|
Publishers
are investing in a genre set to take the world by storm - Urban Fantasy.
The writers, aka the movers and shakers of LiveJournal, Fanfic and more
specifically Fangs, Fur and Fey are on the cusp of dominating the market
and for a change, It’s the female writers that are raking the cash in
A brief
overview:
The Genre: Urban Fantasy = supernatural
characters, often fairies, in real urban settings. Think of it as
fairies under neon lights. TWILIGHT is therefore slightly to the
side of this community and genre, since it's about supernatural
characters in a rural setting....
Sarah
Rees Brennan described urban fantasy on her blog as being the kind of
fantasy in which the hero kills some demons and then goes home to fix a
leaking sink (It's as good a description as any.)
The most
prominent literary antecedent is probably THE WAR FOR THE OAKS,
by Emma Bull (1987). It was never as big in its day as TWILIGHT
is now, but it was HUGELY influential on all the writers involved
in this genre. It's about a war between the Seelie and Unseelie courts
of Faerie, and as such can be seen as a direct influence on the writer
Holly Black and Melissa Marr (who writes about the tension between the
Winter and Summer courts, basically the Irish version of Seelie and
Unseelie). The influence of Emma Bull's book on other (predominantly
female) writers cannot be overstated. (Though of course it's notable
that a couple of these authors came up writing Harry Potter fanfic, so
the colossal reach of that book has something to do with it too...)
So the phenomenon really started in
1987 - with the help and input of the movers and shakers, the genre is
now on the cusp of becoming a multi-million dollar industry.
How
it all started: Online community
The focal point for all these new urban fantasy writers is
livejournal, and more specifically, the group fangs, fur and fey
(http://community.livejournal.com/fangs_fur_fey)
which has become something of a hotbed for (particularly YA) urban
fantasy. The loose group of authors in or linked to this community is:
* Melissa
Marr (huge publishing deal)
http://melissa-writing.livejournal.com/
* Cassandra
Clare (huge publishing deal)
http://cassandraclare.livejournal.com/
* Sarah Rees
Brennan (huge publishing deal)
http://sarahtales.livejournal.com/
* Sarah
Prineas (huge publishing deal)
http://sarah-prineas.livejournal.com/
* Holly Black
(author of The Spiderwick Chronicles and Tithe, and one of
the most important and longest-standing of the community - very
encouraging to other new authors (Sarah Rees Brennan counts her as a
sort of mentor)).
http://blackholly.livejournal.com/
(Melissa Marr
and Holly Black are members of fangs, fur and fey, all names
listed have livejournal pages.). It is worth mentioning that there is
some overlap with the fanfic community, with some authors a
member of one community and not of the other).
Fanfic
Community:
* Sarah Rees Brennan (wrote Harry Potter fanfic under the name Maya -
http://fanlore.org/wiki/Maya_(Fan_Writer)
* Cassandra
Clare (wrote Harry Potter fanfic under the name Cassandra Claire -
http://fanlore.org/wiki/Cassandra_Claire)
Sarah Rees
Brennan is mentioned in this Washington Post article from 2007 on fanfic:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/20/AR2007072002397_pf.html -
note that the article appeared before she got a high 6-figure deal for a
fantasy trilogy of her own...
LiveJournal is for Authors as is MySpace for Musicians
web
2.0 - The term "Web 2.0"
describes the changing trends in the use of
World Wide Web
technology and
web design
that aim to enhance
creativity,
communications, secure information sharing, collaboration and
functionality of the web. Web 2.0 concepts have led to the development
and evolution of web-culture communities and
hosted services,
such as
social-networking
sites,
video sharing
sites,
wikis,
blogs,
and
folksonomies.
Melissa
Marr’s new book, Fragile Eternity has been described by Publisher’s
Weekly as "Compulsive enough to give TWILIGHT a run for its money"
 Fragile
Eternity by Melissa Marr
ISBN: 9780007267194 £6.99 out 28/05/2009
Mortal affections and faery rivalries continue to collide in the town of
Huntsdale, as New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr takes urban
fantasy to new heights. After the terrible events of Ink Exchange, the
Dark Court has a new ruler. But will Niall's kindness survive his new
responsibility to the most violent of Faerie courts? Meanwhile, Seth and
Aislinn attempt to mend their relationship. But Aislinn is the Summer
Queen and Keenan is her king -- and as summer approaches, their
chemistry sparks. Will Seth's mortality lose him the one thing he loves
above all others? As Niall seeks to control his new Court, Aislinn
attempts to resist the seduction of summer, and Seth searches
desperately for the gift of immortality, a delicate balance is
threatened, and a terrible plot is revealed!
www.melissa-marr.com
www.harpercollins.co.uk |
