Genre Conundrums

On Marketing Contemporary Fantasy Romance-Badly

I don’t want to get into the weeds here, googling genres and trying to figure out who can claim the “official” definitions. All I can tell you, is that I've had some struggles marketing my series because it’s technically a Contemporary Fantasy Romance. Not a Romantasy, not an Urban Fantasy, not a Paranormal Romance. No stabby FMCs or Shadow Daddies, no big city with underground supernatural factions, and no alpha werewolves.

Admittedly, I love wolves

So far, this seems to be just fine with most of my readers. Some, I’m sure, were disappointed to find none of the above in Caged in Silver and justifiably DNFed. And that’s understandable, seeing as I’ve used all of the above genres in my marketing. My series has elements of Romantasy, Urban Fantasy, and Paranormal Romance, and these are genres everyone has heard of.

The problem is, no one has heard of Contemporary Fantasy Romance. When I go to sign my book up for an SYKD or a promo, there’s no Contemporary Fantasy Romance category, no Contemporary Fantasy Romance on Amazon, and less than a thousand hits for #ContemporaryFantasyRomance on Instagram. I’m forced to default to one of the better known categories, even though it’s not a perfect fit, even though it’s misleading.

It’s disheartening, because the genre is exactly what The Secrets of Brownhill series is:

• Modern, real-world setting

• Supernatural elements (not limited to werewolves or vampires)

• Heavy focus on romance

I heard somewhere that Contemporary Fantasy is the new term for Urban Fantasy, with the intent of broadening the genre to include non-urban settings. Hence why it’s a perfect fit for my series. If only it were catching on. So spread the word! Tell everyone about Contemporary Fantasy Romance. Shout it from the rooftops, urban or otherwise. Let’s make this old genre something exciting and new! Or at the very least, a viable category on Amazon.

ARCS! ARCS! ARCS!!!!!

I’m searching for ARC readers for Harnessed in Gold. Right now! Here’s the link HiG ARC signup form so click on it. Right now! Arc copies will go out the week of July 19th and release day is August 10th.

Here’s the blurb (yes, I finally managed to write one!):

“You need to protect her, Sidhe. She doesn’t know half of what she can do.”

Betts Peterson is determined to find a purpose. But offering to use her psychic ability to help save the fae realm might not be the best place to start. Now she’s tied herself to what she fears most: her mysterious, uncontrollable power, and Leo Hawthorn, the faerie who broke her heart.

Yet Betts has no plans to back out, not when the ancient ways of the fae are under threat. If Brier Lynx, Nadar’s rising dictator, gets his hands on the faerie weapon hidden deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, he could destroy the sacred bond between fae and nature.

It’s a race against the enemy as Betts works side-by-side with her psychic and faerie friends to hunt down the weapon. The deeper into Brownhill’s unexplored corners the search takes them, the faster Brier’s team closes in. And as the heat builds between Betts and Leo, so do the questions about her power.

Is she the key to finding the weapon, or is she something more dangerous than either of them could’ve imagined?

Da Da Dunnnnnn

*If you haven’t read Caged in Silver, you’ll be lost in Harnessed in Gold. But you can get CiS on KU, and if you don’t have that, keep an eye out for some SYKDs coming at the end of July.

News and Updates:

• I’m editing like a madwoman so that Harnessed in Gold will be ready for release on August 10th, but you can preorder the ebook now. After the 10th it will also be available on KU and in paperback.

• Two of my dearest writer friends have recent new releases! I’ve read both of these books and loved them (make sure you check the content warnings, though)! Hush Little Angel by Pauline Walters and Shadow World by Dahlia Amy

Promos and Swaps:

This month’s feature is Visions and Lies by A.E. McKenna, because guess what? It’s about a psychic! Honestly both books in McKenna’s series look so good!

I’m also giving a shoutout to S.F. Fernandez and her book The Veiled Heir

And finally, this month’s BookFunnel promo Magical Romance. I have strong feeling if you like my series you’re going to like the books in this promo, so give it a browse!

That’s all for now. I’ve got to get back to editing. As always, thank you so much for reading!

💕Mara