What's In A Name?

by Janis Patterson

As predictably as the seasons, every so often the writers' eloops explode with The Great Pseudonym Question. Someone - usually a newbie - asks whether or not they should use different names for different genres, have separate websites and social media feeds, etc. The answers are all over the place, from yes and no to certainly and most definitely not. And there are good reasons for just about every answer.

My answer? A definite 'It depends...'

Whether or not to use a pseudonym is an intensely personal decision, but it's not all about you. You have to think of your reader. If you write middle grade fiction and hot erotic romance, I say you definitely need a pseudonym, as well as separate websites and social media accounts! Your readers are drawn from two vastly different populations. Can you just imagine what would happen if your middle grade reader, anxious to learn about the new adventures of your heroine Sweetie McNice as she navigates the politics of Prettytown Summer Camp, picks up (on the basis of your author name) the new book featuring Stormy McSexy who happily sets about seducing every guy in the police department to try to get the attention of the new detective? It doesn't bear thinking about - especially the reaction of the parents. You definitely need a pseudonym there, for your protection if not the kiddos'!

I believe an author name is an essential part of branding. I use pseudonyms to delineate my different books - none of which are overtly sexy, except one. I was coerced into writing that by a former publisher, but by today's standards it's pretty close to mainstream, so I leave it under my romance name. (In the interest of full disclosure, I must say that when in desperate need of quick money a couple of years ago I wrote a few full-blown erotics. Needless to say, I used a pseudonym which shall remain forever known only to me and God, and God better not tell anyone what it is, because I certainly won't!)

As I bore easily I write in a variety of genres. I write romance and horror (odd combination and a long story, but I believe the covers will be guide enough for the reader) as Janis Susan May, traditional mysteries as Janis Patterson, children's as Janis Susan Patterson and scholarly and non-fiction as JSM Patterson. I make no secret that all of the above are me, even to having just one website and one social media account. It just makes things easier, which is great, as it leaves more time for writing. Which I should be doing now.

So - everyone says your name is your brand, but to brand efficiently - and to be fair to your readers - think carefully about whether you need a pseudonym or not. It's your decision, but as I said above, you have to think about your readers as well.

The Entropy Factor

by Janis Patterson

I love writing. I love the excitement of creating my own world, my own people, and my own story. Writing is perhaps the most wonderful fun anyone can have.

Unfortunately there is a lot more to being a writer than writing, and therein lies danger, for me at least.

I admit I’m somewhat slapdash. I will write three, maybe even four novels before I even think about publishing them. That’s one of the many, many reasons I am now self-publishing almost exclusively. I don’t like bending my schedules to the dicta of others. Never have, which accounts for my erratic and somewhat colorful employment history. However – if one is going to sell books, one must have them out there, which means doing a certain amount of non-writing work.

And that’s my problem. Currently I have two novels to put out this month (a gothic romance, THE HOUSE IN THE PINES) and a traditional mystery (MURDER IN DEATH’S WAITING ROOM), another traditional mystery which is fully edited and needs only to be laid out the way I want so it can go to the formatter (MURDER AND MISS WRIGHT), and another gothic romance needing a little rewriting and polishing before entering the publishing pipeline (THE MASTER OF MORECAMBE HALL).

I am also a couple of weeks late starting the new novel, a Western romance that is as yet untitled.  And I do want to start writing so very badly – but I’ve made a rule that I don’t start a new book while in the midst of editing, etc. I’ll have four books going at once in the writing stage, but the publishing takes too much concentration and I do them one at a time. Oh, and totally aside from writing/publishing I have a family and a life that also take time.

So that’s where it begins. I hate having to do things I don’t feel like doing (yes, I am spoiled – always have been) and it’s amazing how many non-writing things simply HAVE to be done. The car needs servicing. There’s a Matterhorn of laundry accumulating. The dog has a vet appointment. I have a doctor’s appointment. The Husband wants my special pot roast for supper. There’s the yard, and the dusting constantly lies in wait, though it’s not true I could bring in a fair crop on top of the bookcases in the parlor…

See what I mean? Entropy. Once I start side-stepping, it gets easier to side-step, more and more doesn’t get done and it gets harder and harder to catch up.

So I have discovered a solution. Cheat. Last night while The Husband watched TV I sat at my desk and stared back at the basilisk glare of my computer, accomplishing nothing. I didn’t want to accomplish anything except go sit by The Husband and split a bag of popcorn while watching some mindless cop show. Instead I could not restrain myself and started on my Western romance. The words just spilled from my fingers in a joyous flood and my spirits began to lift. All of a sudden sitting at the computer seemed fun once more. I was working again.

And my decision was made. I am going to spend part of each day writing, no matter what other publisher-related chores need to be done. The hard part will be stopping, but I’m sure I can do that and go on to the other stuff. At least, I think I can. Discipline has never been easy for me. But we’ll see. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

It Was Always In The Cards

by Janis Patterson

Do you ever feel that your destiny was foretold when you were still a child?

As a child I loved to read. My parents don’t know when I started reading, but they said I could read them stories from the Saturday Evening Post (remember that?) when I was around three. I can remember liking to read more than anything and my mother telling me to do something else because I’d ruin my eyes. Which is probably true – I’ve worn glasses since before starting school at six, and have been blind as the proverbial bat (nearsighted) all my life.

The only thing was, most of the year she couldn’t tell me to go outside and play. Where we lived then was bitterly cold and during the winter the snow was several inches above my curly blonde locks. (Neither the curliness nor the whitish blonde color survived my childhood – darn it!)

So, when my books were temporarily removed, I had to think of something to do. Mother had no objection to my playing solitaire, which my dad had taught me, so I would take the shabby deck that was ‘my cards’ and sit in the floor to play. I didn’t play traditional solitaire, though, despite the fact I knew how to quite well. Instead I made up stories.

The king of spades was the villain and his queen was somewhere along the lines of the Wicked Queen in the Snow White movie. (The sequence of her cursing Snow White on top of the dark mountain while the lightning plays around her was one of the very few things that has ever frightened me – still can, as a matter of fact.) The royal spades wanted the four of hearts – the delicate, gentle heroine, who was me, of course – to marry their slimy nephew, the seven of spades, but she was tenderly in love with a perfect young man, the five of hearts.

The king and queen of hearts were her good-natured but ineffectual parents (now I wonder if by that reasoning young four might be too closely related to the five of hearts for comfort, but at the time I was too young to think of that sort of thing). The king and queen of clubs were rulers of a nearby country who were related to the spades but didn’t like them. I don’t remember where the king and queen of diamonds nor any of the jacks or aces fit in; they had to be around, but didn’t seem to have played substantial roles in any of my scenarios. All the other cards were either servants or courtiers and seemed pretty much interchangeable as the story needed them.

I would sit for hours and play my ‘solitaire’ and my mother was happy because I wasn’t ruining my eyes by reading. What neither one of us realized at the time was that I was writing. Without words or paper (that came the following summer, when at four I wrote my first ‘book’) but still I was creating a storyline with crudely delineated characters and definite action. Apparently some of us are just cursed from birth with their future.

And I still like the spades the least of any suit in the deck. 

Does Size Matter?

by Janis Patterson

If you are old enough, you can probably remember when the average sized paperback was between a quarter of an inch and a third of an inch thick – thin little things. In writer terms, that would probably be around 40,000 to 50,000 words. At mass market dimensions these skinny little things slid easily into a pocket or purse, were easy and lightweight to hold and were available just about everywhere.

Then I don’t know what happened. Although they kept the same mass market cover sizes, the books started to grow. And grow. And grow, until some were half as thick as they were tall. The prices grew bigger even faster. There aren’t many of those ultra-thick books around anymore, but the ‘average’ paperback is still about twice as thick as the early ones.

But then the size of books has always been variable Back in the ‘30s, during the Great Depression, books began to thicken to absurd proportions – ANTHONY ADVERSE springs to mind. My father called it a doorstop that told a story. I suppose that in those parlous economic times if people were going to outlay precious cash for a book, they wanted to feel they got their money’s worth. Then during World War II everything became precious and paper was no exception. Books grew thin again and were printed on practically transparent flimsy paper; that way more books could be shipped to the fighting men overseas. The homefront just had to put up with them. After the war, in the ‘50s, books stayed thin, though they were printed on better paper.

Perhaps it was romance novels and romantic sagas that started the size bloat again. Katherine Woodiwiss, anyone? Which was fine, as long as the story justified such a size – and the corresponding prices. Too often the stories were blatantly padded with adjectives and circumlocutions, almost as if they came from the old ‘pay per word’ days. Mysteries have never been as bad as romances in the big book department, though they had almost doubled in size from the average 40-50K to 85-90K.

Now, after a decade or so of big books, the pendulum is swinging back. James Patterson has announced his intention to start doing short reads, something that can be read in one or two commutes or lunch hours. Now James Patterson has enough of a following that anything he does will be a success, even if his books were printed on tortilla chips. The question is, will this be a definite trend in the market (are people that hungry for short reads from any author except James Patterson?) or is it a one of a kind stunt that only a favorite best seller can pull off?

We’ll find out in a couple of months – so all I can say is brace yourselves, because here we go again!

Weather As A Character

 by Janis Patterson

Lately we as a country have been having extreme weather – record snows, ice, drought, heat waves, all sometimes seemingly of Biblical proportion. Now I’m not going to get into the global warming hoax/fact discussion. I’m going to talk about the weather as a character.

Uh-oh, I can hear you saying, she’s totally lost it this time. I don’t think so. All day every day we are all affected by the weather in some way, from a sudden rainstorm simply ruining a outdoor gathering to the effects on our food supply by some far-away weather event. If the weather has this much effect on our real lives, affects events, our actions, and our thoughts and emotions, why should it do less for our characters?

Bulwyer-Litton, one of the more overwrought writers of the late 19^th century, began one of his books with the immortal “It was a dark and stormy night…” Hackneyed and unacceptable to modern audiences (other than Snoopy the dog) it still sets an unmistakable tone and emotional image in just seven words. Not bad.

Good writers use weather as they use setting and personalities – as a part of a whole. The weather can be as much of a character as the hero and villain. Will the unprincipled villain catch the hero? Will the possibly traitorous sidekick help or betray the hero? Will the weather help or hinder the hero’s journey?

We’ve all been at some outdoor function when the heavens have opened and poured rain. We’ve all been at a solemn occasion such as a funeral where the sky is blue and the winds gentle, creating a merry atmosphere totally at odds with the sadness of the occasion. And, I dare say, the opposite is true. When the weather and the occasion are of equal stylistic weight, the emotional punch is doubled. Of course, a good writer can make opposing styles work, but it takes a great deal more effort (and skill) and can dilute the wanted reaction.

Unlike in real life, we can bend the weather to our desires, and that can make the weather a writer’s best friend.

Think of a romantic screwball comedy. Do you think it would read as profoundly, as lightheartedly in the middle of a destructive rainstorm and flood? Or the body-strewn climax of a dark noir thriller – would it have the same impact on a sunny afternoon in a daisy-strewn meadow as on a cold and snowy street?

If you want a tense scene where the hero/heroine is being stalked by an efficient killer intent on his destruction, which is more emotionally effective – a sweet garden, full of sunshine and pretty flowers or in the chiaroscuro shadows of a deserted shopping mall?

Now of course there have been very successful exceptions to my theorem, but not many. Some writers can take any so-called ‘rule’ and turn it on its head. I’m not one of them, so I go with the tried and true but put my own spin on it. First of all, it’s a lot more work to put (for example) a sweetly romantic scene in the middle of a violent hurricane. In such a situation the writer must work against type – which admittedly can be effective – but can also make a visceral connection with the desired feel of the scene more difficult for the writer.

Humans are hard-wired to connect with the weather. Writers should use this as a method of deep and emotional  communication with the reader. Treat the weather like a character and make it serve your story.

Of Writing and Perception

by Janis Patterson

The Husband and I just returned from a Caribbean cruise. Sounds like a Valentine-ish and really romantic thing to do, but it was work.

Yes, it really was.

Every other year the Florida Romance Writers have their conference on a cruise ship. This time it was Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas, a three day cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Cozumel and back. They say it’s a four day, but with one sea day, one shore day and another sea day I only count three. Maybe they’re counting the afternoon you come on board and the morning you leave (obscenely early, I might add) as one day. Who knows?

Anyway, everything was simply splendid – wonderful food in incredible variety, from a snack shop to a casual buffet to formal three-course menu service, every amenity you can dream of, from pool to gym to spa to shops to casino and lots of other things, even including an ice cream shop. Our favorite was the champagne bar, which had an incredible selection. We discovered our favorite champagne there – Veuve Cliquot – during the last conference and during this one I found a new addiction – the Sweet Kiss, a combo of Ice Wine and champagne. Yum!

But it really was work. Under all the fun and camaraderie there was a writer’s conference and a very good one at that. I write both romance (though not so much as before these days) and mystery (and a bunch of other things, too) and have always believed that writing is writing, no matter what genre spin you put on it.

I was wrong.

The trouble, however, is not in the writing, but in the reading and expectations.

One of the niftiest features of the conference is Floridian Idol competition. Upon arrival you can hand in two pages of your current work in progress, then it will be read by volunteers to the audience and a panel of editors/agents. The submissions are anonymous, so you can listen to what is said without being self-conscious and the panelists can comment openly. It’s an enlightening experience – sometimes heartening and sometimes painful.

Of course, this is a romance conference, but as at the moment I don’t have a romance project in progress, I took the first two pages of my current mystery. At least no one said my writing was bad. They just looked at it through romance eyes, saying my lead character was unsympathetic and the opening was slow.

Slow? Perhaps. I have always hated mysteries where the body appears on page one like a curtain-up stage prop. Although I did write a body-on-the-first-page story as a personal challenge, I like readers to get to know my characters, good and bad, so that when one of them is murdered there is a sense of connection, of loss. However neatly it is done, murder is a crime of violence and should be regarded as such, not just as a story convention. In my mind a victim should be a person in the world of that book, not just a plot device.

As for my lead character not being sympathetic, I just don’t get this. Who says the lead character always has to be sympathetic? In a romance, it might make sense, but in a mystery…? My sublimely self-confident sleuth Flora Melkiot is an elderly woman, the wealthy widow of a jeweler, who does exactly what she wants pretty much whenever she wants and woe be unto those who get in her way. A born snoop who is convinced that whatever she does is good for whoever is involved, she enjoys unraveling mysteries. In short, she is the dark side of Miss Marple, an opinionated and nosy woman who thinks nothing of taking down crime scene tape if she wants to examine something or badgering a witness for information or using her own money to chase down a lead. She’s many things both good and bad – fascinating and challenging to write, but probably would be hell to work with in reality – and I love her. Actually, I would like to grow up and be her.

So, while I value the input of my fellow conferees, I can’t take their assessment completely seriously. Writing is definitely a multi-purpose skill that covers all, but apparently the important thing in genre fiction is perception.

Remember the Weather

Sometimes, I get so wrapped up in writing a novel, I almost forget what season it's in, or what the weather's supposed to be like. Somewhere along the way, my plot reminds me to figure that out. If I haven't included a locale, that's a necessity. Weather is not the same everywhere.

Today, every radio and television broadcast warns that the Northeast portion of the United States is bracing for a humongous snowstorm, which could dump 2-3 feet of snow that way. Fortunately, here in Illinois, we're only expecting about one inch of snow.

Weather can and should play a role in our novels. Characters live in a world, which in many ways is governed by weather and seasons. That's not to say weather completely controls humans, but it can play a huge part in their behavior and day-to-day activities.

For some reason, fuses are shorter in the hot months, and more fights and murders occur. I'm not sure why tempers flare then, but suspect it may be a physiological phenomenon. Even if that weren't so, keep in mind it's easier to get around and do nefarious things when there's no snow, ice, or cold blocking the way.

Of course, cold, snowy winters also have their advantages. Nefarious happenings can go unnoticed when no one else is around. People like to hunker down in their homes then and not venture out unless necessary, or if attacked by a case of cabin fever. Also, snowbanks can be handy spots to hide bodies, not to be discovered until after a thaw.

http://amzn.com/B002PDOPPG

In my romantic suspense, Killer Career, a snowstorm brings the heroine and hero closer together romantically, after they work in tandem to clear her driveway. The weather also furthers the mystery plot. When the neighbor comes over to ask if they've seen her dog, they search the lady's yard, and at first are hindered because snow has obliterated the paw prints.

http://amzn.com/B00R20N0B2

In my sweet romance, Christmas Carol, a snowstorm brings about a chance meeting between a waitress and a big-time author in a small town.

What other examples can you think of where weather plays a role in a novel?

 

Morgan Mandel writes mysteries, thrillers and romances. You can find her at:
http://www.morganmandel.com
http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com

Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/MorganMandel

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel
Twitter: @MorganMandel

 

… And The Adventure Continues

by Janis Patterson

There are times I think I might be crazy.

Then there are times I know it.

Like now.

I’ve been published in novel-length fiction since 1979 (am I dating myself?) and while I never really worked at it as I should have (too busy traveling the world and having fun); still I’ve amassed a fair backlog of out-of-print books. Most are romances of one stripe or another written under my Janis Susan May name, as that’s where I began. Most have been metaphorically under the bed for a long time.

Fortunately, I managed to get most of the rights back before the current trad-pub rights grab, and was able to get more back from a publisher that some fear has been acting less than honestly. (Blogged about this adventure back in January…) There are more I’m still working on, and some I know that because of restrictive and wily contracts I will never ever get back.

So, what to do now with the books I do have the rights to? In this present climate, the obvious answer was republish them myself. I had released a few with pretty but inexpensive pre-made covers as ebooks only last year, and while they did okay there was no way The Husband and I could retire on the proceeds. A couple of nice dinners out, perhaps, but anything more – no.

My late father always said “If you’re going to do something, do it the best. Period.” I figured what could I lose besides some money, so I tracked down a fabulous formatter and a spectacularly gifted cover artist. Since the book had been published with a then-major house it didn’t need editing, but I went over the manuscript with a fine tooth comb, tweaking and smoothing and putting in front matter and back matter, making it ready for the formatter. I got a fantastic cover and – a dream of mine – made it available in paper as well as electronically. FAMILY OF STRANGERS, a traditional Gothic romance, is now available and doing rather well.

However, it took over a month to get it ready to upload. I wanted to get the rest of the books out faster, but being the Queen of Procrastination, I fiddled around with them, doing something on this and something else on the other… and getting nowhere.

Realizing that the best way to get things done was to prioritize, organize and hit them straight on, I decided on a business plan and made a schedule. I sent the schedule to my artist and formatter, and – after their exclamations of shock – they agreed it could be done. My MasterCard began to weep in sheer terror. I’ve tried to convince it that quality will pay off, but it still shuddered every time I came near.

I made a spreadsheet of everything that has to be done – it’s now at 26 separate steps for each book, which shocked me, but there’s no way I can overlook anything. I made a checklist for what goes into an ebook file and what goes into a print book. I’ve created Word and My Pictures files for each book. I created a publishing name (Sefkhat-Awbi Books) and got a DBA from the county.

And I work. Hard. The Husband has been very supportive, taking us out to eat quite often and not saying a word when the laundry pile reaches Matterhorn proportions or I spend the evenings in my office working even after a full day at the computer. I haven’t written a fresh word in several weeks, but my responsibilities to each book are well ahead of schedule.

My poor MasterCard is almost on life support, but that will change. I hope.

So what is this vaunted schedule and why am I crazy for doing it? I plan on releasing a book both in paper and electronically every two weeks between now (actually 30 June) and 30 October. And I think I can do it. (Sound of fingers crossing.) Will keep everyone updated.

Commercial : PASSION’S CHOICE, a sensual romantic time-travel to the dangerous, scandal-ridden court of the woman Pharaoh Hatshepsut circa 1458 BC was the 30 June release. On 15 July I plan to release THE FAIR AMAZON, a traditional Regency romance.

Caveat : Writing books is a lot more fun than publishing them. Trust me.

How Big Is Too Big?

by Janis Patterson

I’m a Texan, so ‘bigger is better’ is part of my DNA… but, I’m discovering, only up to a point.

A week or two ago I was lucky enough to go to the final George Strait concert. The Husband is a rabid fan and I like him, too, which is rare for me and country singers. We knew this was going to be An Event, but nothing could have prepared us for what happened.

The concert was held in the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, the same place where the Cowboys play football. It’s roughly the size of a small European country. Just getting to the parking lot was a trial – a journey that should have taken no more than 45 minutes took over 2 ½ hours – the last 20 minutes of which were spent going about 20 feet so we could turn into our parking lot. We were shuttled to the stadium, then frisked and wanded by security (no purses or backpacks allowed unless they were transparent) before we were allowed to enter the building.

After standing in line for 45 minutes plus for the privilege of paying $35 each for t-shirts, we finally started the trek to our seats. I tell you, maneuvering through a crowd like that gives me new respect for salmon!

We had very decent seats – second balcony, second row. Down on the playing field there were about 1,000 folding chairs set up (and packed!) around the revolving stage on the 50 yard line on which these little ½ inch tall people performed. Yes, it was that far away. I wonder if the people up in the gods could even see the stage!

Not to worry, though – I doubt if there was a seat in the place that didn’t have a direct sightline to at least one of the multitude of tv screens. Yes, multitude, and in all sizes. The biggest appeared to have just about the same square footage as a 70s tract home. So – we had our choice – anything from a ½ inch George Strait on stage all the way up to a George Strait face the size of Godzilla on a tv screen.

I love music, and love to hear all the nuances of it. Good luck there. The sound system was cranked up so high that the sound was hopelessly distorted. It had to be that way, I guess, because of the crowd. I can understand – somewhat – the screaming during applause, but for the life of me I cannot see why people pay the equivalent of a fairly good-sized car payment for a seat to hear an artist and then scream while he’s singing. It makes no sense. It does, however, make headaches.

All of that was cream, however, compared to getting out of the place. We had maps of the area and had plotted a reasonable way of getting out and getting home. Good luck! The police had blocked off streets seemingly at random and sent clogged lines of cars off in torturous directions. We rebelled, and as soon as we could get off the main street we dodged through secondary and tertiary streets until we finally found the southern interstate. This route took us approximately 20 miles out of the way, but traffic there was moving, and there was a much smaller chance of being surrounded by a bunch of concert drunks. Yes, the beer (small - $8) and the margaritas ($15) were flowing freely. Two couples in the row ahead of us had at least 6 margaritas apiece. (I think those were the prices – we didn’t buy any!)

So what does this have to do with writing?

The concert was all out of proportion. The charm of country music is the words (which were lost in the noise) and the music (distorted) and the down-home folksy ambiance (in a concert with a record 104,7?? attendees? Come on…) As in so much of life, it – and we – have lost the human proportion.

Think about it. Most thrillers aren’t about people, they’re about nations and giant corporations and saving/destroying the world. Yes, usually there’s a lone hero who is either an impossibly perfect standard of beauty and bravery with knowledge of just about everything (Jack Bauer, anyone?), or an impossibly average man who rises to the call and eventually reaches an impossibly perfect standard. He’s usually at least good-looking, too. In both mysteries and thrillers there is all too often what I call a Moriarity villain – each time he is vanquished he manages to get away, escaping things that would annihilate a normal person and coming back again and again until it becomes both excruciating and ridiculous. Think Red John on The Mentalist. I personally call it lazy writing.

One of the reasons romance is so popular is that it is human-sized – one man, one woman, a happy ending. Cozy mysteries, too – normal people solving a normal-sized crime in a normal world. These storylines are something to which most people can relate. Country-gobbling corporations or nations setting to enslave the world are – for me at least – too big. I can’t become emotionally or empathetically involved in something set to such a gargantuan scale.

That doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for such large-stage fiction. Or, for that matter, gigantic, record-breaking concerts. Some people enjoy it. I just hate to see it become so prevalent that it sometimes threatens to choke off less strident and overreaching stories.

Or am I all wrong? No matter. I’ll still take things – concerts, storylines or whatever – that are human-scaled.

Got Shtick?

Wikipedia calls shtick a comic theme or gimmick. 

About a quarter through the cozy, A Good Man Gone by A.W. Hartoin, I must confess to enjoying the comical aspects of depicting the main character as a Marilyn Monroe double, who puts that likeness to good use while trying to solve a mystery. The Kindle edition, by the way, is still free today (Monday) at http://www.amazon.com/Good-Gone-Mercy-Watts-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00D1CPG5I
(I'm not sure how long the freebie will last.)

In A Perfect Angel, my current romantic comedy work in progress, the shtick is my character's penchant for perfection, and her struggles to break ingrained habits.

Other gimmicks can be found in Joanna Slan's cozy series featuring Kiki Lowenstein, a scrapbooker, as well as Lois Winston's cozy series with Anastasia Pollack, a magazine crafts editor.

Outside the mystery genre are Celia Yeary, Cheryl Pierson, Caroline Clemmons, and other authors at the Sweethearts of the West blog. Their shtick is using the West as a setting for their romances.

Can you think of other examples from your own novels or someone else's? 

Find Morgan Mandel's mysteries and romances at
http://www.amazon.com/author/morganmandel

Excerpts at http://morgansbookslinks.blogspot.com

Connect on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel

Twitter: @MorganMandel

A Confession

I have a confession to make.
Maybe you want to sit down for this one.
Okay, here goes...

I'm a multi-genre author. I write and read more than one genre. You may be gasping by now, since you no doubt realize that writing in more than one genre is said to dilute a brand.

That may be true, but I can't help it. I'm fascinated not only by romance, but also mysteries and thrillers, even science fiction.

I've been known to combine them to make things more confusing, such as in the first of the Always Young Trilogy, Forever Young: Blessing or Curse, a combination thriller/science fiction, with a touch of romance.

No, the characters don't explore other planets, but they do take a pill to turn their ages back, and we do know that no such pill exists. If so, somebody is closely guarding that secret.

In Blessing or Curse, my short story collection sequel to Forever Young: Blessing or Curse, I switched to mainly romance/science fiction, telling the story about five people taking that turn-back-the-age pill. I also made the short stories available not only in the collection, but also separately, as you can see from the covers below. So, I even switched formats. Wow, even more daring than combining genres!

If we go back to my other novels, you'll find Two Wrongs, my debut mystery with romantic elements, followed by Girl of My Dreams, a romantic comedy, followed by Killer Career, a romantic suspense, then followed by Her Handyman, another romantic comedy.

What will I write next? Well, I'm leaning toward a sequel to Her Handyman, since one of the characters advised me she'd love to have her own story told.

Then, there's Always Young, the last of the Always Young trilogy to do, which I must complete, since it was promised, and I won't go back on a promise. I'm leaning toward making that one a thriller, as in the first of the trilogy, but will most likely include romance somewhere along the way, and of course, science fiction.

I almost forgot to mention I may write a book about my dog, Rascal. Not sure yet if it will be for adults or children. After all, I did give her a Facebook page. Why not? Other dogs have one and I didn't want her to be left out.

http://www.facebook.com/ourlittlerascal







To learn more about my available novels, I invite you to check out my website at http://www.morganmandel.com and my Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/morganmandel 


Twitter: @MorganMandel
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel


What about you? Do you stick to one genre?

What Did I Get Myself Into?

I'd heard from various sources that series sell. Because of that, when I wrote my thriller, Forever Young: Blessing or Curse, I decided to promise a trilogy. Maybe I should have promised it after it was all written, because it takes time for me to write books, also lots of inspiration.

 Anyway, I finally finished the second in the trilogy, called the Blessing or Curse Collection. While the first is a thriller, the collection has a small thriller aspect toward the end, but is mainly based on how a pill that turns a person young again impacts the lives of not only the pill users, but also the spouses or significant others. Five short stories are included, tracing the lives of five very different people.

Why did I change genres? For some reason, that's where my muse told me to go, so I had no choice but to follow.

Then, why, after doing the collection, did I decide to make each story also available separately? Well, for one reason, readers do love choices. This way they can get the bargain Blessing or Curse Collection with all 5 stories, plus a small bit at the end featuring the bad guys, for $2.99, or, if they only want to read one or two of the stories, that can be done for 99 cents each.

Because I singled out each short story, that meant editing it side by side with the collection for discrepancies, as well as offering a sample of another of the stories at the end of each book, not to mention separate covers for the short stories.

It took some doing, but the project is done! The Blessing or Curse Collection is available on Amazon, as well as the separate short stories. Here's a recap of what's available in the collection or separately, also a peek at each short story cover in my panorama shot below:

WHO'LL MEND THIS BROKEN MAN

Desperation forces Consuela to order the Forever Young pill to cure her husband, Diego, from Parkinson’s Disease; but is the cure really a curse?

http://amzn.com/B00EMPREZ8

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

Ezekiel, an African-American male, can't get it up for his lady love, Luana. Will the pill draw them closer together or drive her away?

http://amzn.com/B00EMPRDBI

WHAT I DID FOR LOVE

Strawberry blonde model, Sherri, sees her popularity fading, along with her looks. The pill can bring her fame and fortune, but what about love?

http://amzn.com/B00EMY1T3M

SUSPICION

Doormat, Dee Dee Marshall, takes a bold step when evidence points to her husband's infidelity. 

http://amzn.com/B00EMY1S8I

FOR THE LOVE OF DOG

Overweight Chicago Police Officer Walinski must pass a new physical or lose his job, along with his beloved canine partner. Can the young pill offer security, when danger lurks in the line of duty?

http://amzn.com/B00EMY1QVW

And now, I've begun Always Young, the last of the trilogy. This will be in novel form, instead of as a collection,  because that's where my inspiration is now leading me.

What about you? Do you sometimes wonder what you got yourself into?

Find all of Morgan Mandel's books at
http://www.amazon.com/author/morganmandel

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel

Twitter:
@MorganMandel