by Rosemary Jones The explosion of the “romantasy” tag on TikTok, book websites, and bookstores’ shelf-talkers sparked news stories on CNN and PBS News Hour in 2024. While the label is new, the idea of mixing romance and fantasy took off in the early 20th century. What Is Romantasy? Reviewers define romantasy as a fantasy […]
by Katherine Garcia Ley We’ve all seen them: the thirty pages of interview questions you should ask your characters. The analytical texts on astrological signs. The “ultimate of ultimate” tools offering twenty-some Enneagrams for character development. All these resources are fantastic. Heck, I use them, and they’re amazing. I’m a list-loving personality theory hoarder. These […]
by Victoria Janssen Because the romance genre is based on plot structure, it can easily be merged with a speculative fiction setting. Magical secondary worlds, alien planets, and far future empires can all include romantic relationships as the primary or secondary plot. One of my favorite romantic sub-genres is beauty and the beast, a very […]
by Chelsea Mueller There’s significant power in fighting and kissing scenes. When done well, they’re often reader favorites. Look at how readers talk about stories with excellent fights or swoonworthy sex, and you’ll see them call out these scenes specifically. In books that bring violence and romance to the page well, readers may even praise […]
by R. K. Thorne Worldbuilding is a fun aspect of writing fantasy and science fiction. It is so tempting to get lost in drawing maps, hoarding pictures, plotting lineages, or researching how that awesome weapon system could actually work. Our efforts often focus on geography, history, and politics. But part of worldbuilding should be envisioning […]
by Jeffe Kennedy In interviews, I’m often asked how I ended up writing a blend of fantasy and romance. It’s become a more frequent question, in fact, in the year since I’ve been president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). It’s a subject of well-intended curiosity in most cases, why I’m […]
by Claire Davon I blame my reading habits on Dragonflight. I’ve been a reader all my life, fueled by a wide collection of available books in the family home, coupled with repeated visits to the library. Though I started with the Nancy Drew series and mysteries, once I discovered science fiction and fantasy, I pivoted. […]
Alex Delmore wants out of her dead-end suburban town, but her parents are broke, her brother is an idiot, and NYU seems like a distant dream. Good thing there’s a genie in town—and he’s hiring at the Wellspring Mall.
Dilman Dila is a writer and filmmaker. His books, Where Rivers Go To Die, was shortlisted for the PKD Awards (2024). He was shortlisted for the BSFA Awards and the Nommo Awards for Best Novella. Watch his scifi films on patreon.com/dilstories
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