♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦
Topic #320
What is your favorite genre to read/watch (movies/tv)? Any book recommendations?
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Fantasy has always been my favorite genre, whether that is film, television, or books. It drives my car, so to speak. I don’t hide the fact, either. I am an out and proud geek! That’s been the truth since childhood.
In particular, I tend toward dark fantasy and horror genres–something decidedly paranormal. A good ghost story has always kept me gassed up. Conversing about the topic, reading, or watching really does energize me. Do you have any great ghost stories to share? Leave me a comment below, because I do want to hear about it! My personal experiences are shared on social media, like TikTok, and, as you know, culminated in the writing of my dark fantasy paranormal series.
On top of that, I adore anything pagan or witchy. My own practice drives that. Getting back to the roots of my ancestry and taking back the culture that power hungry religion tried to bull doze under really aligns well with my history in history, too. Fantasy, after all, is often portrayed in the caveats of some ancient happenings. Look to Lord of the Rings, for instance. Even the modern set Percy Jackson takes its base from mythology–a historical matter.
To me, fantasy and history deeply twine, creating a knotwork of storytelling. Think about the ways that Jules Verne inspired the future through futuristic visions now viewed as historically embedded fantasy. Without Jules where would Steampunk be? I cannot recommend his books enough because of this intermingling of all things nerdy.
My television and film preferences also fall into these categories. I highly recommend the Freud series that is on Netflix, Umbrella Academy, and Supernatural. In fact, I think they should really create a genre list labelled geek and start stuffing all the epic titles in there: comic books, superhero, steampunk… but, then again, it would literally just be the same bookstore, library, channel, but called geek. That’s because fandoms cross every topic.
Another genre that I gravitate toward is true crime. You might think, at first glance, that this has nothing to do with the others I favor, but you’d be missing the historical and dark horror aspects of most true crime. After all, murder has dark fantasy paranormal tinges to it (ghosts and psychos), as well historical components (documentary). It also crosses into thriller territory.
While it may not be comfortable to really think about the fact that a psychotic killer is out there right now doing their work, stories about these acts still appeal to a lot of us. These documentaries have always helped me round out my nefarious characters. I don’t play the redeemable bad guy game, as it’s a heavily played out trope. My experiences in life have shown me the darkest of humanity, and that idea just doesn’t make sense to me. Perhaps it is better applied to average people with average foibles; the soldier who wrestles with having killed; or the adulterous spouse.
The main reason that I wrote my series was because I had yet to see all of these things brought together in one story. At least, I had not seen it in the way that it played out in my dreams and nightmares. Thank you Mary Shelley for letting me know that dreams can be a resource for our work, as well. Without her or James Cameron who brought us The Terminator (1984), who knows where that story would be now.
I highly recommend reading Jules Verne and Frankenstein. In fact, read Dracula by Bram Stoker, too. Then watch everything Jim Henson. Consume a bunch of comic book stuff. At the end of all of that, you’ll find me.
Click on the links below to find out the answers the other authors in our hop have…
I love writing Steampunk, there’s the freedom to start from what is known and take it in so many directions. You can add any other genre to it as well, from crime to dystopia, romance to the thrill of adventure. All set in a land that’s strangely familiar and how our world might have been.
I cannot wait to get started on the next leg of Trailokya, which will take a Steampunk turn. I’m truly excited about it.
I love comic cons. (and just about every kind of con that is out there.) The mix of people and fandoms is fascinating.
I often watch true crime documentaries, but not fantasy.