In A Fix (In A Fix, #1)

by Linda Grimes

Keeping it Real in a Fantasy World, aka From Linda With LUF

Hello. My name is Linda, and I write Light Urban Fantasy. Or, as I like to call it, LUF. I’m thinking of making buttons that say “I <3 LUF.” Maybe starting a club. And an internet campaign. Feel free to dive in and spread the LUF with me!

But be prepared for a few WTFs. Because, while there are legions of fantasy fans, not all of them warm up to the “light.”

When I tell people I write fantasy I often get the nod. You know the one. The nod that accompanies the knowing look. Fantasy is popular, and a lot more mainstream than it used to be—but it seems like everyone has a certain notion (not always the same) about
what it is.

After the knowing look, the inevitable questions come. And then I have to explain…

For instance, I had a conversation with a woman in the bookstore just the other day. I was in the SF/F aisle, gazing lovingly at the spot where my book will be shelved. (Don’t try to tell me you wouldn’t do that too, because you so would.) It’s possible I may have sighed.

“What’s the matter?” the nice lady asks. (She’s around my age, and frankly I’m happy to see her in this section of the store, because I always feel a little creepy when it’s just me and a bunch of teenage boys.) “Don’t they have what you’re looking for?”

I clear my throat, blushing a tiny bit (okay, turning bright red—when I blush it’s tomato city). “Um, no, not yet. But soon,” I say.

She looks at me oddly, no doubt wondering if I’m about to stroke out. The tomato face tends to cause worry in people who don’t know me well.

After a moment, apparently having assured herself I’m not in danger of imminent collapse, she asks, “What book are you waiting for? Must be a good one.” (The nudge-nudge-wink-wink was implied in her voice.)

My cheeks heat up even more. “It’s my book. I mean, the one I wrote. In a Fix. Er, that’s the title. Not that I was in a fix when I wrote it.”

“Oh, wow, that’s great,” she says. “Does it have vampires? I love vampires! I’m Team Edward all the way.”

“Nope, no vampires.”

“Werewolves? Jacob is okay, too. I was Team Jacob for a while, but then I realized I probably couldn’t put up with the shedding.”

I shake my head, starting to feel a little uncomfortable.

“Zombies?” she asks. “I’m not too keen on zombies. I mean, The Walking Dead is cool, I guess, but kind of icky, you know? All those decomposing body parts. It’s hard to make zombies hot, if you know what I mean.”

I nod my understanding. “No zombies in my book, either.”

“Wait, I know—it’s one of those epics, like Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones, right?”
She’s really getting into the guessing game.

“Um, no…” I say. “Not quite an epic.” Unless it turns out to be an epic flop, I think, sneaking in a quick knock on the wooden shelf. (Not that I’m superstitious. Much. Okay, I totally am.)

“Well, what is it then? Robots? Droids? Spaceships?” she says, her eyes alight with curiosity.

“Aura adaptors,” I say.

She looks confused. “Aura what?”

“Adaptors. They can alter their auras to look like other people. It’s an energy thing.”

“Oh.” Blank stare. “Are they, like, from another planet?”

“No, they’re completely human. They just have a slight genetic…quirk.”

She screws up her brow, and eventually nods. “I see. So, are they evil? Is it like some sort of body snatcher thing?”

“No, there isn’t any body snatching. And my main character helps people—if they have a problem, she fixes it for them. As them.”

“That’s it?” the woman says.

“Yup,” I say, shrugging.

“Everything else is just…normal?” The last word is tinged with disappointment.

“Pretty much. But there are two hot guys, both of them adaptors like my main character,” I add, hoping to sweeten the pot. “You could be Team Billy or Team Mark.”

She perks up at that. “I like teams. I guess I’ll give it a shot.”

“Thanks,” I say, mentally buffing my nails. Direct marketing might turn out to be easier than I thought…

“But, honey,” she says, patting my arm before she wanders off, “next time you might want to add some vampires.”

…or possibly harder.

“Vikings!” I call after her. (What? It’s a V-word, anyway.) “Neo-Vikings!”

She looks back over her shoulder at me. “Are they from another planet?”

I shake my head and she leaves.

Sighing again, I look at “my” spot on the shelf. I hope my baby doesn’t get picked on by the other kids…

DISCLAIMER: The preceding is mostly true. But, being a fiction writer, I may have *cough* taken a small liberty with one or two of the lines. I’ll let you guess which ones.

P.S. Thanks for allowing me to visit your website. It’s been fun!

About the Author:

Linda grew up in Texas, where she rode horses, embarrassed herself onstage a lot, and taught teenagers they’d have to learn the rules of English before they could get away with breaking them for creativity’s sake. She currently resides in Virginia with her husband, whom she snagged after he saw her in a musical number at the now defunct Melodrama Theater in San Antonio. (There’s nothing like a rousing chorus of “If You Wanna Catch a Fish You Gotta Wiggle Your Bait” to hook a man for a lifetime.)

Like IN A FIX’s globetrotting main character, aura adaptor Ciel Halligan, Linda has spent her fair share of time overseas, though fortunately under less stressful circumstances. Kidnapping and daring rescues are all well and good in fiction, but she prefers sanity in her real life.

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