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vampires

Understanding Urban Fantasy Fiction & the Importance of Diversity

December 8, 2022 By Tina Glasneck

What if magic existed, as well as the supernatural and paranormal, only hidden?

Welcome to Urban Fantasy, a genre that has it all.

When I say Urban Fantasy, you might think of The Chicagoland Vampire series by Chloe Neill or the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. It’s where the supernatural is real, in the shadows, and fantasy collides with a contemporary setting.

Urban Fantasy, though, also offers so much more.

What is Urban Fantasy?

But first, what is Urban Fantasy?

Urban fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is set in a contemporary, urban setting. This type of fiction often features supernatural elements, such as vampires, werewolves, and other creatures hidden among the human population. The stories often revolve around the conflict between these supernatural beings and humans and may explore themes of good vs. evil, the supernatural in everyday life, and the power of belief.

Diversity in Urban Fantasy

I like to think of it as we find the magic into “the every day,” along with the problems of what it might mean if that secret is revealed to the mass population. Although Urban Fantasy is similar to paranormal romance, paranormal romance focuses on the romance of the couple, while Urban Fantasy spotlights more of the mystery, suspense, and horror elements of the genre.

Representation Matters

Representation in fiction is important, as we all wish to see ourselves in the worlds we read about.

I choose to write diverse characters, as the characters that come forth often appear as a part of my life. It is me, seeing myself as a black woman in an urban setting with magic being real and everything possible. Sure, in fiction, this evil can be metaphorical, but writing urban fantasy also gives me the power to come up with applicable solutions to defeat a big bad in a book that might not be as conquered in my reality.

I write a world in which I am a part, one that is filled with diverse and interesting characters.

Diversity is not a monolith

No culture or people group is a monolith. I write from my experiences, my joy, and my happiness. You might even say, it’s my divine magical spark. Life peppers my fiction (but fiction the stories remain).

There is another reason that diversity is so important. It allows readers an opportunity to see also themselves, their worldviews, and their experiences reflected in the stories they read. Even more, we can learn about others by reading stories outside our everyday purview. Therefore, such reading can also help to broaden readers’ understanding of the world and promote empathy and understanding. When diverse characters are included in urban fantasy stories, it can add depth and richness to the narrative and make the story more relatable and engaging for a wider range of readers.

Urban Fantasy casts spells on us daily. Through those tales, we find magic, conjure up a bit of magic, and come to terms with ways to defeat the threat of evil. We can take strength. We hold onto the beauty of these tales, the passions they stir, and the calls to an adventure we hear. Through the lessons, we learn to live authentically, never cowering to the threat of evil in this reality, even if we can’t all be drafted into a werewolf v. vampire war.

Filed Under: writing Tagged With: conflict with humans, contemporary city, contemporary fantasy, creatures, good v evil, magic, Paranormal Romance, supernatural elements, supernatural fantasy, themes of belief and power, urban fantasy, vampires, werewolves, witches

Christmas in July with A Half-Cocked Vampire

July 19, 2022 By Tina Glasneck

I’m so happy to reveal the new look for A Half-Cocked Vampire in time for Christmas in July!

But wait there’s even more

The entire Order of the Dragon series has been revamped and separated into different sections (as the series as a whole was getting too long).

Now, you’ll find the main stories will be in the Order of the Dragon series, including Zero Hour, Once Bitten, Twice as High, Three Little Words, A Half-Cocked Vampire, and Four Times the Fight.

I’ve newly created the Order of the Dragon Series: Side Quest. Here you’ll find all of the amazing in-between books like A Vampire Gives No Quarter, Bite Me, and A Vampire’s Blessing. This series will celebrate not only Leslie but others in the series, like Claudine, and can be read in any order.

Lastly, with the successful Kickstarter, we’ve started a new series with the wolves, and it is called The Order of the Dragon Wolf’s Den: Decadence Series. Here you’ll find the sexy PNRs with the wolves, which includes the forthcoming Make Me Howl and Charming Like A Wolf.

At this time, splitting up the series allows us to have the same heat, expectations across series, and cover design branding. The cover for Charming Like A Wolf will also be updated soon to reflect this new branding.

Yes, it’s a lot, but it will make it much better! Yay!

I hope you will dive into this secret paranormal world! Welcome to the supernatural!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: A Half-Cocked Vampire, cover reveal, Order of the dragon series, urban fantasy, Vampire, vampires, witches

Three Little Words: A Series filled with Mythology and Lore

February 14, 2021 By Tina Glasneck

What a storm! An ice storm ripped through my area, and we were without power for a bit. But it gave me time to re-read Three Little Words.

The Order of the Dragon Series

The great thing about writing books is that I always have something to read. This weekend, I decided to dive back into my Order of the Dragon series. This fun urban fantasy series stars a novice vampire, who always seems to find herself in one pickle or another.

Each book in the series, of course, helps to take her along, and the reader discovers more about her and her new world, just as she does. As a woman in her mid to late thirties, well, she has a lot to say. Yes, the snark ensues, and her ghostly Gran and sister are their for the ride into the supernatural.

Yesterday, I decided to reread my book, Three Little Words.

Slow burn romance, Urban Fantasy action adventure, character and world growth!

Three Little Words!

OMG! Can I just say how much I loved this book (and not because I wrote it)? I totally loved how everything was tied up, but there is still so much happening in the world, and the slow burn romance between Leslie and Alistair!

I also can’t wait for the author (ahem, me), to reveal more about what is going on with Claudine!

So, I pulled out this excerpt for your reading pleasure.

Excerpt from Three Little Words

Let me set the scene. We are at Leslie’s birthday party, when sh*t is about to get real:

A deafening gust of wind whipped into the room like someone had opened a portal, genie’s bottle, heck, for all I knew it was a storm in a bottle unleashed.

       The laughter turned to screams as a piercing, maniacal cry moved into the space. “Summoned by thee, summoned three, destruction bringeth we.” Three apparitions whipped into the apartment. Their ragged black capes fluttered behind them, and with gnarled claws bearing silver blades on their fingertips, they moved outward and attacked. Some they held in a beam of light, as if sucking the life from them, while their victims remained standing, paralyzed. I watched one Rudy Rupert change—his face turned from healthy, blushing red, to white, to now gray. His cheeks slowly sank in.

       The room moved in slow motion. With all the power present, our will to survive should have sent us into overload. Instead, I turned and saw Alistair push forward ultra-slowly, knocking the old table over that took forever to crash onto the antique carpet.

       But they must have only been the appetizer to destruction. Then entered what must have been a man dressed up like a white rabbit. His costume was stained with dirt as if he’d crawled out of a grave. The stench of decomposition mixed with old blood. His neck hung at an odd angle. His abdomen exploded, and a blood-soaked goblin stepped out. The rabbit crashed to the floor, unmoving.

Covered in glopping goop, this goblin’s body was as slick as a dolphin’s. Every muscle and connecting tissue was visible, like a human body had been turned inside out. Hairless, his face was pulled tightly, his eyes wide apart, his teeth pointy and sharp. Just like the wraiths, his long fingers resembled talons with blades as nails.

       “I’ve come to grant you a new life, just as you wished,” he croaked.

       “I didn’t summon you.”

       “Are you afraid?” he reached out a talon. “I can show you the life you were always meant to have. Come join me, Leslie.”

       I willed magic to appear, a ball of something to throw to protect those I loved. I turned to see Claudine cowering in the corner, Gran slowly shifting to her pirate form, Alistair still trying to move, and Killian even in the middle of a wolf transformation.

       “Does your magic not work?” He clicked two of his fingernails together, and the blades sparked until his hand glowed orange.

       “Let me fix that!” He impaled me with his burning hand. I threw my head back, pain consuming me as though the fire peeled off one layer of skin at a time. He lifted me high, and I looked him in the unflinching eye.

       “And you are the one to save us? How, when you can’t save yourself?”

       I raised my hands, and they glowed white.

       “Yes, we shall break you, Leslie.”

       He then slammed me down.

       I opened my mouth, and a roar erupted. My body convulsed in pain. Stretching out, I wrapped my hands around his wrist and watched it burn. Absorbing the power around me, every fiber of my being lit up until all that could erupt was the pain, the hurt, and a light I couldn’t control.

       The building shook, the windows cracked.

       “Leslie,” I heard Alistair yell my name, “No.”

       But it was too late. I’d said those three little words and f*cked us all.

***

Inspiration

One reason I love this series is that it combines different mythologies (this book in the series includes a tokoloshe from Zuli/Xhosa mythology, dryads from Greek mythology, Wendigo from the First Nation Algonquin tribes), our legends (for this one it includes the famous Vlad the Impaler), and stays faithful to the idea of the supernatural world being diverse, hidden, and multifaceted.

I can let my imagination run free.

With the ice storm leaving the area, I hope this week to again be able to dive into the next book in the series, Four Times the Fight, and keep the magic coming!

Woot!

Of course, if you haven’t read Three Little Words, then grab it and discover the rest of the series thus far!

Filed Under: Blog, vampire, vampire, writing Tagged With: Dracula, good urban fantasy, legends, mythology, vampires

Twice As High #1 New Release

December 5, 2019 By Tina Glasneck

I am so excited to share that currently, Amazon has gifted Twice as High with a highly coveted orange tag. It is a #1 New Release! 

Reviews are coming in, and readers seem to agree that they can’t get enough of Leslie and Gran!

“I have to say I love Leslie she is amazing and Gram well she cracks me up. Tina Glasneck writes amazing character’s and all of her stories are highly entertaining.” Elisa, Reviewer

““Twice as High” is a very entertaining and addictive tale; with fated mates, that may or may not be together, a ghost, a mystery to solve while supernatural forces are trying to kill you, it has the best of everything! Tina has created an original tale that is well-written with exciting well-developed and authentic characters. ” – Chef R., Reviewer

Here is the blurb:

A magical thief has stolen Poseidon’s trident. Poseidon has placed a bounty out on Leslie’s head, the vampire seer he holds responsible.

Leslie must join forces with her enemy to fight against the vampire horde after her.

It’s either kill or be killed.

And this time, the dead won’t rise.

The journey continues and I can’t wait to see what happens next! This book is widely available.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: dragons, magic, New Release, shifters, urban fantasy, vampires, werewolves

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