Monday 15 July 2013

Accessible Fantasy @mystiparker @melangebooks

Today I have Mysti Parker visiting, so over to you Mysti.


Accessible Fantasy

I write fantasy romance. Like all cross-genre authors, I hope to appeal to fans of both genres. From reviews received, I think I’ve been largely successful in that, though most favorable comments come from the romance side. Many readers express an initial skepticism, saying they haven’t read a great deal of fantasy, but they found the Tallenmere series really enjoyable, that it proved to be “accessible”.

What did they mean by accessible? Certainly not wheelchair ramps into the public buildings of Leogard (though someone should really bring that matter to King Leopold’s attention). Accessible in terms of this series means the reading experience itself. The fantasy elements aren’t heavy. You don’t have to rely on a glossary in the back of the book to remember the names of people and places. You won’t have to wade through pages of backstory or explanation. As one reader put it, this series doesn’t “detail you to death”.

Unlike some of the more epic fantasy, there are enough real-world references to keep you grounded so you won’t have to wrap your brain around entirely new settings while you keep up with the story. Yet, the fantasy is there. It’s in Caliphany’s bad-ass fire magic (made even badder when she combines it with a well-aimed arrow). It’s in Serenya’s transformation into something deadly, yet beautiful. It’s in Loralee’s healing Spark and Sir Robert’s many paladin talents. It’s in the gods and goddesses, the necromancers and vampires, and the dragons on their hidden island.

Cross-genre books aren’t a new phenomena, but authors are experimenting with them more than ever before. Romance in particular is being reborn into a myriad of unique combinations. Whether you’re more a fan of romance or fantasy, give the Tallenmere series a try and let me know what you think. Did the fantasy or romance appeal to you more?

Q&A: What genre combinations are your favorites? What combinations would you like to see more of in the future?



Bio:
Mysti Parker (pseudonym) is a full time wife, mother of three, and a writer. Her first novel, A Ranger's Tale was published in January, 2011 by Melange Books, and the second in the fantasy romance series, Serenya's Song, was published in April 2012. The highly anticipated third book, Hearts in Exile, has already received some great reviews. The Tallenmere series has been likened to Terry Goodkind's 'Sword of Truth' series, but is probably closer to a spicy cross between Tolkien and Mercedes Lackey.

Mysti's other writings have appeared in the anthologies Hearts of Tomorrow, Christmas Lites, and Christmas Lites II. Her flash fiction has appeared on the online magazine EveryDayFiction. She has also served as a class mentor in Writers Village University's six week free course, F2K. 

Mysti reviews books for SQ Magazine, an online specfic publication, and is the proud owner of Unwritten, a blog voted #3 for eCollegeFinder's Top Writing Blogs award. She resides in Buckner, KY with her husband and three children.

Contact the Author:
Twitter @MystiParker

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***Tour-Wide Drawing***

 Buy one copy (print or electronic) of Hearts in Exile at Melange Books, Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, or All Romance E-Books, and you'll be entered into a drawing to win this BIG prize pack:

Dragon Necklace, I
Dragons Tote Bag, This Gal (or Guy) Loves Dragons T-shirt, Hearts in Exile Notebook, $10 Amazon Gift Card, and set of three signed playlist postcards.










To enter, just purchase a copy of Hearts in Exile from any of the online retailers above, and email your receipt to ME at this email: mystiparker@yahoo.com. Drawing to be held on August 1, and it's open worldwide!!!




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