Friday, January 19, 2007

Dragons and Damsels

About a month ago, I decided I wasn't really cut out to write erotic romance; decided to give it up. Even began to doubt that I should even be writing romance at all--what does a curmudgeonly old divorcee know about romance anyway? I was out of my element. Let the sweet & soft types take care of that; I'm too mean.

But... I just can't resist a challenge. I recently saw a call for submissions due by March 2, 2007 for a dragon anthology. The catch, of course, is that it has to be a romance with a dragon theme. Having read other books by this publisher (I have friends who write for them--Samhain Publishing--print and e-books) I can pretty much bet that most of the submissions they'll receive will be shapeshifting dragon erotic romances. (Are you listening Stewart?) The rest are likely to be epic adventures featuring dragons who aid the lovely or handsome princess/queen or prince/king in their quests.

My dragon? His name is Herschel and he's a bit of a hypochondriac. Somehow I suspect they're not going to buy it... :o)

9 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

Trying something different is a kind of roll of the dice, but if you win you can win big, and your story will certainly stand out from the pack. I admire your sense of experimentation.

RK Sterling said...

Thanks, Charles. I think that's partly how I got the other contract; it was a similar situation. The anthology featured gods & goddesses granting mortals wishes at a masquerade, and most had written stories about having affairs with the gods, so I decided to do something different. It paid off that time; not sure about now. If nothing else, I'm having fun with my neurotic dragon. I may just keep him to myself. :)

Stewart Sternberg (half of L.P. Styles) said...

You know, speaking of dragons with a slightly offbeat feel to it, have you ever read any of the Myth Adventures? I think they are written by Robert Asprin. Then there are the chuckleheaded Piers Anthony series.

I love when fantasy is twisted and turned around..a fractured fairytales take.

I get tired of a hundred writers rushing in to fill the wake of one writer forging ahead with something original.

If you ever want me to read and critique a short story, let me know. Always happy to offer another pair of eyes.

Stewart Sternberg (half of L.P. Styles) said...

Okay Kate,at your prodding I am currently playing with an outline for the thirty thousand word story about romance and a dragon. When I get the outline done, then I'll think about whether or not I want to devote the effort of turning it into a story.

Stewart Sternberg (half of L.P. Styles) said...

See what power you hold?

RK Sterling said...

LOL, but no power near as great as yours, Oh Great Guru of the Blog World. :)

It's a little after 7 am here and I've been up for two hours working on another dragon story. I've decided the other is more of a YA story and have an idea for another more suited to Samhain.

So you outline first, huh? This time I just dove right in, but will need to outline a bit soon since I'm only slightly aware of where it's going, and it could end up longer than 30K if I'm not careful.

Glad to know you are thinking of giving it a try--it could be fun. Mine might even have some swordbuckling--you mentioned how you missed it on Charles's blog. :)

Thanks for the offer to critique, by the way, I appreciate it and may take you up on it sometime. Haven't read Myth Adventures; will have to check those out.

Sidney said...

Go for it guys. Trying something different can be loads of fun!

Anonymous said...

What doesn't a curmudgeonly divorcee know about romance? You've seen the entire notion from start to finish, and viewed new lovers going into relationships from every spot therein. I'd say you know way more than the doe-eyed softies.

I love the hypochondriac dragon idea. You can do a whole series of dragons with mental issues. The next can be a claustrophobic agoraphobe; the dragon that's afraid to leave his cave, but can't breathe when he's inside.

Seriously, good luck. It's a novel approach. Even if you don't win, you can be happy in the knowledge you didn't take the easy way out.

RK Sterling said...

LOL, Avery, I love that idea--I may have to steal it, and give a new slant to the story. Maybe she's a dragon therapist. :)

As for knowing more than the doe-eyed softies, I think that's just the problem: I know too much. :)