One of the most common questions authors face is a deceptively difficult one to answer: “Where do you get your ideas?” Yet, the answers to that common question can be almost as interesting as the resulting story. Welcome to You’re My Inspiration, a column dedicated to discovering what inspires a particular author and their work. Whether it be a lifelong love of mythical creatures, a fascinating bit of history, or a trip to a new and exciting place, You’re My Inspiration is all about those special and sometimes dark things that spark ideas and result in great stories.
This week, we bring you Speculative Chic editor J.L. Gribble, author of the Steel Empires urban fantasy series, who is celebrating the special edition release of the first book, Steel Victory!
Open-World Urban Fantasy
Multiple ways exist to describe my alternate history urban fantasy books, the Steel Empires series, but one I often default to hits on a significant element of how the series differs from a lot of urban fantasy.
A world where magic and the supernatural exists: Except, instead of only “special people” knowing about it…absolutely everybody does.
It’s not in the majority, but “open-world” urban fantasy does exist beyond my little corner of fiction. There are perks and drawbacks, particular problems and unique solutions to writing both open-world and “secret world” urban fantasy, and choosing which one fits the specific story you want to tell is an important consideration when planning a work. In my case, my series would not work without that open existence. And as with all writing, I enjoy looking to genre masters for guidance while writing in this niche.
Minor spoilers below that should not affect the enjoyment of any of the series discussed.
Closest to the Familiar
I have a weakness for the “declassification” trope in science-fiction and fantasy fiction. Jumping to that point in the first book of the series is an exciting choice made in Carrie Vaughn’s Kitty the Werewolf series, Kitty and the Midnight Hour. By the end of the first book, listeners to a particular radio station know something is definitely out of the ordinary. By the end of the second book, the secret is out in video form, and the wider world knows about the existence of vampires and werecreatures.
Based on her profession and relationship with the exposure events, Kitty becomes a bit of a spokesperson for the supernatural world. The books vary between highlighting this role, such as when Kitty is invited to be on a reality television series about supernatural creatures living together (one of my favorites in the series, despite the way that sentence describes it), to focusing on Kitty’s more local life, dealing with the werewolf pack and building a family. I enjoy the series emphasis on Kitty as a person who happens to be a werewolf, and thus must deal with issues beyond those of the majority of the ordinary humans around her. As an open-world fantasy, the world itself grows with the main character.
Just Different Enough
A vital element I try to maintain in my writing is “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Jordan L. Hawk’s SPECTR series highlights this exceptionally well with the dual emphasis on prejudice and bureaucracy. In this world, a small percentage of humans are born with various psychic abilities; as in most cases where anyone is slightly “different,” the rest of the world does it’s best to oppress and “other” them. Hawk’s character Caleb’s experience with this prejudice is frustrating and, unfortunately, lends a certain element of realism to the worldbuilding.
The other major element of supernatural in this series is demon non-human entity possession, and where there’s a problem, there’s a government agency to deal with it. Strategic Paranormal Entity ConTRol (or SPECTR) might be in charge of protecting humanity from literally being eaten by other-dimensional creatures, but the agents still have to deal with paperwork, terrible bosses, and bad office coffee. It’s those little things that root even the most ridiculous fantasy element in such a way that any reader can relate to it.
Adding a Touch of Alternate History
Ilona Andrews’ Hidden Legacy series is a perfect example of the limitations of modern publishing. The covers scream typical romance, but the books feature some of the most solid urban fantasy writing I’ve ever come across. The romance elements would not exist with the fantastical elements, but plenty of family drama, epic conflict, and magical shenanigans accompany the romance.
The first book in this series includes a short introduction to the world, a quick explanation of why certain people enjoy special abilities based on an event in the nineteenth century. Then, the action of the series takes place in a contemporary Houston filled with such familiar faces as Instagram, brand-name designers, and U.S. government institutions. The actual years in between are never the focus of the books, which means the readers get throw-away mentions of modern conflicts in Central America and that there was only one world war, rather than two. This sort of subtle historical information makes the reader think, but it never interrupts the flow of the story.
Alas, the alternate history in my book series is not quite as subtle, leading me to one of my biggest influences as a writer.
Everything is Crazy and I Love It
The Kate Daniels series, also by Ilona Andrews, is a near-future mess of a world. Magic exists, technology is dying, gods walk the earth, pre-history is not quite as we know it. The action of the books surrounds Kate Daniels, but also spreads to embrace her found family.
Anything goes in this series, from Kate’s unique magical heritage to her giant attack poodle (who might have some magic of his own) to her continually shifting relationships with the major powers of the city, including the werecreatures and vampires (neither of which are the likes you’ve seen before). Each book in the series is more epic than the last, which gave me the courage to continually up the ante in my writing.
The days of traditional genre tropes are coming to a close, and I’m lucky to have access to so many incredibly talented authors who are encouraging me along my path, even if they don’t realize it.
By day, J. L. Gribble is a professional medical editor. By night, she does freelance fiction editing in all genres, along with reading, playing video games, and occasionally even writing. She is currently working on the Steel Empires series for Dog Star Books, the science-fiction/adventure imprint of Raw Dog Screaming Press. Previously, she was an editor for the Far Worlds anthology.
Gribble studied English at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She received her Master’s degree in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, where her debut novel Steel Victory was her thesis for the program.
She lives in Ellicott City, Maryland, with her husband and three vocal Siamese cats. Find her online (www.jlgribble.com), on Facebook, and on Twitter and Instagram (@hannaedits).
Photo by Brian Roache
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The cover of the Hidden Legacy series book is so off-putting and cheesy. I have enjoyed the Kate Daniels series, so I know the writer(s) are good, but I would never pick that book up based on the cover.
I said that too, once upon a time ago, but Kindles are wonderful things, and the stories are AMAZING.