Euterpe Authors on Genres

Question of the Week: 

"What is your favorite genre to read or write and why?"

JoAnne Keltner

My favorite genre to read and write is YA urban fantasy-stories in which the main character discovers he or she has some paranormal ability, learns to accept and hone that ability, and then uses the ability to overcome obstacles and reach his or her destiny. Because these stories take place in current times, I find them more believable and more relatable. In general, I love a story in which a character overcomes the odds and draws on his or her own strengths to overcome life's obstacles. To me, urban fantasy does this, yet makes for a more interesting and creative story.

Buy JoAnne's book Obsession from Musa Publishing.

Kaitlin Bevis

I love urban fantasy. Witches, vampires, shape shifters, these were some of my very best friends growing up.

Don't give me that look, I had real friends too. Lots of them. :P

Anyway, there's just something about the world I live in having this secret, fantastical, underbelly that really appealed to me. I wanted so badly for magic and otherworldliness to be real. I took every stray cat I ever saw home in hopes that it would turn me into Sailor Moon.

Yes, I have issues separating reality from fiction, what of it?

As far as writing goes, I write along the same lines, though my inspiration is more classical in nature. I write about the Greek gods living alongside us in modern day. I have a work in progress that deals with magic, but I haven't yet written much that has to do with vampires. I love reading about them, but don't have much to add. I hope that my writing inspires the same desire for this world, but more, that all the writers I admired/stalked obsessively did.

Buy Kaitlin's books Persephone and its sequel Daughter of the Earth and Sky from Musa Publishing. 

Dusty Crabtree

I’ve pretty much never grown out of reading young adult fiction. Even as I’ve become an adult, that love has never changed. Specifically, though, I love reading AND writing young adult paranormal or urban fantasy with some romance, although the romance doesn’t have to be the driving force. Reading books like Hush Hush and Fallen are what made me want to write my YA urban fantasy, Shadow Eyes. The idea of having a fairly normal life (not like in straight fantasy) but with paranormal people and things around is definitely a unique fascination that intrigues me. Because everything else in the main character’s world is normal, it’s easy to identify with her (or him). As a result, you get to vicariously experience all of the amazing, supernatural, fantastical things the main character experiences. That’s just awesome!

Buy Dusty's book Shadow Eyes from Musa Publishing.

Lydia Sharp

My favorite genre to read and write is young adult contemporary with light sci-fi or fantasy elements. I love real teens dealing with real issues that are suddenly faced with something other-worldly in the real world. Contemporary YA tends to have rich voice and characterization, so adding that unique twist or sf/f concept to the plot enhances the whole reading experience with a "commercial entertainment" flair that I can't resist. Two of my favorite published novels in this category are Fracture by Megan Miranda and Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. I am currently working on my second novel that falls under this category. The first one, which I wrote last year, is being considered for publication.

Buy Lydia's book Twin Sense from Musa Publishing.

Jane Dougherty

All fiction is fantasy to the extent that it isn't ‘real’; it comes out of the author’s imagination. We write whatever we have inside our heads, and frankly, some of the stuff that’s inside my head is pretty strange. I prefer to call it fantasy.

I’ve tried writing family sagas, a genre I often enjoy reading, but found it frustrating to have to stick to real events and real historical fact. There is something so exciting about writing fantasy, knowing that you can write absolutely ANYTHING as long as you make it plausible. You can build a complete universe, fill it with who and what you want, destroy it, rebuild it, and nobody can tell you: ‘But that never happened!’

A fantasy world can be a glorious utopia, or a hellish dystopia. It’s a what-if world where all our moral and social dilemmas can be thrashed out. I get such a kick out of grinding my bad guys into dust, then picking up the pieces and building a paradise. Call me a megalomaniac, but if you write a fantasy you become ruler of the universe!

Check out Jane's book The Dark Citadel when it's released in May 2013.