Ice Road Werewolves, and the Future of Urban Fantasy

Our blog topic over at Write in the Shadows this week is “Five Years On”—where will paranormal fiction be five years from now?

The short answer: Hell if I know.

The long answer: Well, of course I know, being blessed with omniscience and wisdom far beyond all comprehension. So I looked inside my crystal bourbon glass ball and found ten insights into paranormal fiction for 2015.

1) All the Tweens and Tweeps and YA-hooers will grow up and demand paranormal fiction for adults.

2) As a result, agents and editors will be clamoring for books whose protagonists let the F-bomb fly and have genitalia they actually know how to use.

3) Although it will later prove false, an Internet rumor that e-readers cause skin rot will result in a huge revival of print books. Abandoned e-readers will be recycled as oil breakers to protect the Gulf wetlands.

4) The Internet will suffer a temporary collapse from the sheer weight of paranormal author blogs. The “W.I.T.S” crew will be seen pacing the interstate medians in various states from Alabama to Alaska, holding “Read Our Book” signboards.

5) The question of “How is Urban Fantasy Different from Paranormal Romance” will finally be answered.

6) Fear will run rampant among authors when a famous paranormal writer goes into such deep POV that she is lost to reality.

7) On the 2015 edition of “Big Brother,” one of the houseguests will be revealed as a vampire, biting Julie Chen on-air and bringing preternaturals out of hiding.

8) As a result, authors of paranormal fiction PC (pre-Chen) will be hailed as literary geniuses—or conspirators, if you’re Republican—and become fabulously wealthy.

9) Toward the end of the year, Oprah will create the P&S Network (Prete & Supe), and claim “O” Magazine always meant “Otherworldly.” She will become even wealthier, and begin her bid for the presidency.

10) Reality TV will take on the challenge of paranormality with new shows like “Jon & Kate Eat Eight,” “The Bachelorette: Nymph Edition,” and “Dancing with the Fae.”

If you like the post and want to see what my fellow WITS bloggers predict, come on over to Write in the Shadows and leave a comment!