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Kris DeLake | Romance and Imaginary Worlds
What's the most important thing about a romance novel? Why, the romance, of
course. Folks who've never read the genre seem to believe that all romances are
alike. Boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl live happily ever
after.
People persist in believing this even though the romances they've had in their
own lives are never the same. Did your first love follow the same pattern as the
love you have with the person you later married? Did your flirtation with a guy
on the subway turn into a romance or into a pleasant memory or did you forget it
the moment you got off the train?
What makes each romance different, in our lives as well as in our fiction, is
who we are now. And who we are is a product of our age, our live experience, and
our environment.
Which is, oddly, why setting is so important to any romance. Navy Seals are
different from stockbrokers, in part, because of where they work. Drop your
average stockbroker into a war zone—with guns and bombs and
chaos—and that stockbroker might break. Drop your average Navy Seal into a
brokerage, and that Seal might go crazy with boredom.
I can tell you all that because you have an idea about war zones and brokerages.
But if I tell you about a space yacht—well, I better describe it. And if I
tell you about a world where assassination is legal and even encouraged in some
instances, I better make you believe it.
How?
Through something the science fiction people call world-building. It means,
simply, that I add details that make you think you're in a real world, even if
it's a made-up world. Full disclosure: all good writers do that. The small towns
of so many contemporary romances—all built from the ground up. The
difference between what a contemporary romance writer does and what I do in the
ASSASSINS IN LOVE series
is minimal. I get more credit because you've never been to anything like my
made-up world, but you've all been to a small town. The good writer makes her
small town distinct from all the other small towns.
And that's no simpler than describing a universe where space yachts travel
between planets and assassins ply their trade in seedy back rooms.
So yeah, you know that I'm making it all up. But that's what we fiction writers
do. We lie for a living. Which means we have to be good at spinning our little
fables or you won't read our work.
I've had thirty years of fable-spinning in a variety of genres under an entire
pack of names. (You can find out more at KrisDelake.com.) I like world-building, and I love romance.
I finally had a chance to combine them in ASSASSINS IN LOVE.
Do you agree with Kris on imaginary worlds off-planet or on a cruise ship as
perfect settings for a romance? two commenters will win a copy of ASSASSINS IN LOVE US /
Canada shipping only.
Comments
25 comments posted.
Re: Kris DeLake | Romance and Imaginary Worlds
The whole romance that is being written is made up and to have the world around it all made up then that makes me use my imagination that much more. When I start to read a story like this ,I go into it knowing it's all made up so I won't be comparing time periods or anything. Just enjoying my read. Thanks
(Margie Gagarin 6:59am March 21, 2012)
Kris, Imagination is a wonderful thing so it really doesn't matter where you set your story line. It could be in the middle of the solar system or on a cruise...It's the way you word things and set the story that is wonderful.
(Bonnie Capuano 9:00am March 22, 2012)
I love different worlds so definitely enjoy reading books about cruises and off-planets... I still need my HEAs though... :)
(May Pau 9:09am March 22, 2012)
Romances are great because they can be in any setting
(Pam Howell 9:23am March 22, 2012)
I love reading romances because they can take place right at
home or any place else the author decides.
(Mary Hay 10:47am March 22, 2012)
I'm a closet trekkie, so romance in space sounds great to me!
(Rebecca Whitehead-Schwarz 11:17am March 22, 2012)
I love to see where an author's imagination will go... what worlds are created for us to visit... but I am always looking for that HEA.
(Colleen Conklin 1:23pm March 22, 2012)
Cruise ship definitely, when there's no body it's easy to get away with murder.
(Anne Muller 1:57pm March 22, 2012)
i'm a sci-fi geek so to speak so other world sounds interesting, but any place is
good for a romance if its written well :)
(Andrea Amy 2:08pm March 22, 2012)
I can't say that I've ever had the pleasure of reading a romance that was set in an imaginary world setting, so I don't have anything to compare it to. After reading your posting today, I am convinced that you are to be put on my TBR list. I would love to get my hands on your book!! I loved your posting, and found it to be enjoyable and from the heart. I have to commend whomever did the cover of your book. They did a great job as well. It's sexy without being over the top!! I don't mean it as an insult in any way. It's a cover that will attract attention. Congratulations on what I'm sure will be another best-seller, and will attract some new readers - like me!!
(Peggy Roberson 3:22pm March 22, 2012)
When I think of cruise ship I think "summer romance" meaning temporary for
the length of the trip. Space ships have been in scifi for a long, long time.
Therefore I think your book sound great!
(Sandra Spilecki 4:18pm March 22, 2012)
I like paranormals the most.
(Lori Belcher 5:20pm March 22, 2012)
I think most romance stories do take place in small town settings, and a cruise ship, or space ship, or on another planet would be a less common setting, especially in an imaginary world and makes it even more interesting to read. Love your cover and your book sounds fantastic!
(Linda Luinstra 5:24pm March 22, 2012)
I like to read romances that take place in small communites. They all pitch in to help one another. Book sounds great,Thanks for giving me a chance to win your book.
(Linda Hall 5:57pm March 22, 2012)
Great idea to have imaginary world settings!! This sounds like the book I'd like to read!
(Rich Cook 6:54pm March 22, 2012)
sounds like a great book and i put it on my wish list!!
(Jennifer Beck 7:55pm March 22, 2012)
I like that romances can be set anywhere.
(Cheryl McEwen 8:40pm March 22, 2012)
For me, the setting can be wildly imaginative as long as the
romance believably pulls me in.
(Jan D 8:40pm March 22, 2012)
Settings add to the romance which can take place anywhere.
(Mary C 9:30pm March 22, 2012)
I think those sound like fun places to read about. I could see a romance
set there! I used to love watching Stargate, and there were both romance
and action on that show. Why not in a romance novel? Sounds fun- can't
wait to read it!
(Debbie Burdeen 11:56pm March 22, 2012)
Either setting would work for me dependent upon the story and the depth of the world building. The off world could be so much more exciting with the right storyline.
(Lisa Kendall 12:07pm March 23, 2012)
As you mentioned, every fiction author has to do a certain amount of world building, but for a fantasy writer it must be a lot more involved and difficult. The plus side is undoubtedly that you can truly make it into a world you of your own. So I hope you had a lot of fun with it. Are you planning to make this into a series?
(Sigrun Schulz 12:23pm March 23, 2012)
I think they would be interesting settings, but could not limit them perfect settings for romance...it would depend on my mood and the storyline.
(G. Bisbjerg 12:44pm March 23, 2012)
My favorite romance stories always happen in different interesting places exactly because I think they are fascinating. Romance can happen anywhere, so why not on a cruise ship or space ship?
(Alyssa m 9:19pm March 23, 2012)
I like settings which are well rounded, so as long as the romance is sprinkled throughout, you've got me.
(Alyson Widen 5:15pm March 24, 2012)
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