After all the strange merchandise that Summit came up with after New Moon (remember the Quileute packing tape?), I'm looking forward to seeing what they try to sell us for Eclipse. Maybe meadow-inspired shag rugs for our rooms? To recreate the meadow scenes?
I like the meadow rug. I'd probably buy one, and we can get a Manllow to go with it.
That's perfect! Maybe we should open our own Eclipse Etsy Shop? I'm sure we can come up with more... like gold bedding to recreate the Leg Hitch?
And the Manllow. To recreate the leg hitch. *wink*
Hmm, how about a space heater with the wolf pack on it? It can be part of a full line of camping gear. The tent will havesilhouettes of Edward, Jacob, and Bella on the outside.
And an Edward Cullen sleeping bag to go with the Manllow. Oh sorry, I'm on the inside of the tent.
Don't we all wish.
Yes, actually, quite often.
Anyway... we could also have a full body-pillow Jacob to stuff inside the sleeping bags. For when you get cold.
We keep coming back to the Manllow. I almost feel bad that I mocked it. ALMOST.
Summit is SO not above whoring their actor's likenesses. I'm surprised there isn't already an officially licensed Jacob body pillow.
We could also sell dog beds to put outside of the tent. *still inside the tent*
*snort* I love it. Of course, I never was Team Jacob...
Other items: Ceremonial Third Wife Hunting Knives, lighters with "Burn the Pieces" engraved on them, and Quileute ace bandages. (Summit can use the same printing they used on the packing tape.) Oh, and how about some animal repellent spray? For when stray dogs get a little too friendly? *snicker*
So, did we forget anything? What would you like us to handcraft for you in our *fake* Etsy store?
I can't help but notice that while fantasy is booming in YA, it's still not very prevalent in adult literature. It seems that there's a ton of alternate universes in popular young adult titles. I love that, since fantasy is my favorite genre. Why aren't mythical creatures booming in the adult section?
Right, because in adult fiction, fantasy seems to only be in the ROMANCE sextion. And that usually scares me off, while YA fantasy is "safe." Okay, sometimes too safe. *cough* fade to black *cough*
*giggle* "Sextion"! Maybe we shouldn't discuss adult lit. I don't think we're grown up enough to read it... *wink*
Anyway, does that mean that as adults Romance and Fantasy are the same? Being swept off your feet is akin to meeting a talking unicorn?
Um... what kind of unicorns are you talking about? *grins*
*snort* I meant like... Well.. Maybe that was a Freudian slip.
*nods knowingly* But, getting back to what you said about unicorns... I think that might be part of it. Could it also be that publishers don't think fantasy will be marketable with out the rippling abs on the cover?
Maybe, but I think it sells readers short to assume that we'll only want to suspend our belief in reality if it includes ripped bodices.
I wonder if maybe we're missing some great new adult fantasy books out there. Like Christopher Moore, for example. I haven't read his books, but I am intrigued. And we've all read Sookie. I looked for similar stories (without half-bared breasts on the cover) after I finished that series, but found none.
But Sookie IS kinda a romance...
Yes, Sookie is romance, but it's not over the top... unless you count book four. The thing is, a book can be sexy without being PORNOGRAPHIC.
True. And I do read some great adult fantasy. Terry Goodkind, Neil Gaiman, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Guy Gavriel Kay, Diana Gabaldon, Douglas Adams, and Anne Bishop are all AMAZING authors. Who aren't really part of our "popular" fiction lexicon.
I feel like these authors gain underground followings, but never quite make it to mainstream glory. You'll never see them as part of Oprah's Book Club.
Good point. Sometimes I forget those authors exist. (Except Neil Gaiman. I could never forget him.)
It's almost like there's something illicit about adult fantasy. You forget about it because it's not a tearjerker about the realities of war or a gritty crime drama. THOSE are the books that get all the attention.
I can understand that young readers may be more willing to suspend belief in reality, but I can't help but feel that as an adult I need to suspend my belief in reality far more than they do. I know how awful the real world is. Is a faerie queen on the NYT Bestseller's List too much to ask?
Maybe the fantasy-book-lovers are more of the fringe. I wonder if the boom in fantasy YA lit is going to change the landscape of adult lit as those readers mature. (Unless they just continue to read YA, like we do.)
*raised eyebrow* Are you implying that we are somehow outside of society's bell curve? *looks around at graphic novels, Twi-gear, and PS3 games littering my living room* Okay, I can see it.
So, how about this? What if the Whimsical Fic readers pick an adult (but not porn/romance/rippling-abs-on-the-cover) fantasy book for me to read. I'll read it and report back on a Reading Rainbow!
sidebra with unicorn horns: Just so you all know, I've already read the Black Dagger Brotherhood (or some of them). And I do consider that to be a little over the top - too far into the romance sextion. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy them... *ahem* but I want to stay in the Sookie realm of "adult."
Graceling,my debut novel, is the story of Katsa, who has been able to kill people with her bare hands since she was eight. Katsa lives in the seven kingdoms, where very occasionally, a person is born with an extreme skill called a Grace. Gracelings are feared and exploited in the seven kingdoms, and none moreso than Katsa, who's expected to do the dirty work of torture and punishment for her uncle, King Randa. But then she meets a mysterious stranger named Po, who is also a Graced fighter and the first person ever to challenge her in a fight. The two form a bond, and each discovers truths they never imagined about themselves, each other, and a terrible danger that is spreading slowly through the seven kingdoms.
I fell in love with this book right away because the premise was so new to me. Gracelings were fascinating to me, especially Katsa and her Grace. (She definitely falls into the Chicks Who Can Kick Our Asses file folder.) Graceling is set in a fictional world filled with evil kings, funny and sweet princes, and, of course, a swoon-worthy guy. He first shows up as a "mysterious stranger," and who among us doesn't love that?
One of my favorite things about this book was watching Katsa's extremely tough exterior start to break down as her relationship with Po (mysteriously stranger no more) begins to unfold. But even as she gives in to love, she does not lose her strength or her self. She never gives up, and I love that about her character.
In addition to a strong heroine and a sweet love story, this book also has a good story at the base of all of that. Filled with intrigue, mystery, and deceptions, it will definitely keep you turning the pages. So, if you love a good fantasy book, definitely add Graceling to your list. And, you might as well add Fire, also by Kristin Cashore, for all the same reasons. They are both great reads.
After all the strange merchandise that Summit came up with after 
I like the meadow rug. I'd probably buy one, and we can get a Manllow to go with it.
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