James LePore | The Suspense Novel

I’ve heard it said that what drives a genre novel is plot, a comedic novel, voice and a literary novel, character. My novel, A World I Never Made, is a genre novel, a thriller, or, as it says on the cover, “a novel of suspense.” It seems to me, however, that a suspense novel can--and should--be character driven as well as story-driven. This is what I aimed for in A World I Never Made, the story of an estranged father and daughter who struggle to reconnect under an extraordinary set of circumstances. Those circumstances include a faked suicide, a betrayal inside the French government and the workings of a little known but extremely deadly terrorist organization. I hope that readers find both the story and the characters compelling and that they have as much fun reading the novel as I did writing it.

Sophie Jordan/Sharie Kohler | Juggling Genres

Authors can find themselves writing in different genres for multiple reasons: 1) varied interests that demand you try your hand at ... well, varied genres; 2) career security; and, 3) a cheating heart. Yes, Hank William's twang is running through my head right about now. Anyone else?

As you may know, I write historical romances (Sophie Jordan) and paranormal romances (Sharie Kohler), which puts me at writing a book every five months, sometimes less. Why do I hold myself to such a demanding schedule? Which of the above reasons motivates me?

I'm guilty of all three. Like most of us, I'm a voracious cross romance genre reader. Right now I have books in the following sub-genres on my nightstand: historical, suspense, single-title, category, paranormal, young adult, women's fiction, even the occasional inspirational and erotica (talk about extremes!). Seriously though, great books all. Books that move and inspire me. I cut my teeth on historical romances: Kathleen Woodiwiss, Johanna Lindsey, Dorothy Garlock, Julia Quinn. I love(d) these books! I wanted to write books like these. So - I did. Starting with my debut, ONCE UPON A WEDDING NIGHT. Incredibly (at least to me!), Sophie Jordan was born and here she is, four books later. But I like gritty contemporary reads, too, and decided to try my hand at a paranormal, and MARKED BY MOONLIGHT came to be. Check off reason number one.

Reason two? Career security sounds mercenary, but I figured two balls in the air increased my chances of maintaining a writing career. And above all, I want to write for as long as possible. I want to keep my stories on shelves. It's the career I've always dreamed of - to write romance novels?!? For thousands to read? And I get paid to do it? Yessssssssss.

And what about reason three? A cheating heart touches on reason one a little bit. As varied as my interests, it's just impossible for me to remain faithful to one genre when there are so many other smooth-talking and good-looking genres out there. Fortunately number three only applies to my books -- I'm happily married. ;)

So what do I tell readers who read one of my books from one genre and love it, but claim to dislike books of the other genre? Don't knock it til you try it! If you like Sophie Jordan, you're going to like Sharie Kohler, too! Because, be it historical or romance, you're going to get the same type of emotional journey behind each book. No matter the genre, I write with the same tone, the same level of intensity. Test me! Take the Sophie Jordan/Sharie Kohler challenge by starting with my newest historical release, SURRENDER TO ME and then reading book #1 of my paranormal Moon Chasers Series, MARKED BY MOONLIGHT.

So the question begs to be asked ... would I ever add another genre to the mix? Hmmm... can I plead the fifth? Who can say? With my cheating heart, it's always a possibility. ;)

What about you? Readers: do you cheat, too, and read cross-genre? Or are you loyal to one specific genre? What about the writers out there? Are you exclusive?

Cheers,
Sophie/Sharie

www.shariekohler.net/
www.sophiejordan.net/

Donna Lea Simpson | When series change their ‘look’.

Most authors’ romance or mystery series have a definable ‘look’. The novels in the series all bear a striking resemblance in graphics used, or models, style, color palette, and other similarities that ‘brand’ them. Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books are instantly recognizable for the bold colors and font selected. You can recognize those puppies across the bookstore! And that’s the point. The cover’s job is to draw readers, and once a rhythm is established, to signal to readers that this another book in a series they love.

When I received the cover for the first novel in my ‘Awaiting’ series with Berkley - Awaiting the Moon - I was relieved. I loved it! There are a lot of elements - full moon, wolf, castle, and brooding hero with moody expression – but I think it works. It’s mostly tones of blue… moody and dark. Most importantly, it really does signal what the book is; a historical paranormal werewolf romance. So it perfectly epitomized the series to follow! The heroes of my books are conflicted, moody, and secretive, and the tone is slightly dark and gothic, with secrets and mystery swirling throughout. Whew… that’s a lot to put out there! And yet I felt that the cover did its job admirably.

The second cover, for Awaiting the Night, really echoes the first; it has another enigmatic hero, a castle, a wolf, and the moon, but the colors are different. In other words, it does its job and echoes the first cover, establishing a rhythm.

But then I received the third cover, for Awaiting the Fire. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great cover: attractive colors, nice texture – kind of satiny in feel – with what I think of as the ‘Bowflex-fella’ front and center and the title in raised metallic red print. But… it doesn’t look anything like the first two. Not one iota. And that’s problematic, in that it doesn’t send the right signal; not only does it not echo the first two, I think looking at it, you’d be hard pressed to guess what the book is. A mystery? A romance? A fitness manual?

In a marketplace where authors compete fiercely to establish an audience, continuity and dependability of format are really desirable, but sometimes a publisher may feel that a change is needed, or may decide the ‘pattern’ isn’t working. I’m curious as to whether readers really look for that ‘patterning’ when they’re in the books store? Do you recognize series by appearance only sometimes? As far as genres go, there are trends, certainly; in the case of historical romances, a painting of a woman in a low-backed gown with a pearl necklace, or a fan seems to be a current favorite. I know that when I shop for murder mysteries, I can spot a cozy or a culinary mystery easily, and that’s a good thing! So, are there certain elements that attract a reader best, and do sub-genres have an easily identifiable ‘look’? I think the answer is ‘yes’, but that’s just my opinion. What do you think?

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Donna Lea Simpson