Genre Strays and Other Scary Beasts

The pitiful Genre Stray

Good morning, friends! I've got a pot of coffee on for ya'll, the tea kettle is whistling and the strawberry scones are still warm from the oven. I thought over brunch this morning we'd have a nice behind the scenes chat about what goes on in an author's head as they weave together a story.

Now, ya'll may not be aware of this, but there are scary beasts in an author's world. One of those is the Genre Stray. This mangy animal can be pitiful and harmless, (which for an author is scary because we don't want our stories to be pitiful, and harmless means there's no tension.) but other times they are baring their teeth and growling ferociously.

What do I mean by Genre Stray? It's what I did when I wrote Solve by Christmas. When an author strays from the genre that they typically write, we face the Genre Stray.  It can be terrifying because each genre has different elements that make it successful, and the new genre is not what we're accustomed to.

I typically write historical fiction. And while Solve by Christmas is a historical, it is also a mystery, which was a stray from my typical story. Suddenly there were red herrings, clues, and creating a semi-likable character that was just irritating and smart enough to also solve the case. The stakes of the story were high enough that I knew this stray wouldn't be pitiful and harmless, but it was certainly showing its teeth. The growls sounded something like this:

The ferocious Genre Stray

What if the mystery falls flat and everyone can guess what is going to happen?
What if your fans hate it and abandon you forever?
You should have stayed with what you were comfortable with. What made you think you could stretch yourself?
See? You don't even know what should happen next. You're a failure. 

There were days the story was almost devoured by this beast. But blessed be the Lord who can tame all beasts, whether figurative or physical. I could hear His whisper through my fears.

I gave you this story, now finish it. I'll tell you what happens next.
You can't grow if you don't stretch yourself. 
You won't be able to please everyone, but this story is for someone. 
If the goal is obedience, and you obey, there is no failure.

As Solve by Christmas made its way out into the world, I found that God's voice was right again. The story isn't for everyone, but there were a great many people who loved it and were touched by Jasper's tale. The Genre Stray doesn't stop growling after the book is published either. Doubts still creep in as we catch blips of negative reviews, or hear that a fan was disappointed that it was so different from your other books. But the Lord was gracious enough to confirm the book for me too. On Monday, I was surprised by the news that Solve by Christmas was awarded the 2018 Christian Indie Award for historical fiction.

I am humbled and honored that so many readers would find Solve by Christmas worthy of this award. So as a thank you, I'm running a special giveaway for readers. There are two prizes, the Solve by Christmas prize pack is for US residents and includes autographed paperbacks of Solve by Christmas and Dawn of Liberty (my two award winners), Solve by Christmas themed notepad, postcards, and a special edition Solve by Christmas mug. The other prize is for my international readers and is a paperback copy of Solve by Christmas to be delivered via the Book Depository.

Here's a link to the rafflecopter giveaway. Also, don't forget that leaving a comment will also get you entered in our giveaway for Cloaked in Love by Elaine Manders!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ce16d9c610/?

There are many other scary beasts we writers face, but that will have to be another post for another time. :) Have a wonderful day, my friends!