Christmas is a magical time, so it only makes sense that this week's romance writing prompts focus on that most magical of sub-genres: fantasy romance. Or romantasy, depending in which term you prefer.

And, in my quest to promote more non-Western folkloric traditions in fantasy romance, today's story summaries incorporate Colombian folklore!

So grab your holiday candle of choice to light up your laptop or journal, and start writing.

1. After years roaming the forest alone, a vampiric shapeshifter longs for company. So when she first spots a lost hiker traipsing through her forest, she plans to steal him away and hold him captive. But the man is surprisingly tender, and after a single night together learning each other's bodies and hearts, she realizes she can't keep him from his life. And is shocked when, in the morning, he asks her to leave the forest and come with him. She's even more shocked to find herself accepting, and journeying with him to his parents' house for the holidays, where she's welcomed with slightly skeptical but open arms. (inspired by the myth of the Tunda).

   
   

2. The chef at a magical castle high in the mountains is in the middle of preparing her king's Christmas meal when the chicken she bought from the butcher transforms into a man. He appeared to curse the king for the high taxes he's forced his people to pay, but when he sees the chef, he decides to spirit her away to his forested homeland instead, where he gives her the kitchen she's always wanted, and a life of leisure like she never dreamed. (inspired by the pollo maligno, and the portal fantasy trope)
   

3. A farmer is checking on her chickens late on Christmas Eve when she hears a creak behind her and turns to find a beautiful woman standing in her barn. The woman has come to steal her soul, but when she looks into the farmer's heart, she finds the soul too pure. Instead, she'll steal her sin, and they spend a steamy night together. The demon disappears, leaving the woman forlorn until the following Christmas when she appears again, having searched a thousand farms to find her. (inspired by the Viruñas)
   

4. A dragon is flying home for the holidays when suddenly, a wind surrounds her, plummeting her into the forest. When she wakes, it's to find an incandescent stranger hovering above her. It turns out the stranger mistook her for her sister, who's committed grievous crimes against the stranger's pack of fellow mule shifters. The stranger touches the dragon, and the moment they touch, they realize they're fated mates. But falling for each other is the easy part; the hard is navigating the feuds between their two factions, which all happen against the backdrop of the 12 days of Christmas. (inspired by the mula retinta)
   

5. A princess on a quest from her brother to gather ingredients for the magic elixir that will reverse a deadly curse on her people, runs into a magical alligator who agrees to help her, if she'll marry him so he can inherit his lake. She does, and as they gather ingredients in each town, she falls for him, turning a marriage of convenience into a bonafide love match. (inspired by the hombre caiman)

If any of these plots have you lighting up like a Christmas tree with inspiration, there's still time to book in for a plot concept before end of the year! And until next post, happy reading and writing!