Can teen/YA Fantasy have romance?
Better to ask, how could it not? The Sun Child Chronicles is no exception. Main character Lucky had no time for romance when he was living in Valley City, California. And in fact he was on guard against it. But once he’s back to his home world of Ethra, romance finds him. Yes, the series remains solidly in the fantasy genre. But, though his romance (and a couple of others) don’t get a lot of page time, the love stories are more than subplots. Honestly, they’re part of the mortar holding together the fantasy plot.
A little about the excerpt
This week’s Wednesday Words are from WIP, Kaynenh’s Triad, to be book 5 of The Sun Child Chronicles. Lucky and his boyfriend, Rio, have just been reunited after a long time apart. They’re delighted about that. Unfortunately, all is not right in Ethra.
Words
After all the others had gone still or at least hushed, the two teens stepped out on a path that had been worn between the tents and the place where the horses were corralled. With Rio softly soothing the horses so they wouldn’t get riled, they made their way farther along to a glade where a stream cut through.
Frogs croaked, crickets played their monotonous tunes, and a pair of owls called to each other across the night. It seemed a pleasant place, private, perfect for two young men who were, they felt sure, in love and destined to stay that way.
A stream ran by maybe a hundred steps downslope, its song gentle, even joyous, the moon’s face broken over the water’s surface where it was clear of shadow. Lucky and Rio smiled at each other, taking it in, and went down to the bank. A few yards upstream they found a long-fallen log at just about the right height for sitting. They spread their blanket over it, sat together, and kissed.
Once.
Because then they looked up, and everything had changed.
Sounds ominous, I know.
Thanks and stuff
In the near future, look for news about other ways to keep up with progress on The Sun Child Chronicles, as well as news about publishing plans, and maybe target dates. For now, thanks for reading. I’d love to hear from you, so feel free to comment here. Or—
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