While reading Laurell K. Hamilton’s new book SLAY, I started thinking about fantasy and fairytales. In Hamilton’s Anita Blake series, some characters (usually men) liken Anita to a princess. This never fails to annoy her to some degree. She will often respond to that comparison that she is more like the prince or brave knight in the story rather than the princess or damsel in distress. Certainly, in SLAY, Anita battles mythological beasts and endures things that normally test heroes in epic adventures. The main difference being that she battles alongside friends and fellow champions. So many readers tend to focus on the carnage or the sex scenes in these stories, but I would argue that love is a huge theme in these books. Hamilton writes about love between members of a created, rather than biological, family, as well as a sexual or romantic love shared between several members of a group. Those bonds are just as compelling and intriguing as those in a more traditional romance. Love is something that spurs the heroes in SLAY to protect and battle for. One of my favorite characters in this series makes such a powerful declaration of love, that is perhaps more…

Great romances often have a mythic underpinning that adds depth and resonance. So a road romance can echo The Odyssey or a Harlequin Presents can hark back to the universal themes of Cinderella. I believe readers, even if not consciously aware of these patterns, recognize the structure in their subconscious minds. So the satisfaction we get at the end of The Ugly Duckling when the duckling after all his trials turns into the beautiful swan is the same satisfaction we get at the end of a great love story where the plain governess snags the fabulously glamorous Regency rake who recognizes her inner beauty. One of my favorite fairytales is Beauty and the Beast so it’s no surprise it’s behind a lot of my stories. Beauty is a lot gutsier and more proactive than many fairytale heroines (I mean, Sleeping Beauty basically…sleeps!). Although she’s sure it means her death, Beauty offers herself up as the Beast’s prisoner to save her father. She’s also got some great values although perhaps a financial adviser mightn’t go astray. Still, it’s a lovely moment when after the sisters have asked for everything that walks and talks from their father, Beauty asks for nothing more…