Category Archives: Between Land and Sea

Claiming Fantasy Hen Lit

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

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It’s officially mine.

After Googling “fantasy hen lit” and discovering my picture, the book cover of Between Land and Sea, and several images from my website on the first page of search results, I claimed the new sub-genre as my own.

A bit of history…

I never intended to write fantasy. I avoided books that featured werewolves, vampires, witches and other dark creatures and am probably one of the few people on this planet who could not read past Chapter 1 of the first Harry Potter novel. But after participating in a series of science fiction workshops, I decided to try my hand at light and breezy fantasy with inspirational elements. Whenever I described my work to other writers in the workshop, they would frown and ask, “But what genre is that?”

Continue reading on Katie Teller’s blog.

Second Act Wisdom

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

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Reinvention is a predominant theme in my own life and that of my protagonist, Isabella of the Mediterranean Kingdom, a beautiful mermaid who is aged thirty years and given twenty extra pounds to carry. In keeping with this theme, I introduced a Second Acts series on my blog and invited several women to share their inspiring journeys.

Continue reading on the Soul Mate Author Group blog.

Introducing Fantasy Hen Lit!

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

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I’ve come across a lot of discussion lately about genre definitions. The debate has grown from writing in multiple genres to writing across genres. A fellow Soulie, Sandra Harris, got me to thinking about this with her post Cross Genre – Why Has It Taken So Long? and S.C. Mitchell wrote here about adding superheros to romances.

Today, we talk with Joanne Guidoccio, author of Between Land and Sea, for her take on the pros and cons of blending fantasy and romance:

“You’ll have to explain what that means.”

“I don’t think the hens will like it.”

“Huh?”

From the start, I knew there would be problems when I combined genres. Unlike other fantasy and science fiction writers, I did not want to focus exclusively on the out-of-world elements. Instead, I wanted to write the kind of fantasy I could actually sit down and read. I am one of the few people on this planet who could not read past Chapter 1 of the first Harry Potter novel, and I avoid books that feature werewolves, vampires, witches, and other dark creatures.

Continue reading on Kathy Bryson’s blog.