stephaniedraven.com » speculative fiction

Why Are Angels the New Trend in Spec Fic?

Stephanie Draven — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:00:02 +0000

I suspect Supernatural might have something to do with this, but it looks like the new trend is going to be angels. I personally find them more fascinating than vampires, but maybe that's just because of a certain angel in a trench coat. What interests me most about this is the socio-political implications:

"As we understand it, angel books are appealing to the same people who were reading so-called misery memoirs," says Michelle Pilley, MD and publisher of Hay House, which publishes angelic bestsellers by Jacky Newcomb and Doreen Virtue. Tales of tragic childhoods were big sellers in recent years, but since the recession sales of the genre have dropped dramatically. According to supermarkets, where misery memoirs have always sold strongly, the same readers have turned to angels instead. These angel books particularly appeal to people who do not feel a connection to traditional religion. "I think people find (angels) very approachable," says Pilley. "They're very accessible. People study the different archangels and their different attributes, and they feel they can have a direct personal connection to these angels in a way they may not be able to do with a God. You have personal (guardian) angels, who are (devoted to) you as an individual, and people without strong religious faith may not feel God has such a personal interest."

Excerpt Monday: Rites of Passage Part II

Stephanie Draven — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 06:33:03 +0000

Once a month, a bunch of authors get together and post excerpts from published books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You don't have to be published to participate–just a writer with an excerpt you'd like to share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the Excerpt Monday site! or click on the banner above.

Last Excerpt Monday I baffled, weirded out, and possibly tantalized readers with my creepy prologue to one of my many novels-in-progress. A fantasy novel with romantic elements, this story is founded on ancient medallion magic and features a young heroine who is married to a foreign lord against her will and learns that her worst enemy may be the one man she can trust. (Or something like that. I've still not mastered the logline to this story.)

CHAPTER ONE

As the shamans chanted, Taria tried not to choke on the stench of burning flesh. The flames beckoned with a promise of warmth, but these fires offered no comfort against the cold. They were funeral pyres, so Taria shied away so the spirits of the Ticanee dead could escape to a better place. A much better place.

She watched her tribesmen sway in grief beneath the totem poles, closing their eyes against every gust of frigid wind. But Taria’s eyes remained open, her blue gaze following the pillar of soot up into the winter sky. Overhead, Republic pilots held their griffon mounts in tight military formation on the wind. From so far away, the wings of the great creatures looked tattered and frayed, and she could barely see the men that rode them. She could not imagine the courage it would take to climb upon such a beast’s back and take to the skies, especially since, in Taria’s experience, nothing good ever came from above...

Check out this new fantasy by R. F. Long

Stephanie Draven — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:09:29 +0000

"The Scroll Thief: a Tale of Ithian" by R. F. Long Love is the wiliest thief of all. A Tale of Ithian Malachy and his sister rely on his talents as a thief to survive the dangerous streets of Klathport, former capital of the once-great kingdom of Ithian. Stealing a few papers should have been a simple job. Instead, it nearly costs their lives and throws them into an improbable alliance with a shape-shifting official, a desert tribeswoman, and a healer of enchanting beauty. Cerys is far more than a simple healer—and the roots of her mission go deeper into the past than anyone can know. She needs Malachy’s skills to recover a stolen scroll, one that can be used to rewrite history and, in the wrong hands, release the dark powers of the Demon Realm...

I’m a Supernatural Fan Girl

Stephanie Draven — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:39:50 +0000

At first, the CW's hit television show, Supernatural, didn't sound like something I'd like. I'm not big on episodic monster-killing dungeon crawls and a story about two brothers running from the law in a muscle car sounded like a throwback to the Dukes of Hazard. But upon the wildly enthusiastic recommendations of my friends and family, I rented the first season I'd missed and popped in the disk. Now, one thing Supernatural knows how to do is grab viewers with a stunning premise. A mother walking into her baby's room to find a dark stranger standing over the crib...it's iconic. The very first few minutes of that very first episode were so gripping that I was hooked. Sure, that first season was a little rocky. It was hard to swallow the idea that our heroes lived off of stolen credit cards and fake IDs, but the whole thing went down a lot smoother when I realized...

Is Flashforward Going to be the New Lost?

Stephanie Draven — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:35:47 +0000

Is ABC's Flashforward going to be the new Lost? Everyone seems to be asking this question, but they mean it in the good way. Yet, when I ask this question, it is with great trepidation...

Greek Mythology in HBO’s True Blood

Stephanie Draven — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:32:03 +0000

When I heard that Clash of the Titans was going to be remade, I said that I like to think that this is going to be a good year for Greek Myth inspired fiction. Now that HBO's True Blood is getting in on the act, I'm even more hopeful.