Single or Muliple Genres? by Diane Burton

In Nancy Gideon’s post a few days ago, she talked about what to write after her 15-book series was done. She’s written contemporary romance, suspense, horror, historicals, but mostly paranormal romance—vampires and shifters. So, she asked our advice on what to tackle next.

Each time I finish a book, I wonder which genre should I write next. When I started writing twenty-plus years ago, I wrote contemporary romance. I’d read a lot and (arrogantly) thought I could do that. Hah! I tried writing a romantic suspense. And then, for fun, I wrote a science fiction romance. The last was my first published story. I then wrote four more sci-fi romances.

My family has always been supportive, but neither of my sisters like science fiction. I had an idea for a contemporary mystery series featuring a female detective. I knew they'd like that. I loved writing Alex O’Hara’s adventurous mysteries, with a little bit of romance to keep things interesting. I’ve written three cozy mysteries, two romantic suspense, and in between two more science fiction stories—one a romance, the other a middle grade adventure.

My writing reflects my reading tastes, a hodge-podge of genres—romantic comedy, mysteries, suspense, and, of course, science fiction. I love reading MG and YA stories. Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games), Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson), J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter), and others fascinate me with their stories for younger readers. (Where were these books when I was growing up?)

Looking back on my writing career since 2011 (when I re-released my first published book, Switched), I wonder if I made the right decision changing genres. From a creative aspect, I’ve enjoyed writing mysteries, suspense, and sci-fi. Career-wise, maybe I should have stayed with what I started—science fiction romances.

That’s the dilemma—writing what I enjoy as opposed to sticking with one genre.

What do you think?

Writing in Different Genres by Diane Burton

This blog is devoted to those who enjoy reading and writing paranormal romance. Paranormal is one of those genres that can include so much. Futuristic romance (now called science fiction romance) is a part of paranormal. So are vampires, ghosts, shifters, angels, demons, reapers, dragons, and many more. The paranormal world encompasses so much.

I’ve made no bones about how much I love science fiction romance. It’s a far-reaching glimpse into the future. It gives me hope for humankind. We will get to other planets, we will reach stars (and their planets) that are only specks in our sky. Maybe not in my lifetime, possibly in my grandchildren’s.

Science fiction romance give me so much flexibility as an author. I can devise my own worlds. My characters don’t have to be human or come from Earth. Faster-than-lightspeed (FTL) is possible. Wormholes allow us to skip over the universe.

As much as I love reading and writing science fiction romance, my reading tastes are eclectic. I love the here and now, too. Mysteries, romantic suspense, military adventures, along with the usual paranormal romances. My mind is a catchall for varied ideas. If I enjoy reading other genres, why not write them?

When I first started writing, I wrote romances. With each attempt, I discovered that I included a mystery, action, an adventure, something more than a romance. The more I wrote, the more I stretched my creativity. And that was exciting. Stories with a contemporary setting meant not having to make up a whole new world. I could take certain things for granted—like not having to let the reader know what cell phones and cars are. Even more fun is setting stories where I live (or have lived).

I love reading books set in places I’ve visited or where I’ve lived. Instead of imagining scenes, I can recall the last time I saw that beach, mountain, shop. Since my husband’s job took us around the Midwest and we love to travel, I can easily visualize stories in set in Chicago, Detroit, Phoenix, Colorado, Missouri, Florida . . . I think you get the picture. 😊

My mystery series (the Alex O’Hara Novels) take place in a fictional resort town similar to where I live along the Lake Michigan shoreline. It’s been fun including the things I love most about living near a beach, and also including those less than desirable reasons (like extra traffic and long waits at restaurants.

Years ago, I wrote a romantic suspense, One Red Shoe, starts in Iowa, goes to New York City, and returns to Iowa via Michigan. That was quite a road trip. LOL My upcoming release takes place in and around Grand Rapids (Michigan’s second largest city). Numbers Never Lie is a romantic suspense with action and adventure, what I include in every story I write. And, of course, a romance.

I love exploring different genres, setting stories in the present as well as the future, in places I’ve been or wish I could travel to. My stories will all include action, adventure, and some romance. I will always return to space and science fiction romance.

Do you read different genres? Do you write in different genres?

Fathers

Parents, especially fathers, can have a profound impact on our characters. Revealing how our characters were raised helps readers understand their goals and motivations. Sometimes, a character can act just like their parent or the exact opposite. Since my Outer Rim series is about strong women on the frontier of space, my main concern is the impact of the mothers and fathers on the female characters.

In The Pilot, Celara’s father was a drunk and a cheat. At an early age, she was left to fend for herself and her younger brother. Responsibility and honesty—opposites of her father’s behavior—became important to her. She won’t take the easy way out. When she’s accused of smuggling, it’s worse than just a false accusation, it’s like a knife to her heart. Her brother, on the other hand, took the easy route and followed in their father’s footsteps.

 Jileena, in The Chameleon, was “Daddy’s Little Girl.” She tried to please him, but always felt like she fell short. Proving that she could run his company spurs her on. When he offers her the chance to prove herself, she’s so afraid of failing she takes dangerous risks.

In The Protector, Rissa’s preacher father abandoned her at a wild, unnamed outpost, pregnant and unmarried. Her mother had left years before. Rissa vowed to always be there for her child. Losing her baby to traffickers sends her into a deep depression. Only her inner strength pulls her through and gives her the courage to protect other children from slavers.

It’s not just the women who have to fight their fathers. Jileena’s brother, Konner, refused to be their father’s clone. When he was presumed dead, he found the perfect opportunity to be his own person and live the life he wanted.

Dillan, in The Protector, struggled against his father who had planned Dillan’s life—to follow in his footsteps. Dillan’s rebellion made him take unnecessary risks until the day his best friend, Konner, died. Feeling responsible, he was determined to change, to be a responsible adult, what his father wanted him to be. But legally exploiting landowners makes him sick. He must break away to save his soul.

On the other hand, some fathers are worth emulating. In my PI mystery series, Alex wants to be just like her dad. When he retires and leaves her his investigation agency, she’s determined to prove she’s as good an investigator as he was—if not better.

Today is Launch Day for the second Alex O’Hara mystery, The Case of the Fabulous Fiance. To learn more, visit my blog. http://dianeburton.blogspot.com/2015/12/launch-day-case-of-fabulous-fiance.html