knight, Vampire Psychologist series.So, I'm having a contest. I will give away a $100 gift certificate to Amazon or B&N to one commenter who suggests a brand-new, creative, out-of-the-box genre label for my series. Plus, after you come up with the new category, write a blurb for my book that would alert readers to what slot my series would fit into.
Fun, eh?
I'll pick a winner on Dec. 31, 2011. Just think about all the after-
Christmas sales you can use $100 for.
Christmas sales you can use $100 for.Here's some helpful information: Is it paranormal romance? Not really. There's no happy-ever-after ending, but lots of romance and sex. Urban fantasy? I think so, but people who expect the heroine to be butt-kicking would disagree. My heroine is cerebral. Chick lit? Hmm. Well, the series is about her experiences, but there really isn't anything about shoes or shopping or working for an advertising agency. Dark fantasy? It's pretty dark in a humorous kinda way. Paranormal suspense? I like this one. What do you think?
Leave your comments here. Thanks for participating!
posted by Lynda Hilburn at 5:19 PM
21 Comments:
How about "Paranormal Chick Lit"?
OK--and I admit that I had to look up "Chick Lit" on Wikipedia... (Which is rather embarrassing for an honors English major!) Of course, this particular genre wasn’t invented until after I graduated, but that’s still a pretty feeble excuse.
Ms Lynda—Hope your books sell like crazy!
--Julia S., SoulWorks Class of ‘98
ooooh!
How about
"ParaUrban LitErotica"? It's in an Urban setting, there's plenty of "hot" moments, and of course, there's the hot hot HOT vampire! Whooeee!
Awesome contest! Thank you for having it!
mleger0546 (at) rogers (dot) com
Putting on my thinking cap.....
Julia: Great to see you! Thanks for the suggestion. I'll throw it into the hat!
YzhaBella: That's a unique category! LOL. Thanks!
Hi, Vickie! Thanks for stopping by.
How about Vampire Parafantasy. It isn't exactly a full fledged fantasy because it has realistic elements, hence para. Adding VAMPIRE in front of parafantasy would be good because it will let the vampire fans know this is a good vampire novel. :)
It's definately a fantasy and since there are vamps in there so it is paranormal and there's erotic content so I think this is Paranormal Erotic Fantasy. How's that?
What about ParaUrban Suspense.
Blurb---
"Think you know paranormal? Hot vamps in urban surroundings sprinkled with a little suspense is a recipe for winning best seller."
alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
CQ Tipy: Thanks for the great suggestion. I entered you in the drawing!
Thank you, Firetulip! Good suggestion!
Lisa: Thank you! Awesome. Thanks for entering.
What about vampire chick lit? It's pretty funny and it's about Kismet, rather than about the romance.
Cheryl
How about Paranormal Romantic Thriller?
I chose Thriller instead of Suspense. It grabs me more. ^^
Deshnye: That's a great option! Thanks!
Hey honey!!!! You are so right about the genre thing... People judge. Okay, new, out the box.... How about Biting Back genre... Okay okay... I will be back.... hopefully!
Have a very blessed Thanksgiving Ms. Lynda!
Cheryl: That is a good idea! I wish chick lit didn't have such negative baggage!
Hugs, Cecile! You're a sweetie.
Hmm. "Vampirerotic Suspense"? Best I could come up with that wasn't already suggested. I liked "Paranormal Suspense" as well. That would cover more territory. As a tag line..."Even Vampires get the Blues!"
Urban Fantasy Suspense
I think contemporary paranormal says it all.
VampBookAddict
For moi it's paranormal fantasy thriller--- it crosses all these and I think it should be promoted in each of these genres. I would love to go to the bookstore and see a book like yours shelved in all these sections. The "hot" scenes speak for themselves in a yearning erotic explosive way. Not romance cause pure romances want Disney endings. You rock!
Hi Lynda!
My suggestion is "Supernatural Suspense". That way it can cover some elements from the paranormal and urban fantasy genre. When people hear paranormal or urban fantasy they may expect a story to fulfill all the elements in a genre, even though both seem to overlap anyways. Maybe supernatural can bridge this gray area without people expecting either one or the other.
Good luck!
Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com
How about something simple? Since vampire stories are so prevalent they should have their own genre - much like humorous women;s fiction (aka chick lit) - why not simply call it VampLit?
Your book seems like urban fantasy to me. It takes place in a city, it's about the female character. No problem!
Carol in Montana
Thanks everyone for all the wonderful suggestions and thanks for participating in my giveaway!
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