Science Fiction Romance. It's an odd combination. Somehow, science doesn't seem to immediately scream sexy. Maybe that's because a lot of us have been at Science Fiction conventions and know what everyone looks like.For the last two weekends, I've been at SF&F conventions here in Alberta. The topic of SFR came up last weekend during one of my panels. One thing that really stood out is that some of the female readers said that they got into science fiction because they had picked up a SFR in their youth.
Likewise, a couple of the men said that they ended up reading some romance novels because they had read a SFR and enjoyed the author, so read her other works.
Sometimes, I think we are so focused on labeling genres on "more", "less", "better", "stupid", we end up forgetting the entire range of personalities out there who might like things we don't.
First, anything that gets people to read more is a good thing. Does it really matter that a person is only reading "cheesy romances" or "silly SFR?" They are reading. Likewise, folks often read what they've been given by family and friends, often not moving beyond those genres. By exposing them to new literary possibilities, readers find themselves moving to new genres and, thus, new frontiers.
Krista D. Ball is a Canadian speculative fiction author who believes there should be a SF&F 'Con every single weekend. Check out her website at www.kristadball.com.
I'm biased; I think every novel should have more romance. ;)
ReplyDeleteAs with anything, it can be done well or poorly. Bad: inserting a lot of sex for its own sake, contributing nothing to the plot. Good: using romantic and sexual tension between the heroine and hero to add one more level of conflict to the book.
ReplyDeleteOh, I picked up a copy of Wicca Dog. :D
ReplyDeleteTere - I think every novel should have more explosions. I love explosions. Mmmm fireballs.
ReplyDeleteTara - mmmm sex. Oh, sorry, you were talking about sex for sex sake. mmmmmm sex.
I hope you enjoy Wicca Dog! Wicca Dog is actually Fred, a local border collie celebrity that, seriously, has more facebook fans than I do. It's really upsetting to be outclassed by a dog :)