A Curse of Tropes and Thirsty Plots

A love letter to actual love stories...

Slaying the GRRM Title Generator

I’m tired of smut masquerading as romance. There, I said it.

There’s nothing wrong with heat. Nothing wrong with love, either. But lately, it feels like every so-called “romance” is just a string of predictable scenes glued together by tension so thin you could tear it with a half-hearted sigh. I’ve read enough recycled plots and cardboard characters with chiseled jaws to last a lifetime.

What I find especially annoying is when the author has selected the GRRM title generator. You know the title generator I’m talking about:

A [Noun] of [Vague Noun] and [Emotionally Evocative Noun].

Plug in three or four words and you have a title that promises you a sweeping fantasy epic, but turns out to be 300 pages of winged love interests and “feral snarls” from the narcissistic male main character and the bony girl with no hips that somehow attracts him.

In the spirit of snark, I’ve generated a series of titles for people who still like this kind of thing:

• A Brood of Snarls and Shirtless Men
  (He’s morally gray, she’s morally nonexistent.)

• A Court of Lust and Poor Life Choices

  (The fae are hot. That’s it. That’s the plot.)

• A Prophecy of Tropes and Insta-Love

  (Yes, she’s the one. No, we don’t know why.)

• A Kingdom of Sighs and Soft Moans

  (He growled. She gasped. Nothing else happened.)

• A Throne of Eyebrows and Bad Dialogue

  (Everyone’s brooding. No one’s thinking.)

• A Saga of Stares and Sexual Tension

  (They don’t talk. They just stare. For 200 pages.)

• A Battle of Nothing and Everything’s Fine

  (The stakes are high. The pacing is low.)

• A Curse of Breathy Whispers and Abs

  (This ancient evil can wait—we’ve got flirting to do.)

If you’re still into it, that’s fine. But if you’re looking for something else—stories that make you feel something outside your pants—stick around.

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A Real Love Story

In my opinion, love stories are best when the relationship isn’t the central struggle of the story. Relationships should be the safe space. They shouldn’t be the source of drama. They should be the escape from drama. That’s my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

TRANSMIGRANT isn’t a romance. But it does have a love story. One that builds slowly, quietly, almost reluctantly, the way real connections do when people are in survival mode.

Two fugitives, thrown together by chance and forced to rely on one another. It’s not the focus—but it might be the only thing that keeps them from breaking. This is a survival thriller. It’s about genetic engineering, colonization, and what it means to be human when humanity is on the brink of something else. It’s gritty, relentless, and grounded in emotional truth. If you’re looking for chosen-one saviors fulfilling a prophecy and unearned plot armor, this isn’t that. These characters bleed. They fail. They change.

I’ll be posting a few excerpts here—part of a chapter at a time. Just enough to let the story breathe without giving everything away. If it resonates, great. There’s a whole book behind it. If not? There are plenty of stories out there dressed in leather jackets and pretending to be deep.

I write for readers who crave emotional weight over drama, existential questions over tired tropes. If that sounds like you, welcome. If not, no hard feelings.

Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

—Stephen B. Anthony

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Transmigrant is the first novel in a planned trilogy. It is available at Amazon and Audible.

At the time of this writing, the author has a few codes for a free copy of the audiobook for US and UK listeners.

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