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Confessions of a Sub-Genre Slut
Before I get started, I'd like to thank Victoria for giving me a chance to blab about myself on her blog. Of course, the downside of guest blogging is that one has to think of something to blab about. Naturally, I procrastinated as long as possible, hoping I'd have a clever idea. Then, I reached the point where I couldn't wait for a clever idea to come along, so I settled for something else.
Okay, first things first. I write romances. Dirty romances, although the degree of dirtiness does vary somewhat from story to story. As a reader, I like my romances hot and more than a little filthy, and that's what I try to deliver as a writer, too.
But when I first started writing romance, I thought I'd confine myself to writing historical romances. My original critique partners laugh at me now, because I used to swear over and over again that I'd never have an idea for a contemporary romance. Or for a paranormal. Or (inconceivable), a YA. Nor did it occur to me that I'd ever venture into ménage or m/m.
Boy, have I learned. Never say never!
Now, it's true, my print debut, Behind the Red Door, is definitely a historical romance and it's pretty "straight," as is the current proposal my agent is shopping for me. But somehow, on the way to writing those historical romances, I also wrote three contemporaries (two novellas and one short story, which isn't even a romance—it's pretty much straight erotica), a paranormal Christmas story, and a historical m/m/f ménage that's probably one of my favorite stories I've ever written.
Even worse, I am starting now to have fantasies about writing a middle grade/YA series. I mean, it won't even have SEX in it! What is the world coming to?
The truth, I'm afraid, is that I'm a sub-genre slut. I've realized that it's not enough to do just one. I've got to do them all!
What about you? As a reader or a writer, do you stick to just a few sub-genres, or do you like to read/write across all of them with a complete lack of abandon (if not a lack of discrimination)? Do you have a favorite sub-genre, or is it more about the individual book? I'd love to know!
Please post your thoughts. I'll draw from all the commenters and one lucky winner will receive a copy of Behind the Red Door and along with the ebook novella of his/her choice.
I really admire writers who can genre hop! When I try to switch from historical to contemporary, it's a mess in my head and on the page.
ReplyDeleteThe stories in your head must be a fascinating mix, indeed. :)
I think it's great that you can switch genres. I read historicals, paranormals, Harlequin Presents, and anything erotic. I've found that when I identify an author with one genre, I don't want to read their other genres. I think it's like an actor that gets typecast. If they always play a certain type of character, or become really well known for a specific character, it's hard to watch them in anything else without getting distracted.
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