Remember when the words ‘summer vacation’ were synonymous with ‘long lazy days’, ‘zero responsibilities’, ’being totally carefree’?
Well those days aren’t even a speck in the rear-view mirror anymore. At least not for me. Juggling work and family and the stuff you can’t plan for doesn’t leave much time to laze about.
Going into this past summer I had a plan, like I always do. Family, work, writing (writing and more writing), blogging, reading, travel, renovations… It was all going to get done. Did it happen? Not so much. It’s amazing how something as simple as the tilt of the planet as it orbits a star can throw everything off so completely.
It’s put me in a funk that not even my usual reading can shift. If I could read more than a chapter at a time before I’m disturbed, that is.
I realized that I’m utterly sick of reading about alpha male billionaires who command the world but can’t figure out his own feelings. Vampires, were-anythings, and basically any other paranormal being, their soul mates and their joined destiny are no longer attention grabbing. Stories where people find love in a ravaged post-apocalyptic world aren’t nearly as fascinating as they used to be. (Though in writing this I felt a little spark of inspiration to write a paranormal post-apocalyptic tale about a billionaire were-vampire-some little known mythological being and his plucky soul mate and their love/hate relationship. It needs some fleshing out but it would be totally awesome.) And don’t even get me started on zombies.
So if anyone can think of a great story that includes none of these or even with these elements that breaks from the regular tropes please let me know!
You know, I love you more every day! LOL
One of the reasons I started writing the Stellarnet Series was TWILIGHT. I am sick to death of vamp-were-zom-things too. I hate to admit it, but I’m getting a bit tired out with romance, as well. I’m starting to like gritty, unconventional love stories more, or love stories wrapped around a good plot, and idealized, angsty, self-absorbed, navel-gazing love stories much less than I used to. I blame turning 40 last year.
You know I feel the same way! LOL! Twilight…I really have no more words about it. I feel like I’ve been ranting about it for years. I don’t care so much if a story is a romance or not just as long as it has fleshed out characters and a story that I can get lost in. I’ll love a book if there’s something fresh about it whether it’s an unconventional romance or a new twist on an old trope. Just give me something different!