
There's nothing that makes readers more angry than their favorite authors changing genres. Just when they get used to a particular writer's historical, she starts to write contemporaries. Or a contemporary author now writes vampires The permutations are endless, and the gnashing of teeth is sometimes very loud.
I know exactly how readers feel. As a reader, I've become a fan of particular authors, only to find they have decided to write something new. I remember when Lisa Kleypas put out some contemporary novels, I thought, "Oh, no! Another historical romance author I love and won't be able to read anymore." But guess what? I love her contemporaries almost as much as her historicals. And authors like Lynsay Sands flit easily between paranormal and historical. And I've just started a new Deadly Angels series with this month's KISS OF PRIDE, Viking vampire angels. That doesn't mean I'll stop writing historicals or time travels or contemporaries, just a mix of all these.
So, why do authors change genres? One reason is very simply that variety is the spice of live, even for authors. We get bored. Our muses steer us in different directions. Anne Stuart, whose book ON THIN ICE is currently an Amazon Kindle Exclusive, says she loves changing genres. Her favorite writing time was when she alternated historical romance with romantic suspense. "I love trying new stuff," she says, "Right now I'm writing paranormals as Kristina Douglas (WARRIOR is out now) and having a blast. Writing genre romance is a garden of delights, and it's fun wandering among the various flowers."
Sometimes the Muse likes variety, too, or she'll stomp out of the building, according to Mary Jo Putney. "Even though I've found plenty of variety within historical romance, I've also played with fantasy and contemporary and other interesting fields. I'm now getting my fantasy fix with my Young Adult historical paranormals, the third of which, DARK DESTINY, will be out in July." Mary Jo concludes, "Writers are like sharks; if we don't keep moving, we'll die."
Judith Arnold (GOOD-BYE TO ALL THAT, 3/12) switched from romance fiction to women's fiction, "more of an evolution than a jump, really," because after 80-plus books she'd said all she had to say about romance within the confines of the contemporary romance genre. "Now I want to tell stories about other adventures in women's lives, other challenges, other journeys. We write the stories we have to write."
But sometimes there are circumstances beyond an author's control that force the change. Jill Barnett, whose historical BEWITCHING is a romance classic, moved to women's fiction for a while, and is back to writing historicals, along with other genres. She says, "Your husband drops dead at 47. A man you loved so very long, longer than you have lived your life without loving him. That loss made writing happily-ever-after romances excruciatingly painful and dark. It took me a while to come back."
In my case, I have sometimes changed genres because of pressures from the publishers related to market trends. For example, after writing about ten Viking historical romances, the market swung in favor of contemporary romances and my editor asked if I could write a contemporary Viking time-travel so they could put a contemporary cover on it (I kid you not!) and that led to THE LAST VIKING. Then after awhile, and at a different publishing house, contemps went out of style, and I was "encouraged" to write contemps; thus came my Cajun LeDeux series. And now, the feeling is that paranormals are hot. I couldn't see myself writing dark vampire novels, and the good Catholic girl in me found it difficult to write a vampire world where there was no God. Thus was born the DEADLY ANGELS series featuring Viking vampire angels, or vangels.
The first book, KISS OF PRIDE, which was released recently, features Vikar Sigurdsson who must turn a rundown castle in Transylvania, Pennsylvania, into a vangel palace headquarters. Not so easy with a ton of guano to haul out, a young vangel who thinks he's Michael Jackson reincarnated, Lizzie Borden in the kitchen, and a snoopy but tempting reporter nosing about the place.
So, what do you think about authors changing genres? Are you willing to give the new genres a try?
For more information about Sandra's book, check out her website at www.sandrahill.net or her Facebook page.
Two of the people who comment on this blog will received signed copies of THE NORSE KING'S DAUGHTER.