Friday, June 22, 2012

Give Fantasy Romance a Chance!

             The Salon is proud to welcome Mysti Parker!


Picture this: you’re browsing through Amazon or your local bookstore, looking for something new. You stumble upon a cover that features a shirtless man and leather-clad woman holding their bows at ready. Flames ignite the entire background and...

You look closer.

Pointed ears? Oh, it’s fantasy! But, it’s in the romance section. What do you do?

All right, I’ll come clean. The book cover I described belongs to the first title in my fantasy romance series, A Ranger’s Tale. And, yep, I’ve had more than a few readers who were not convinced they’d like the crazy combination of fantasy and romance. And if you’re in that hesitant group, perhaps these comments from reviewers of A Ranger’s Tale will put your mind at ease.

“When reading this genre of books I often skip over the boring details of family lineage that stretches for chapters and the entire history of the planet you’re reading about. Mysti was able to bring out a great story and not drag out the history of the characters to a point of boredom. She got straight to the meat of the story.”

“This story made me a fan of fantasy romance!”

“Before I read "A Ranger's Tale" I was not a great fan of the fantasy genre. I would bypass it at the bookstore and head straight for the romance aisle. But the talent of Mysti Parker has changed that with her brilliant mixture of both genres in this new exciting and touching novel.”


Still not convinced, huh? What do I have to do, people—bribe you with chocolate?! Sorry, any quality chocolate in a five-mile radius is all mine. Whether you’re a staunch fantasy or romance fan, I’ll try to sway you with a few reasons why YOU should like fantasy romance:
  1.   Fantasy Flora & Fauna. From dragons to unicorns, man-eating vines to singing flowers, you’ll find a wide assortment of fictional organisms for your reading enjoyment. Authors, being the inventive sort they are, will often create their very own species for you to discover. A few of mine by name: eleteens, flitters, tygers, jabbafish, inkwell plants, ebonwood trees, willowvine, evynfruit.
  2. Magic. Unless you’re a stickler for conventional, real-world, everyday fiction, the magic in fantasy romance will tickle your imagination. It might come in the form of a kick-ass fire mage like Caliphany in A Ranger’s Tale or the luxium powder used by secret agent Jayden Ravenwing to track down some wicked beasts in Serenya’s Song. Either way, magic takes your usual plot to a whole new, and fun, level!
  3.   Action! Somewhere in the midst of the spell-casting and woman-wooing, you’ll see swashbuckling sword fights and battles between fire mages. The heroes and heroines will face off with goblins, trolls, demons…maybe even dragons! You don’t get THAT in a regency romance, and is likely the reason I have several guys who are fans of my series. 
  4. Details. I think this one is what romance readers fear the most. High fantasy tends to be heavy on detail and world-building. In fantasy romance, you’ll find the details a bit lighter and the world-building equally as important to the story as the romance between the hero and heroine. Even though they may have pointed ears and live to be 1,000 years old, I wager that you can still relate to them and their struggles, especially with the characters in Tallenmere.
Maybe I’ve changed your mind by now, but if not, how about a gift from me to you?

**For one lucky commenter, I’ll give you a PDF or Kindle copy of both A Ranger’s Tale AND Serenya’s Song so you can decide whether you’re on the fantasy romance team or not. All winners to be drawn at the end of the tour (July 9)**

Just answer this question:  If you could live to be 1,000 years old, and not a day over, would you?



Serenya’s Song
Tallenmere Book Two
by Mysti Parker

Blurb:

In the fantasy world of Tallenmere, no one ever said love was easy... 

Serenya Crowe may be a half-elf commoner, but she's no ordinary woman. With the ability to interpret dreams, and a birth defect that forces her to wear gloves, she’s endured small-town gossip and the cruelty of her husband, Sebastian, The Earl of Summerwind. All she's ever wanted is to live a quiet life and raise a family. When she meets the new stranger in town, her world and her heart, are turned upside down. 

Wood-elf Jayden Ravenwing is an ex-secret agent who wants nothing more than to forget matters of the heart. He left the bustle of Leogard and his failed marriage to make a fresh start in Summerwind. He never planned to fall in love again, especially with the enchanting Serenya Crowe. 

When a strange portal opens on the Crowe property at the edge of town, Jayden is thrown into an investigation, knowing that if he fails, Serenya and everyone in Summerwind may die. 

Together, he and Serenya must overcome an ancient evil, and their own inner demons, to save Summerwind and find the love they've always dreamed of.




Author Bio:

Mysti Parker is a full time wife, mother of three, and a writer. Her first novel, A Ranger’s Tale was published in January, 2011 by Melange Books, and is the first in a fantasy romance series. She is also the proud writer of Unwritten, a blog voted #3 for eCollegeFinder’s Top Writing Blogs award.

Links: 



Twitter: @MystiParker 




Serenya’s Song: Melange Books


11 comments:

Mysti said...

Thanks so much for hosting me!

Stefanie J Pristavu said...

Hi Mysti! Back on tour with you ;)

Hmmm... let me think. I would live a 1000 years if everyone around me would. But I wouldn't want to be a loner.

Awesome post. You didn't have to convince me. I like fantasy and romance, so fantasy romance was just up m alley.

TJ said...

Hey Mysti,

You've got me sold. To answer your question, if I could live that long, I would, especially if it meant I lived among elves, dragons and willowvine. I think the world you have created is amazing. Great post yet again.

TJ

Marilyn Muñiz said...

You're welcome Mysti!

Leona~Author said...

You convinced me with A Ranger's Tale that I did, indeed, like fantasy/romance.

I wouldn't mind living to be a thousand if I could have my brain transplanted into another body.

Great tour, Mysti.

Jack Eason said...

This journey of yours through the ether is getting more and more interesting at every stop off Mysti. :)

Lindsey R. Loucks said...

As long as I didn't look like I was 1000 years old, I would. Think of all the books I could read and write!

I'm a super fan of fantasy romance, btw!

Mysti said...

Thanks to my wonderful groupies! Your comments make my day. Seriously. *hugs* to you all!

Tara Fox Hall said...

Great post, Mysti :)

I'd live to be 1000, if I could. Id get to do so many things with those added years, and try out so many different lives, plus travel the world. But I agree with Lindsay L, that I wouldn't want to look my age! :)

Mysti said...

Hey Tara! Maybe they'd have a cream for 1000 year old gals by then :) Thanks for commenting!

E.B. Black said...

I love when people combine any type of speculative fiction (horror, paranormal, fantasy, sci-fi, etc.) with romance. They're my two favorite things to read.

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