Comments on: Pros & Cons of Skipping Genres

By: cerrissakim

cerrissakim — Mon, 25 May 2015 18:09:46 +0000

Laura-I am thrilled that you personally mentioned me in your post and even happier to see so many others found your answer to my question so intriguing. You are clearly a woman up for a challenge and enjoy learning and pushing yourself to new heights. That's something I've admired about you since I've started following your posts and "talking" to you on Facebook. I like that you shared you were asked to R&R too. Because now that you are so successfully published in one genre, it doesn't mean it's smooth sailing the whole trip to the next genre. I too love your romance voice and will be curious to see if it changes at all with genre. Some author's voices do seem to change a bit with genre. Either way, I know it will be wonderful and all your fans, me included will be excited WHEN your WF gets published. Thanks again for such an in-depth, and carefully thought out answer to my question. Now I'm off to read Orly's post about this!

By: LauraDrake

LauraDrake — Sun, 24 May 2015 08:15:14 +0000

In reply to Fae Rowen. And here, I thought I chose the hard stuff, Fae. You follow 50's lead and write what you want!

By: Fae Rowen

Fae Rowen — Sun, 24 May 2015 05:14:43 +0000

I joined RWA and my local chapter because I knew I needed to learn how to write relationships and emotion for the "big" science fiction novel in my head. 4.3 science fiction romances later, I'm thinking that I'm just about ready to tackle the "hard" science fiction. But trying to sell that won't be any easier.

By: Fae Rowen

Fae Rowen — Sun, 24 May 2015 05:07:41 +0000

In reply to Laura Drake. Yes, it's not easy finding someone to take a chance on a debut SF author, let alone "speculative" fiction which blends science fiction with romance or paranormal or other combinations. Can you say Hunger Games and Divergent, New York?

By: Fae Rowen

Fae Rowen — Sun, 24 May 2015 05:05:27 +0000

In reply to Debbie Herbert. Oh, Debbie, I'm with you. I'll read any- and everything- by Jayne Ann Krentz. I got hooked on her Amanda Quick's. She made me a regency lover--and a reader of romance. When I finished her backlist of Amanda Quick's a friend told me who she "really" is and Jayne Castle. And she started at Stephanie James in category.

By: 50at70

50at70 — Sat, 23 May 2015 20:45:39 +0000

I'll tell her but she does not get a signal at her house.She is here often helping me take her Dad to doctors appointments. She uses my computer when she is here.
Thanks for listening and considering what I say as relative. Hope all reading our conversion will watch and help come up with a solution beneficial to the writers.
Enjoyed the discussion.
Jo

By: Laura Drake

Laura Drake — Sat, 23 May 2015 20:01:36 +0000

50 - for your daughter who loves Western Romance...I'm part of a Facebook Group, Western Romance Cafe. Have her look us up! Thanks for the great discussion!~

By: 50at70

50at70 — Sat, 23 May 2015 15:42:38 +0000

Yes I agree and what a loss to all of us. So much talent wasted and so many tales not told. Maybe there should never have been a cut back on our wonderful library system. It was a pain to be quiet and have the librarian looking over our shoulder but it allowed us an entire world and all we had to do was reach out and capture it. I loved the big book stores that didn't survive the great war for books. I love to spend time browsing Amazon with the world only a click away.BUT (you knew this was coming didn't you) let's not put baskets over the light a writer shines. I am a romantic aren't I? I will keep writing anything and everything my mind and heart tell me to. If I'm never published so be it, I will pass all this paper on to my kids who are also avid readers one the deeper and more complicated the better and the other loves western romance in a little town and a good looking cowboy to love. Hear Hear to the writers may we always fight for a good story. Jo

By: Laura Drake

Laura Drake — Sat, 23 May 2015 13:50:02 +0000

In reply to Laura Drake. Shelley - I'd be interested in how you came to the decision to write under the two names. I know several authors who did it your way (Barbara Samuel O'Neal is one), and several who write both under the same name (Carolyn Brown is one that came to mind first). Did you feel that you'd be letting down readers? Or, if you have two names - couldn't you still have one website - with the two genres on separate pages? I'm fascinated by this...

By: Laura Drake

Laura Drake — Sat, 23 May 2015 13:46:16 +0000

In reply to 50at70. Oh 50 - This is exactly what we want to foster here at WITS! A valuable discussion - which is what we're having - thanks for starting it! I do agree with you - especially the point: 'if we limit ourselves to writing only to a small compartment and do not allow ourselves to create as our minds lead us to we are no longer artist but production line workers' It's such a delicate tightrope to walk - between creative freedom, and marketability. Some authors are blessed to love the middle of one genre - or even two. Others of us who don't naturally write within the genre boundaries have a bit of an uphill battle to become discovered. But when we are, I think our readers are more dedicated to us, because there are fewer authors who write what they like. But this has ever been a problem, or there wouldn't be the 'starving artist' character, right? The mechanisms have changed with the technology, but the artist's decisions/challenges are the same. I think it will always be so, don't you?