Fire. The most chaotic
of the primal elements. When wielded properly by the Knight of Flame, it
burns like the sun. Otherwise, it slowly consumes the Knight, burning
away his control, driving him towards dark deeds.
Stationed in
Tampa, FL, Develor Quinteele, sixth Knight of Flame, waits impatiently
for the predicted emergence of the last Gray Lord, his Order's ancient
enemy. Hampered by a centuries-old tragedy, Dev knows of only one way to
control his elemental power—rage. It broils just below his surface,
waiting for the slightest provocation to set it alight.
After a
brutal attack by the Gray Lord's minions for which Dev is blamed, he's
stripped of his freedom until he learns to control his violent impulses.
With the help of his fellow Knights, can he balance his rage and unlock
his true elemental potential to prevent Tampa's devastation?
Genre Confusion (Doh!) – Urban
VS. Contemporary Fantasy
By Scott Eder
Hello. My name is Scott, and I
write Urban Fantasy. Wait, no, that's what I did a few weeks ago, before the
revelation, before DragonCon. Today, in
my post-DC era, I write Contemporary Fantasy. And the funny thing is that I
haven't changed a thing. I still write the same novels, but my genre perception
has shifted thanks to the wisdom presented at Dragon*Con.
I've heard the advice not to
worry about genre. Let an agent or editor figure out into which Fantasy
subgenre the book should fall since the writer is not typically the best judge.
That's all well and good after the fact, once the book is sold and the
decisions on how to market it are made. What about when a writer is discussing
his work with publishing professionals or other authors?
When talking about my book,
framing it in terms of genre is a natural thing. It's meant to set a certain
expectation or set of rules in which the plot unfolds and the characters
develop. So, when talking about my book, Knight of Flame, I start off by telling
people it's Urban Fantasy with strong romantic elements. Here’s the kicker…I
was wrong.
But, Scott, say it aint so. I
wish I could. I feel kinda silly about it, actually. Thank goodness I came to
the realization myself instead of having someone have to point it out to me. I
don't claim to know a lot about this industry into which I'm trying hard to
break into. In fact, I know fairly little.
That's why I keep asking questions, hanging with those who do know about
this crazy business, and attending different cons and seminars. Look out World
Fantasy, you're next.
I got my
first inkling of my genre faux pas early on. I'd been trying to identify my
niche, my stand-out factor. What made my Urban Fantasy novel unique? I realized
that one of the differences is Point of View (POV). My novel has multiple POVs.
I haven't seen that much in UF. Most UF stories turn upon the axis of a single
driving character—typically a badass detective or bounty hunter protecting
their slice of the world from the nefarious creatures of the night.
I was good with the multiple POV
thing. I started talking that up and building my case on how my book differed
from the others. That went well until I started asking questions of NYT
bestselling UF authors about it and got some strange looks. Perhaps there's a
reason there isn't much multiple POV in UF.
It seems that the general
consensus about UF is that the pacing is very fast. That single POV ass-kicker
drives through the story at a very fast pace. The characters don't typically
amble about smelling the flowers. They find and fight the badies threatening
their town. The tone is dark and gritty, like the dirty streets and water of
the cityscape in which they prowl. UF is the noire of the Fantasy genre.
And that's where it all went
crazy. Yeah, I see the dark and the grit and the detective aspect of UF
stories. Mine decidedly did not have those elements. I realized the only things
my novel and UF had in common was that it occurred in a city (for a little
while) and brought magical elements into a real-world setting.
Sorry, but that's just not
enough. So, Knight of Flame is not Urban Fantasy. It's Contemporary or Modern
Fantasy. It doesn't have the grit and dark tones of a Faith Hunter, Jim
Butcher, or Kim Harrison novel. It's more like the sense of wonder and
camaraderie of the Companions of the Hall from R.A. Salvatore's Forgotten
Realms books. I loved the interplay between Drizzt, King Bruenor, Wulfgar,
Regis, and Cattie-brie. They fed off each other while they saved the world from
utter destruction time and again. I wanted to make sure that my characters had
that type of relationship and wrote that in from the beginning. Duh. I should
have realized.
The book held true to genre, but
the writer got lost somewhere along the way.
Have fun,
Scott
Against the Shadow, burns a noble
light.
Author Biography
Since
he was a kid, Scott wanted to be an author and explored many genres
through high school and college. Fantasy, though, captivated his soul.
Tales of Knights and magic, dragons and elves filled his dreams. After
greasing the gears of the corporate machine for many years, he escaped
the Information Technology vortex to focus full-time on writing. The
stories he’d envisioned years ago—of nobility and strife, honor and
chaos—demanded they be brought to life.
Scott lives with his wife, two children, and a giant Chihuahua on the west coast of Florida.
Visit him at:
http://www.scotteder.net/
- See more at:
http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2013/10/15/pump-up-your-book-chats-with-scott-eder-author-of-knight-of-flame/#sthash.mCe6JFFh.dpuf
Scott lives with his wife and two children on the west coast of Florida.
http://www.scotteder.net
Since
he was a kid, Scott wanted to be an author and explored many genres
through high school and college. Fantasy, though, captivated his soul.
Tales of Knights and magic, dragons and elves filled his dreams. After
greasing the gears of the corporate machine for many years, he escaped
the Information Technology vortex to focus full-time on writing. The
stories he’d envisioned years ago—of nobility and strife, honor and
chaos—demanded they be brought to life.
Scott lives with his wife, two children, and a giant Chihuahua on the west coast of Florida.
Visit him at:
http://www.scotteder.net/
- See more at:
http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2013/10/15/pump-up-your-book-chats-with-scott-eder-author-of-knight-of-flame/#sthash.mCe6JFFh.dpuf
Since
he was a kid, Scott wanted to be an author and explored many genres
through high school and college. Fantasy, though, captivated his soul.
Tales of Knights and magic, dragons and elves filled his dreams. After
greasing the gears of the corporate machine for many years, he escaped
the Information Technology vortex to focus full-time on writing. The
stories he’d envisioned years ago—of nobility and strife, honor and
chaos—demanded they be brought to life.
Scott lives with his wife, two children, and a giant Chihuahua on the west coast of Florida.
Visit him at:
http://www.scotteder.net/
- See more at:
http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2013/10/15/pump-up-your-book-chats-with-scott-eder-author-of-knight-of-flame/#sthash.mCe6JFFh.dpuf
About
the Book:
