Daring to change genre ~ could it become the new black?

I read an author interview on Shelley Wilson's blog the other day, in which children's fantasy writer Lynette Creswell talked about writing fantasy for grown ups, and other genres.  

The other day I was talking online to author of the fantasy Storm Trilogy, Anthony Lavisher, who says he's going to write a thriller next, possibly followed by something historical.

Is this a bad idea?  Some might say yes, but I applaud them.

Since I've started this self-pub thing, one piece of advice I've read over and over again (and, indeed, have given myself) is to stay roughly in the same genre.  This is why: if Angela Author has built up a fanbase for her historical fiction over the last 5 books, those readers are going to be disappointed if her 6th book is about space ships and aliens.  "It's not what I expect from an Angela Author book," they will say, and may give up on her.

But I've been thinking about this.  All creative minds grow and change, don't they?  Surely the essence of creativity is that you're always thinking of new stuff?

I photographed various piles of books around my living room!

The books I write are all character driven, from multiple POVs.  I went darker with The House of York, but they all centre around relationships, usually family.  After The House of York, the plot for The Devil You Know popped into my head - it's about five people who think a local serial killer might be someone close to them.  I wanted to write something more suspenseful, including the odd character with some seriously evil sh*t going on in their heads.  I slid diagonally, I suppose, rather than changing genre....

.... but what I'm coming to is this.  Most of us read several different genres, so if you love the SciFi of Joe Bloggs and the financial thrillers of Bob Smith, might you not like to read Bob Smith's SciFi, too?  Should we be as fearful as we are that we'll put off our readers if we produce something that isn't along exactly the same lines as what's gone before?

 

Bit of a GRR Martin bias on this shelf!

The cheapness and easy availability of Kindle books means that most avid readers have tried new genres over the past few years, and discovered new writers.  In 2010, I was told by a reputable literary agent that she couldn't sell You Wish to a publisher because it was written from multiple 1st person POVs.  I had no desire to rewrite, so I self-published.  Several years down the line, multiple 1st person POVs has become so popular that I rarely open a book that features the same narrator all the way through.  Many readers didn't seem to care for it at the time, either, but now accept it as a popular style, and comment about the author's skill in changing 'voice'.

....so, my point is this.  If a certain style/format used to be thought of as unsaleable, but is now not only accepted but the happening way to go, maybe authors writing in multiple genres might become more accepted, too.  The norm, even.  I know some have got round it by writing the alternative genre under a pen name, but unless you have a good publisher behind you it can mean starting off a whole new promotional platform for that pen name.

Okay.  *Deep breath*.  My next book will be part one of a post apocalyptic series.  No, not zombies, much though I love to read about them, but a pandemic.  Essentially, though, it will still be a Terry Tyler novel.  It centres around one family and their friends, their hopes, fears, love lives, joys and disappointments, but in an end-of-the-world setting rather than comfortable middle class life in East Anglia.  I think that if you like the way I write, then you'll like Tipping Point (working title) as well.  

I'm fascinated by survival after disaster, by the psychology of how people cope, by the manipulation of the population by the media (Tipping Point deals with this, too) ~ isn't it, therefore, logical that I would want to write about it?  If you like the way someone writes, then you like the way they write, full stop ~ surely?  Unless they're moving from romcoms to air conditioning installation manuals, it's likely that you'll still have time for whatever they bring out.  And with any author you like, even if it's action thriller after action thriller or vampire after vampire, you always have your favourites and not-so-favourites.

I hope I'm right and am not just trying to convince myself.  I daresay there will be some readers who say, "I like her family dramas but I don't really want to read about a global disaster."  But if more of us dare to branch out into other genres, it might give others the confidence to give it a go, too.  It might also encourage readers to try genres they always thought they wouldn't like.  I only discovered that I love zombie apocalypse books by accident.  A lady who reads my books asked if I'd be so kind as to read her zombie apoc short story.  I did so out of politeness, and bloody loved it, so much that I've bought three of her books since, and it's now my most-read genre after histfic. 

Maybe it depends how orientated you are towards marketing.  I'm not so much; I always have about 4 stories on the 'to be written' list, and when I've finished one novel I just pick which one I want to do next and crack on.  I'm sure those savvy book marketing people would pour much scorn on this!

I don't know where else I'm going with this really, but if you've dared to publish in more than one genre, are thinking about it but are wary, feel hemmed in by your publisher, or have any other thoughts on the subject, I'd love to hear about it! 

Guess Who I Met Last Weekend!

We'd been planning it for months, and the day finally came!

I think we first talked about it in May; it was so hard to find a weekend we could all make... so, on October 10th, I went to Sheffield to meet four friends from Rosie Amber's Book Blog ~ I was so intrigued to meet the lady for whom I've been reviewing books since last Christmas, the mysterious Rosie (!), along with three others: Cathy Ryan (from Between The Lines book blog), Barb Taub and Alison Williams.  Before this post gets too filled up with links, I'll just say that a click on their names leads to their Twitter pages and all links to blogs that I haven't already included, etc!

Sheffield, why Sheffield?  We chose this city because it was mid way between us all - we were coming from as far north as Glasgow and as far south as Hampshire.

Barb travelled on the same train as me and we met the other three outside the hotel.  I knew what Alison and Cathy looked like from their Twitter photos, but Rosie?  I was looking for a lady in pearls with a big hat, a trug filled with roses, and a pair of secateurs...  

....but here they are!  Barb, Alison, Cathy, and ~ Rosie! 

Rosie Amber's Review Team #RBRT!!

We lunched at an Italian place and then spent a great afternoon in the hotel lounge/bar over coffee, discussing Rosie's blog, blogging/tweeting in general, reviewing, books we've read, plans for #RBRT, such as annual book awards and a new hashtag (more to come!); the hours flew by and I was so surprised to look at my phone and see it was 5.45 (nostalgia alert ~ do you remember when everyone used to consult watches for the time, rather than phones?).  What struck me most was this: how lovely it is to make new friends so late in life ~ we range in age between 46 and 61.  I've become a lot less sociable in recent years, my attitude being 'right, I've got enough friends now', and I often find I can't be bothered to socialise, looking forward to going home when I'm out.  Saturday, though, made me realise it's all about being in the company of people who are obsessively interested in the same things as you.

We left the booking of the dinner venue to Barb, who was threatening to go elsewhere on her own for her favourite sushi ~ Rosie, Cathy and I hate it (I totally love all fish, but I like it to be at least on speaking terms with a grill, or any other cooking appliance).

I've long been interested in the dynamics of groups of people; my mother used to be a therapist who led many group therapy sessions, and said that there is always one who directs which way the conversation goes; I'd say that was Barb, though Rosie and I were pretty vocal, too (well, we're both Leos!) while Alison and Cathy listened more and talked less.  Mum told me there is usually a group 'clown' and sometimes an antagonist, too ~ I am not sure who wore those hats (or maybe I just don't like to consider it!!). 

Barb and me ~ clown/antagonist/group leader?

Cathy and Alison ~ listening to Rosie, Barb and me doing most of the talking!

Our partying days all being over, we were back in our hotel rooms by 11.30 ~ aaaah!  I very much enjoy staying in hotels on my own - I don't hang anything up or put stuff away, I just lay my clothes out on the sofa, and have my phone, glasses, iPad, etc, next to me in the empty space.  Out like a light and slept really well.  I'm not saying that my husband's snoring wakes me up during the night, of course, I just happened to have a really good night's sleep on my own....  

Me when I got in ~ you can tell my drinking days are over, too; 

look at my unaccustomed-to-wine eyes, and the slant of the camera!!

An early morning call enabled me to have several cups of coffee and play several games of 'Plague' on my iPad (you have to destroy all human life on earth by means of virus, bacteria, etc, I'm totally addicted).  And so to breakfast, which was fabulous, the meal I enjoyed most!  Couldn't you just sit there all day with those buffet breakfasts?  I had muesli with all sorts of stuff on, and eggs and tomatoes, and fruit, and a ton more coffee...

I love this picture of Barb and Rosie!

And then it was nearly time to go....

Must get some lowlights in that hair, I look like Lucius Malfoy...

To sum up ~ it was great, we all thoroughly enjoyed it and got on so well, even though we're all quite different.  Shows how similar interests can bring people together so successfully.  We're planning another meeting, in Spring next year, if all goes well.  There's so much still to discuss!

(We're wondering whether to call the review team 'Rosie's Angels'...!)

 

So, you're not just a little square head????

Yesterday I did something I haven't done very often in my life, and which I find exciting yet just a tiny bit daunting...

I could just leave it there and let you guess, but I won't!  Here is what I did - I met up with an online friend.  This time it was.... Carol Hedges!  For anyone who doesn't know her, Carol is a fellow writer I first met on Twitter a couple of years ago

The meet was Carol's suggestion; she lives in Hertfordshire and me in Tyne and Wear, so it would have been unlikely ever to happen had Carol's husband not wanted to see Watford (not Arsenal...!) playing Middlesborough (I always think Carol's BH - beloved husband - is called Bernard, though he's actually not at all - you know how you get these things in your head?  No?  Oh, okay, it's just me, then....).

Because of traffic problems, Carol was an hour late, which meant that I'd spent the time wandering around the Toon (Newcastle); the inclement weather turned my smooth and glamorous hair into an explosion in a mattress factory, about which I only complained ten times during the afternoon.  We met in a restaurant....

.... where I was delighted to discover that, like me, Carol isn't a 'foodie', will eat what is put in front of her and is more interested in vino and chatting than gastric delights.  We both had a starter consisting of smoked salmon, rocket and capers, loads of wine (I admit to having the lion's share, which is fair enough as I am a Leo) (good excuse, huh?), and that was all!  Anyway, we were talking at such a rate that a larger meal wouldn't have stood a chance.

The big question - were we as we'd imagined we would be?  Answer - yes and no! Carol thought I would be loud and quite caustic, but I'm actually fairly mild in company, unless I've known people for years, maybe quieter than my online presence suggests.  I thought Carol would be very nice and warm (which she IS!) and a sort of wise sage, but she was more like an excitable kitten!!!! More extrovert than I had imagined.  Dead good fun and interesting, which is what I had expected.  We had LOADS to talk about, and I think we'll definitely need a 'round two' to say all the stuff that we didn't get to say in the three and a half hours we spent together.

We had a token wander down to the quayside, because you can't visit the Toon without seeing the Tyne Bridge - and here is a picture of Carol with The Sage, Gateshead, behind her!

We also had coffee in a nice little cafe where a chap was playing guitar, which is just the sort of thing you want to chance upon.  

.... and when the man we shall call Bernard came to pick Carol up, they very kindly drove me all the way home - I live about 8 miles outside Newcastle. It seemed weird to have them drop me outside my house - no, Carol, you're supposed to be on my computer screen, not outside my house!! I pointed up to the window where I sit and write and tweet....  and here I am at my desk!  This photo was taken before I went to meet Carol - when my hair still looked nice! (Look, I know I'm a bit obsessive about my hair.  It's a Leo thing, all right??)

It was a fine afternoon, and Carol tells me that next time Watford are playing Middlesborough she will come up again - hopefully that time we can meet up with Jon Fletcher/Gardener too!  

I'm thinking of starting a Facebook page for pictures of writers meeting writers, but I don't suppose I will ever find the time... maybe when I've finished the current novel.

Cheers, my new real life friend!

ps ~ Twitter friend @WillowCWinsham just said to me that some of her best real life friends started as online ones.  Quick think - it's probably because you get to know each other first in the best possible way - by sharing thoughts, witticisms, experiences, preferences etc, without being distracted by others, getting pissed, prejudices over looks, etc.  So you already know that person is going to be on your wavelenghth ~ half the 'getting to know you' stuff is already done....