Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, or Supernatural: What’s the Difference?
Ally Shields
Every day somebody asks me what kind of books I write, and I always hesitate over the answer. It isn’t that I don’t know my stories or that I haven’t thought about an answer. It simply isn’t that easy to give them a label. Sometimes, if people have heard of my books, they rattle off a list of choices: urban fantasy, paranormal, supernatural. The real answer is my books are all three. And maybe a couple more!
Often the words are used interchangeably, but there are subtle differences.
- Fewer books are being labeled supernatural, although that term is generally accepted as referring to the creatures and powers involved.
- While the term paranormal was once restricted to ghosts and spirits, it has now been extended to include werewolves, vampires, witches and similar beings. Again, it refers to creatures or powers and increasingly it also implies romance.
- Urban fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy with specific elements: supernatural or paranormal beings with unusual abilities and a story set in a contemporary city. It may or may not have a romantic line.
So how do booksellers and reviewers handle these labels? Not well if they’re a brick and mortar store or the review appears in print. By choosing one label for shelving and/or categorizing the book, it becomes a serious problem for readers to find what they’re looking for. If you read in this genre, you know what I mean. One book could be located in several places, depending upon who shelved it: urban fantasy, supernatural, paranormal, horror, romance, mystery. Some stores have resorted to putting these books into general fiction, where nobody finds them.
Online sites discovered an easier way by using keywords, so they don’t have to choose and can stick on multiple tags. It has made marketing life easier for those of us who write these non-conforming stories. Twenty years ago, even if I had found a publisher willing to take the risk, my books would have been lost on the shelves.
Since unfortunately that isn’t the case today, I’d like to show you my latest release, Fire Within (Guardian Witch #2), which is an urban fantasy, supernatural mystery, paranormal romance!
Book Blurb:
A hidden evil stalks the city…
Ari Calin refuses to believe her human friend Eddie murdered a vampire—in spite of his confession. Her human partner Ryan thinks the case is a slam dunk, even though there’s no weapon and no witnesses, but Ari’s not about to let her friend take the rap without finding out more.
When Ari attends a charity event on the arm of a handsome werewolf, she finds someone she never expected to see again—Andreas De Luca, the charismatic vampire she used to date. When their eyes meet across the room, memories come rushing back. His kiss, his touch, a savage death…and a terrifying magical bond. A reconnection is the last thing she wants. Only by staying away and forgetting Andreas can she hope to avoid the Legend of Ramora.
But when vampires keep dying, one thing becomes clear: Riverdale has a serial killer on its hands, and Andreas could be next. Ari begins to fear there’s more to it, though. Something truly evil is stalking the city, waiting to take control…
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Ally Shields was born and raised in the Midwest, along the Mississippi River, the setting for her urban fantasy series. After a career in law and juvenile justice, she turned to full-time writing in 2009, and Awakening the Fire, the debut novel in her Guardian Witch series, was released in September 2012. Ally still lives close to the Mighty Mississippi with her Miniature Pinscher, Ranger. When not writing or reading, she loves to travel in the US and abroad. Way too often she can be found on Twitter.
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Dan O’Brien
Editor, Empirical
Author: of The End of the World Playlist, Bitten, Cerulean Dreams, and The Journey
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